The Old Wood Shed
Griffin Claw Brewing Company

The Old Wood ShedThe Old Wood Shed
Beer Geek Stats
From:
Griffin Claw Brewing Company
 
Michigan, United States
Style:
American Porter
ABV:
6.5%
Score:
Needs more ratings
Avg:
3.82 | pDev: 3.93%
Reviews:
3
Ratings:
5
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Jul 05, 2017
Added:
Feb 25, 2016
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  1
Cherrywood smoked porter.
Recent ratings and reviews.
Photo of Alieniloquium
Reviewed by Alieniloquium from Florida

3.68/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
650 mL bottle. Pours almost black with an ample khaki head. Smells of smoke, nutty malts, and a little chocolate. The taste has smoke all over, but it's never all that intense. It's a sweet, fruity kind of smokiness as opposed to a heavy, meaty smokiness. Chocolate and nutty malts, though it's never very sweet. Dry finish. Medium body with ample carbonation. Very good.
Jul 05, 2017
 
Rated: 3.73 by Dactrius from Netherlands Antilles

Aug 06, 2016
 
Rated: 3.83 by chuckgietzen from Michigan

Jun 05, 2016
Photo of superspak
Reviewed by superspak from North Carolina

4.1/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
22 ounce bottle into tulip glass; 2015 vintage, bottled in 12/2015. Pours clear very dark brown color with a 1-2 finger dense and rocky light khaki head with good retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings around the glass. Aromas of big chocolate, cocoa, coffee, wood smoke, caramel, toasted dark bread, light nuttiness, herbal, light pepper, light vanilla/char, slight dark fruit, and roast/smokey earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of dark/roast/bready/smoked malt and light-moderate earthy hop notes; with great strength. Taste of big chocolate, cocoa, coffee, wood smoke, caramel, toasted dark bread, light nuttiness, herbal, light pepper, light vanilla/char, slight dark fruit, and roast/smokey earthiness. Moderate herbal/spicy hop and roasted bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of chocolate, cocoa, coffee, wood smoke, caramel, toasted dark bread, light nuttiness, herbal, light pepper, light vanilla/char, and roast/smokey earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Damn nice complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready/smoked malt and light-moderate earthy hop flavors; with a great roast/hop bitter/sweet balance and zero cloying flavors after the finish. Light-medium carbonation and medium body; with a very smooth, moderately creamy, and lightly sticky/chalky balanced mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is very well hidden with minimal warming present after the finish. Overall this is an excellent smoked porter style! All around great complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready/smoked malt and light-moderate earthy hop flavors; and very smooth and easy to drink. Almost rauchbier levels of smoke going on, but still well balanced with the malt profile. A very enjoyable offering.
Mar 20, 2016
Photo of SerialTicker
Reviewed by SerialTicker from Michigan

3.78/5  rDev -1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Something like an $8 of-course-it's-waxed bomber.

Appearance: Pours like a porter. A dark brown ruby color. Minimal head that goes quickly, and not really any lacing to speak of.

Smell: Has a smokey and ashy vibe that I find typical in many porters, but there's also that extra "oomph" from the cherrywood. Nice smokey nose, but not overly rich... true to the style of a 6.5% porter.

Taste/feel: The feel is pretty much exactly what I like a porter of this ABV to be: on the thinner side with an assertive carbonation. Just a little more body would be great though, since this is drinking a bit too watery. The taste follows the nose pretty perfectly -- it's a smoked porter. There's nothing going on here that's mindblowing and unique, but it's well-made. The smoke flavor on this doesn't come off as cigarette ashy like I've had in some other stouts, but simply... well... wood shed ash. You know, after all the tools and gasoline has been taken out. What I'm TRYING to say is that the smoke is well-balanced here.

This is just a nice, easy drinking beer that just so happens to have a premium price tag. It's really everything I've come to expect from many of Griffin Claw's beers. I enjoy it, but I'm not sure I'd choose it over an equally good (or potentially better) beer that costs less money.
Mar 15, 2016
The Old Wood Shed from Griffin Claw Brewing Company
Beer rating: 3.82 out of 5 with 5 ratings