Holly King
Green Man Brewery

 

 

 

Green Man Brewing Co. "Holly King"
1 Pint 9.4 fl. oz. brown glass bottle
$8.99 @ Knightly Spirits O.B.T., Orlando, FL

Notes via stream of consciousness: So this is a Green Man beer - I missed them on my last trip south, and they're also an Asheville brewery which I didn't realize. Anyway, it's poured a hazy body, very hazy even. I'd call it very dark amber or copper. It looks russet brown in the full glass. The head is an inch thick cap of yellowed off-white foam. The aroma has that great super-rich caramel aroma you find in great English-style strong ales. How strong is this? 9.8% abv, yeah, that works. I'm not finding any barrel notes, nor any hops that stand out or apart from what's within the malt base. Ahh, there is a light note of oak to it, maybe I just had to let it warm up a bit. I'm getting a suggestion of vanilla now as well. Nice. I'm a little relieved as well as I wasn't sure if there'd be spices in here but there's not. OK, on to the flavor... that rich caramel malt remains with some added fruitiness, and then some leafy hops. There is a touch of spiciness to it but I think that's just the alcohol coming through. The caramel is mainly a combination of medium caramel and lighter golden caramel, but there's also an edge that's a little bit like almost burnt sugar. Maybe there's even a thin edge of actual burnt sugar flavor there. I'm finding vanilla as well, which I'm guessing is coming from the oak, but I'm not sure, they might have added it, a drip of Bourbon, and an almost light milk-chocolate note in the finish. It's fairly bitter with enough to balance the malt, and although there is some residual honey-like malty sweetness in the finish there's also some dryness from the oak and alcohol. Earthy and leafy hops linger in the finish once the malt has eroded and it becomes dry and bitter. In the mouth it's medium-full in body and gently crisp. I'm wondering if this is bottle-conditioned. I'm guessing it may be, and that I should have stored it upright in the fridge for some time. Oh well. Looking back, the head retention wasn't great, which is a little surprising given the malt but then I just realized it's barrel aged. Also, alcohol can usually cut through the head a bit. Not much lacing either. Again, oh well. I think it's really nice, the rich maltiness reminds me of an Anderson Valley beer, and it's got a nice balance to it. It could probably be a little more refined but I'll chalk that up to my simply buying it, bringing it home, chilling it and drinking it rather than letting the yeast sediment out.

Review# 6,398

 

 

 

7/3/17 draft @ Green Man (Green Mansion)

Received in a trade. Huge bourbon and oak notes in addition to being pretty boozy. A really good American Strong Ale with a strong malt backbone that can handle the heavy dose of booze. Highly recommended!

 

 

 

 

 

12oz bottle, sample from the brewery.

Thin lacing on top of a slightly hazed garnet hued brew. Big warming figgy nose with hints of boozy barrels, caramel, & fruity alcohol. Low carbonation within the chewy full body, this brew reminds me of a few strong ales from England. A clear sipper, very enjoyable.

This is the 2016 version that is available in 12oz bottles. Alcohol is listed at 9.8 percent.

This is a very unique holiday ale. Flavor are bold and dark fruit based, almost like a really good fruit cake dipped in bourbon. There is a slight soured fruit thing going on but this is tempered well by the complex bourbon character. I would be very interested to see this beer with a couple years of age on it.

 

L: cloudy Amber color with a thin tan head
S: bourbon
T: a mix of whiskey and malt, no hops
F: good tongue coating and mouthfeel
O: good winter sipper