Geisha
Birrificio Troll

2010 vintage

I gotta be honest, this one was a complete random grab at Half Time like a year ago, and the reviews here don’t exactly have me excited to try this 13 year old beast. It sounds like I’m in for a cloyingly sweet treat, but maybe the age can save it a bit. Let’s crack it open and find out

Pours an opaque medium brown with just a few bubbles, obviously leaving no lacing

Oh man, this is very sweet in the nose. It reminds me of older HOTD beers but without the charm. I’m picking up on aromas of molasses, burnt caramel, sweet toffee, fig, smoky tobacco, light port wine, and brown bread

The HOTD factor comes back tenfold in taste, but it’s unfortunately rather bland up front, making for a weird experience overall. On the front end of the sip I’m tasting sweet toffee, molasses, burnt caramel, and light raisin. The swallow brings notes of molasses, burnt caramel, brown sugar, fig, sweet honey, brown bread, port wine, black pepper, light licorice, and tobacco

A medium body pairs with gentle carbonation, resulting in a thin and slick beer. Finishes sweet and boozy but surprisingly dry

This one is absolutely strange, but can really bring myself to dislike it. There’s some enjoyable bits of this old beer that tastes like it’s 10 years older than it actually is

i dont know where i got this, maybe a little bottle shop with some dusty gems in anchorage, i think, maybe it was csper wyoming, maybe somewhere else, but somewhere unlikely, cant recall, but im not sure why i thought it had coffee in it, the name no doubt, thinking geisha coffee, but i dont think there is coffee in it. been awhile since i had a random old italian craft beer, seems like all this stuff stopped coming to the states a long time ago, a shame, i remember loving all these expensive dusty bottles, nobody ever cared though and they went away. this was a great way to kickoff our barleywine night, super weird brew. its skunky from the green glass, a strange choice for this type of thing that people tend to long age. its also very sweet, but in between that, there is a lot going on in this totally uncarbonated shiny slick viscous brew. licorice and tobacco and leather in the nose, black pepper, molasses, and sherry in the flavor, raisin and fig nuance, concentrated malt sugar, light smoke, toffee, cigar, and even cocoa, all very alcoholic and oxidized a little more than even is flattering in the style, no hops at all, suggestions of coffee but subtle, and a wet earthy mineral profile too. its palate coating, boozy, and desserty, and its a slow sipper that moves at a snails pace. that said, its real distinctive, doesnt taste like any beer ive ever had, and definitely feels warming in the winter time. cant believe this is only my first beer from these guys, id love to track down a few more, but i reckon itll be pretty tricky here in the states at this point. this is past its prime, 2012 vintage ten years old, but its still cool...

 

 

 

2012 edition.

No sound when I popped the cap, it's a very dark brown, almost black, with a very fine layer of foam.

The smell has some Port like aromas coming from it...dark fruits, and a sweetness to it that seems to come with all Port like brews.

Made with candi sugar and it tastes it. That kind of drowns out the promising Port flavour I expected from the smell. There's a strange hop bitterness that I can't quite put my finger on but it isn't all that forward so that's okay.

Medium bodied with surprisingly little heat coming from the ample abv. I sense no carbonation.

All in all, it's pretty good but NOT at +$19 for the 375ml bottle. I know, no one forced me to buy it but I had to check it out. ;^)

 

 

Lightly chilled to imbibe while watching a Mifune marathon. 2008 vintage - poured from a 375mL bottle into my Spirit Sippers snifter. Let's see what 5 years in the cellar brings:

Clear but very dark rose ebony body with a few large bubbles that retreat to the sides of the glass before dissipating. Thin yet viscous tears, no lacing, no real head development or retention.

Intensely concentrated dark fruit aroma suggests figs, dates, and cherry along with hints of freshly chopped wood, tobacco, leather, clay, and a fleeting herbal/floral quality. Deep yet delicate.

Cloying and pungent palate entry is primarily a big dose of brown sugar and pomegranate molasses followed by a brief kick of faded bitter hops. The finish is drawn out and earthy with more of the pleasant notes from the nose coming back into play, though not quite enough to redeem the overwhelming sweetness. Alcohol adds unwelcome flavor but contributes little body - odd. I wonder if the candy sugar ever finished fermenting out or if the yeast stalled at some point?

