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15 Years Of Heady Beers
SweetWater Brewing Company
- From:
- SweetWater Brewing Company
- Georgia, United States
- Style:
- American Strong Ale
- ABV:
- 10%
- Score:
- 85
- Avg:
- 3.79 | pDev: 13.46%
- Reviews:
- 44
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Retired
- Rated:
- Dec 01, 2016
- Added:
- Feb 11, 2012
- Wants:
- 5
- Gots:
- 18
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by UnderPressure:
Reviewed by UnderPressure from South Carolina
4.2/5 rDev +10.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
4.2/5 rDev +10.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Very clear red color. Fluffy white head. 3/4 inch. Decent lacing
Complex malty sweetness in the aroma. Some earthy hops.
Oh, wow! Great flavor! A nice bitterness with a balanced sweetness. Really complex. Oakish flavor.
Smooth, medium thick mouthfeel. A sticky, bitter finish.
This is a great beer. I got two bottles and I wonder what it will be like after a year or two.
Sep 23, 2012Complex malty sweetness in the aroma. Some earthy hops.
Oh, wow! Great flavor! A nice bitterness with a balanced sweetness. Really complex. Oakish flavor.
Smooth, medium thick mouthfeel. A sticky, bitter finish.
This is a great beer. I got two bottles and I wonder what it will be like after a year or two.
More User Ratings:
Reviewed by chinchill from South Carolina
3.8/5 rDev +0.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.75
3.8/5 rDev +0.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.75
22 oz bottle served in a Belgian snifter.
Pours clear, dark rose-amber with a good head.
The high ABV is still rather pronounced in this aged bottle but acceptable in the flavor. Rich, complex flavor is bitter-sweet, leaning to sweet early on but mildly bitter by the aftertaste.
Jul 21, 2015Pours clear, dark rose-amber with a good head.
The high ABV is still rather pronounced in this aged bottle but acceptable in the flavor. Rich, complex flavor is bitter-sweet, leaning to sweet early on but mildly bitter by the aftertaste.
Rated by 2Bstout from Kentucky
4.1/5 rDev +8.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
4.1/5 rDev +8.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Drank this March 2015 Wish I had some more.
Mar 29, 2015Reviewed by Jadjunk from Georgia
3.63/5 rDev -4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.63/5 rDev -4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
"For the first ever SweetWater anniversary beer (yeah it took us 15 years), we went back to our roots, dusted off our original ESB recipe, and gave it a big ol' bump. The recipe consists of 7 malts, one of which Kevin toasted personally in his toaster oven, just like the old days, and 5 different styles of hops. In true SweetWater style, there is no style, but it's big, bold, and meant to grow old, meaning this beer will be fantastic out of the gate, or you can lay her down in the cellar for many years to come. " Brewed in the style of an Imperial ESB/American Strong Ale. This is SweetWater's 15th Anniversary ale, released February 2012 in 22 oz. bottles and on limited draft.
Poured from a 22 oz. bottle to a SweetWater snifter. Served above 52º Fahrenheit.
(Appearance) Pours a medium creamy froth head of a tan-white complexion over a dense hazelnut-copper body. Retention is good and lacing is light and streaked. 4
(Smell) Malt complexity, lots of medium toasted grain malts, some earthy caramel malts and a strong fruit profile is present here with notes of underripe raisin and fig. Bitter, earthy hops provide a spicy, floral hop aroma and an assertive perceived bitterness. Some bold alcohol notes are quickly gaining ground. Potency is medium-high. 3.5
(Taste) Reminiscent of a big ESB or even a young barleywine, with lots of grainy, nutty caramel malt notes and bitter earthy hop profiles with a sharp alcohol booziness to pair. Drinkability is impeded somewhat by the alcohol, but I enjoy the assertiveness of the malt and hop build as they are very much indicative of a very strong ESB. 3.75
(Mouthfeel) Texture is slick, mildly chewy, smooth. Carbonation keeps the texture smooth with a creamy consistency for a subtle mouthfeel. Body is medium/high for an Imperial ESB, medium/high overall. 3.5
(Overall) I'm not the biggest fan of the ESB style in general, and the Imperial treatment is no welcome enhancement to improve upon the flavors. 15 Years of Heady Beers is a beer that tries to build up an already incredibly flavorful and aggressive style with mixed results. What I recall from the last time I tried it was that it has in fact increased in perceived booziness and graininess since the young age, so if you're not looking for a grain bomb, maybe now is the time to open your remaining bottles. It's not the most graceful aging beer I have tried. 3.5
SweetWater Brewing Company's
15 Years Of Heady Beers 1997-2012
3.64/5.00
Apr 09, 2014Poured from a 22 oz. bottle to a SweetWater snifter. Served above 52º Fahrenheit.
