-
Stop lurking! Log in to search, post in our forums, review beers, see fewer ads, and more. — Todd, Founder of BeerAdvocate
Trader Joe's 2010 Vintage Ale
Trader Joe's Brewing Company
- From:
- Trader Joe's Brewing Company
- California, United States
- Style:
- Belgian Dark Strong Ale
- ABV:
- 9.2%
- Score:
- 85
- Avg:
- 3.79 | pDev: 13.19%
- Reviews:
- 150
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Retired
- Rated:
- Dec 31, 2020
- Added:
- Nov 19, 2010
- Wants:
- 4
- Gots:
- 75
Contract brewed for Trader Joe's. Often brewed by Unibroue.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Jimmys:
Reviewed by Jimmys from Pennsylvania
4.23/5 rDev +11.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
4.23/5 rDev +11.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Fresh Review, 2/21/2011
A: deep, roasty dark brown. fluffy soda-like head. looks like a glass of root beer. (3.5)
S: chilling allspice and clove. cinnamon and coffee now that it has heated up. spice masks any complexity i could be getting from the yeast. (2.5)
T: very spicy. sweet chocolate. hop usage must have been on the 'just a touch' side judging by the lack of bitterness. not getting as strong a sense of alcohol as i expected (maybe i didnt need to buy another for the cellar...) for it being such a recent vintage. (2.5)
M: very tangy, light bubbles. pretty fair showing for the style. rich and full bodied. (4)
D: with bel strong darks really being all over the place, this one just isn't my favorite. very curious if the one i have put away develops any significant flavors. (3)
Cellared Bottled, opened/reviewed 6/23/13
A: opaque, dark brown body. super frothy brownish head. big and fluffy. fantastic head retention, thick lacing left behind.
S: smells bone dry. a soft roast mixes with some chocolate. I think there is a little bit of fermentation aroma in the nose. getting a little bit of sweet fruit, pear and fig, but not a ton.
T: similar to the nose, this tastes almost as dry as it smells, at first. a little bit of dry chocolate. a tale-end of unfermentables, some yeast. roasted flavor adds to the dryness. some red grape skins as it warms.
M: a bit effervescent. medium/full body.
D: really aged well. has held up exceptionally as I am not getting any sort of off-flavors. absolutely no heat. all the spicing has dissolved on the flavor and aroma spectrum of things, which is fine with me. for the price, definitely worth getting a few and stashing.
Jun 25, 2013A: deep, roasty dark brown. fluffy soda-like head. looks like a glass of root beer. (3.5)
S: chilling allspice and clove. cinnamon and coffee now that it has heated up. spice masks any complexity i could be getting from the yeast. (2.5)
T: very spicy. sweet chocolate. hop usage must have been on the 'just a touch' side judging by the lack of bitterness. not getting as strong a sense of alcohol as i expected (maybe i didnt need to buy another for the cellar...) for it being such a recent vintage. (2.5)
M: very tangy, light bubbles. pretty fair showing for the style. rich and full bodied. (4)
D: with bel strong darks really being all over the place, this one just isn't my favorite. very curious if the one i have put away develops any significant flavors. (3)
Cellared Bottled, opened/reviewed 6/23/13
A: opaque, dark brown body. super frothy brownish head. big and fluffy. fantastic head retention, thick lacing left behind.
S: smells bone dry. a soft roast mixes with some chocolate. I think there is a little bit of fermentation aroma in the nose. getting a little bit of sweet fruit, pear and fig, but not a ton.
T: similar to the nose, this tastes almost as dry as it smells, at first. a little bit of dry chocolate. a tale-end of unfermentables, some yeast. roasted flavor adds to the dryness. some red grape skins as it warms.
M: a bit effervescent. medium/full body.
D: really aged well. has held up exceptionally as I am not getting any sort of off-flavors. absolutely no heat. all the spicing has dissolved on the flavor and aroma spectrum of things, which is fine with me. for the price, definitely worth getting a few and stashing.
More User Ratings:
Reviewed by Bonis from Ohio
4.05/5 rDev +6.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
4.05/5 rDev +6.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
So I stumbled upon this beer with a bb date of 9/10/2013 so I figured I better get to it. It has a deep brown color with a touch of red. Lots of fizzy bubbles. This smells a lot like a cola, no joke. Deep notes of sugary prunes and raisins, with hint of vanilla and nutmeg. That signature unibroue yeast aroma is there. The taste mimics the aroma fairly well, but there is a fruit tartness mixed in as well (possibly a sign this has beer has seen better days). I enjoyed this a lot more than I suspected. I've still got a couple 2011s so maybe I'll let one of those go for a few more years and see what happens.
Jun 18, 2014
Trader Joe's 2010 Vintage Ale from Trader Joe's Brewing Company
Beer rating:
85 out of
100 with
231 ratings
We love reviews (150 characters or more)! Check out: How to Review a Beer. You don't need to get fancy. Drop some thoughts on the beer's attributes (look, smell, taste, feel) plus your overall impression. Something that backs up your rating and helps others. Thanks!