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Attila The Hen
Against The Grain Brewery & Smokehouse
- From:
- Against The Grain Brewery & Smokehouse
- Kentucky, United States
- Style:
- Rye Beer
- ABV:
- 12.7%
- Score:
- 89
- Avg:
- 3.99 | pDev: 9.77%
- Reviews:
- 5
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Retired
- Rated:
- Nov 25, 2022
- Added:
- Dec 11, 2013
- Wants:
- 1
- Gots:
- 1
Essentially an Imperial version of our famed KY Ryed Chiquen, this strong, rye-barrel aged, imperial rye amber ale is very rich. A prominent bourbon nose gives way to a full body carrying lots of rye spice, vanilla, cherry, caramel, wood, and warm alcohol flavors. The Maris Otter base malt lends this beer a full, grainy, almost biscuit character indicative of English influence, but the Munich and melanoidin malts lend a German, almost Oktoberfesty note that pairs well with the significant barrel flavors derived from a three month stint in freshly dumped rye bourbon barrels.
46.3 IBU
46.3 IBU
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Reviewed by bluejacket74 from Ohio
4.21/5 rDev +5.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.21/5 rDev +5.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
750 ml bottle, pretty sure this was a February 2019 release. Label says 12% ABV. Served in a snifter, the beer pours a murky amber/brown color with about an inch and a half light tan head that stayed around for a really long time. There's also a lot of lacing. I like the aroma, the brew smells like caramel, rye, oak, vanilla, bready/grainy malt, coconut and toffee. I think the taste is similar to the aroma, but there's also the addition of some cherry, raisin, plum, molasses and herbal flavors. Mouthfeel/body is medium/full, it's thick and a bit slick with a good amount of carbonation. I liked this brew a lot, glad I bought it!
Jul 05, 2019Reviewed by superspak from North Carolina
4.23/5 rDev +6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
4.23/5 rDev +6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
750 ml bottle into snifter; no bottle dating, but was just released. Feathers glued on the top, which smell pretty freshly plucked oddly enough. Pours very hazy deep ruby red/orange/copper color with a 1-2 finger fairly dense and rocky light khaki head with fantastic retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lingers. Nice dense foamy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of big caramel, brown sugar, toffee, raisin, plum, cherry, peach, pear, fig, date, apricot, red apple, vanilla, spicy rye, whiskey, coconut, toasted oak, roasted nuts, biscuit, and brown bread/crust; with lighter notes of molasses, licorice, roast, smoke, herbal, grass, pepper, and yeast/toast/oaky earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of dark/rye/bready malts, fruity yeast, rye whiskey barrels, and light-moderate earthy hop notes; with great strength. Taste of big caramel, brown sugar, toffee, raisin, plum, cherry, peach, pear, fig, date, apricot, red apple, vanilla, spicy rye, whiskey, coconut, toasted oak, roasted nuts, biscuit, and brown bread/crust; with lighter notes of molasses, licorice, roast, smoke, herbal, grass, pepper, and yeast/toast/oaky earthiness. Light-moderate pine, herbal, grassy, peppery hop bitterness; and rye, whiskey, oak tannin spiciness on the finish. Lingering notes of caramel, brown sugar, toffee, dark fruit, cherry, peach, pear, apricot, red apple, vanilla, spicy rye, whiskey, coconut, toasted oak, roasted nuts, biscuit, brown bread/crust, light licorice/molasses, herbal, grass, pepper, and yeast/toast/oaky earthiness on the finish for a while. Incredible complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/rye/bready malts, fruity yeast, rye whiskey barrels, and light-moderate earthy hop flavors; with a great malt/bitterness, and rye/whiskey/oak spiciness balance; with no cloying/astringent flavors after the finish. Light-moderate increasing dryness from lingering bitterness and rye/whiskey/oak tannin spiciness. Light-medium carbonation and fairly full body; with a very smooth, creamy/silky/bready/grainy, fairly sticky/tannic, and lightly chalky mouthfeel that is great. Mildly increasing warmth of 12%, with no barrel booziness lingering after the finish. Overall this is a fantastic barrel aged rye strong ale! All around outstanding complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/rye/bready malts, fruity yeast, rye whiskey barrels, and light-moderate earthy hop flavors; very smooth and dangerously easy to drink for the big ABV; with the mellowly bitter/spicy/tannic/drying finish. Fantastic balance of rich malts, fruity English yeast, and rye whiskey barrel presence/integration. Not overly sweet/heavy from lingering bitter/spicy/tannin dryness. A highly enjoyable offering, and amazing style example. Definitely a lot more impressive than the Rye'd Chiquen base beer. Richer malt complexity, and more barrel presence.
Dec 16, 2018Reviewed by parrotsnest from Washington
2.36/5 rDev -40.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 1.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 2
2.36/5 rDev -40.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 1.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 2
I'm really not sure if I got a bad bottle or what, but this was a drain pour. This was a very sour barleywine, almost funky, not much sweetness. The only other barleywine I've had like this was a 4 years old barleywine (Old Guardian) that aged on a shelf improperly. Disappointed.
Feb 28, 2014
Attila The Hen from Against The Grain Brewery & Smokehouse
Beer rating:
89 out of
100 with
26 ratings
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