(Appearance) Pours a medium creamy froth head of a tan-white complexion over a dense hazelnut-copper body. Retention is good and lacing is light and streaked. 4
(Smell) Malt complexity, lots of medium toasted grain malts, some earthy caramel malts and a strong fruit profile is present here with notes of underripe raisin and fig. Bitter, earthy hops provide a spicy, floral hop aroma and an assertive perceived bitterness. Some bold alcohol notes are quickly gaining ground. Potency is medium-high. 3.5
(Taste) Reminiscent of a big ESB or even a young barleywine, with lots of grainy, nutty caramel malt notes and bitter earthy hop profiles with a sharp alcohol booziness to pair. Drinkability is impeded somewhat by the alcohol, but I enjoy the assertiveness of the malt and hop build as they are very much indicative of a very strong ESB. 3.75
(Mouthfeel) Texture is slick, mildly chewy, smooth. Carbonation keeps the texture smooth with a creamy consistency for a subtle mouthfeel. Body is medium/high for an Imperial ESB, medium/high overall. 3.5
(Overall) I'm not the biggest fan of the ESB style in general, and the Imperial treatment is no welcome enhancement to improve upon the flavors. 15 Years of Heady Beers is a beer that tries to build up an already incredibly flavorful and aggressive style with mixed results. What I recall from the last time I tried it was that it has in fact increased in perceived booziness and graininess since the young age, so if you're not looking for a grain bomb, maybe now is the time to open your remaining bottles. It's not the most graceful aging beer I have tried. 3.5
SweetWater Brewing Company's
15 Years Of Heady Beers 1997-2012
3.64/5.00
Reviewed by BEERchitect from Kentucky
4.04/5 rDev +6.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
4.04/5 rDev +6.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Billed as a double-strength recipe of their Motorboat ESB, the slightly Americanized English ale takes on imperial status as its taste now more resembles Olde Ales and Barleywines... but with that citrusy hop kick in the pants.
The anniversary ale pours a dark and rusty-brown color with highlights of garnet and crimson that pierce through its stern haze. Capped with a dense column of slight tarnish foam, the beer holds its structure to last the session and lacing the glass with separate rings at each sip.
Savory aromatics leap out immediately with notes that's sure to appease the sweet tooth. Toffee, brown sugar and molasses provide a hearty and sweet scent. Nearly fruitcake-like, its dense bread aromas are chocked full of dates, figs, plumbs and raisins. A mild vinous tone peaks through the sweetness just before the hops set in with an acidic citrus and pine note.
Heading into taste, its immense sweetness coats the tongue with bready-sweet taste. Coffee cake, pecans, dark dried fruit and vinous port pull from the malty body at times for complexity and intrigue. But it is that taste of maple, molasses, brown sugar and lightly burnt toffee that captivates the taste buds and carry the beer from early palate nearly to finish. Its long draw of malt concludes with a rise in hop bitterness that carry and inherent citrus pith tone and deep resinous pine.
Full bodied, the beer is chewy and pound cake dense. As its bready armatures wrap around its creamy carbonation, its full effect seems even larger. And this texture extends just a deep as does its taste. But finally, the hop dryness and bitterness slices through the malt for a light semblance of drinkability. But the beer does remain largely a sipping ale, equipped with rummy warmth and a spicy bite in the throat.
It seems that a year in the cellar rounds off the rough edges of the hops and allows the sweetness and warmth to mature. Its a bold and masculine taste that also carries a sense of refinement and grace.
Oct 28, 2013The anniversary ale pours a dark and rusty-brown color with highlights of garnet and crimson that pierce through its stern haze. Capped with a dense column of slight tarnish foam, the beer holds its structure to last the session and lacing the glass with separate rings at each sip.
Savory aromatics leap out immediately with notes that's sure to appease the sweet tooth. Toffee, brown sugar and molasses provide a hearty and sweet scent. Nearly fruitcake-like, its dense bread aromas are chocked full of dates, figs, plumbs and raisins. A mild vinous tone peaks through the sweetness just before the hops set in with an acidic citrus and pine note.
Heading into taste, its immense sweetness coats the tongue with bready-sweet taste. Coffee cake, pecans, dark dried fruit and vinous port pull from the malty body at times for complexity and intrigue. But it is that taste of maple, molasses, brown sugar and lightly burnt toffee that captivates the taste buds and carry the beer from early palate nearly to finish. Its long draw of malt concludes with a rise in hop bitterness that carry and inherent citrus pith tone and deep resinous pine.
Full bodied, the beer is chewy and pound cake dense. As its bready armatures wrap around its creamy carbonation, its full effect seems even larger. And this texture extends just a deep as does its taste. But finally, the hop dryness and bitterness slices through the malt for a light semblance of drinkability. But the beer does remain largely a sipping ale, equipped with rummy warmth and a spicy bite in the throat.
It seems that a year in the cellar rounds off the rough edges of the hops and allows the sweetness and warmth to mature. Its a bold and masculine taste that also carries a sense of refinement and grace.
15 Years Of Heady Beers from SweetWater Brewing Company
Beer rating:
85 out of
100 with
101 ratings
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