Thin mouth-feel is nearly devoid of carbonation.

The age has matured many elements of this ale, but the overall impression is that of a weak port more than a strong beer.

 

 

Review from 12/2010 notes. Poured into a Nostradamus flute glass. Pours a dark murky red amber. Sweet malt aroma. Very sweet malt, caramel flavor. An odd bitterness in the initial taste lingers. Almost cloyingly sweet and the bitter aftertaste is not that well integrated. Somewhat complex, but too sweet and odd tasting on the finish. Will not revisit.

 

Another huge thanks to SHIG (over on ratebeer) for these Italian beauties. Thanks Shawn! Pours dirty deep copper with tan head. The aroma is mild and seems neutral. I eventually get faint notes of yeasty winter like spices, a sense of malts, some roasted malts and a touch of berry to spiced apple fruitiness. The taste has carbonation enhanced sweet berry to apple fruitiness followed by winter and yeasty spices. Into the finish berry fruit like sweetness as well as a touch of caramel and faint dark fruity esters close out the experience.

Opened with a very satisfying pop, music to my ears. The inside of the cap was lined with an extra plastic piece that apparently fit into the top of the neck. It was labeled sterile-cap. I like it.
Poured a dark, rich chestnut. Very pretty except for the massive amount of floaties that I tried so hard to leave in the bottle. I haven't seen this much crap suspended in a beer since my last Goudenband. Absolutely no head, just a tiny ring of small bubbles around the glass.

Aroma:
As it poured, the scent of Welches grape juice or Manischewitz hit me. Bluh. Swirling brings out sweet fruit, raisins and butter (as well as some carbonation, bringing the beer to life a bit). Yum!

Taste:
Well balls, the cheap wine grappiness is still there, along with an aftertaste of a cheap rum and coke. Bluh. I can't place much else besides some kind of out of place spice. Hops are nonexistent, which is a shame since they might mask the harsh alcohol in the aftertaste.
Mouthfeel is quite good, and wasted on this beer.

Holy shit, $16 for 375mls of mediocre beer. I think I need a Little Sumpin' Sumpin' to sort myself out.

pours a cloudy dark brown-orange with a thin beige head, and good lacing.

smell is of caramel, spice, some fruit, and a little cocoa.

taste is smooth and creamy, cocoa, some sweet fruit, a little caramel, and nuts, ends a bit on the strong side (alcohol aftertaste), and dry.

Bottle from 99 Bottles in Federal Way, Wash. 4-oz sample in goblet. The body was smooth, creamy and viscous. The flavor was caramel cookies, with a finish of warm golden raisins. Lightly herbal hops. Quite Sweet and sticky, with warming alcohol. Delicious!

This puppy took 7 tickets at the PIB... was my first glass!

- Great cloudy caramel quality... creamy brown, off white head... large bits of yeast float around... (had the end of a bottle plus a new opener..

- Sweet malts with a bit of ester and plum, and some great spice as well....

- Smooth caramel sweetness, some grain, bread, spice and fig.. interesting citrus jab as well....

- Bit chewy and sweet, overall decent...

- Very drinkable, but had massive amounts of yeast in the bottle... overall carbonation was excellent.

This was from the 2008 vintage, poured from a 375 ml bottle. The appearance is extremely dark brown, with barely any transparency at all. The liquid is capped with a light brown, tightly bubbled head. The aroma on this beer is nice....loads of malt character. Significant malty sweetness with lots of caramel and toffee flavors. The beer also has a plum and port-like quality. Not a notable hop flavor, but the IBU's must be significant...despite the sweetness, the beer does have a respectable balance, making it very drinkable. The beer also hides it's alcohol very well. There's a bit in the smell, but very well hidden in the taste. The ABV's show themselves with a nice internal warming that occurs only after a few sips. Very mouthfilling and creamy texture, this is a very hefty beer. Wonderfully malty, a great barleywine.