Obscura Aurantium
Telegraph Brewing Company
- From:
- Telegraph Brewing Company
- California, United States
- Style:
- American Barleywine
- ABV:
- 10%
- Score:
- 86
- Avg:
- 3.76 | pDev: 17.55%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 4
- Status:
- Retired
- Rated:
- Sep 28, 2015
- Added:
- Aug 26, 2013
- Wants:
- 0
- Gots:
- 1
SCORE
86
Very Good
86
Very Good
This beer is produced exclusively for the two K&L stores in California. It is made with Seville orange peel and aged in Bourbon barrels for four months. Only 21 cases (252 bottles) were produced.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Reviewed by BowWowWowYippyYoIPA from California
4.13/5 rDev +9.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
4.13/5 rDev +9.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Batch no. 124
Look - Cork absolutely explodes out of the bottle as soon as the cage is removed. Surprisingly little gushing after that surprise. Pours a rich red amber, slightly hazy with a huge fluffy white head. Good bubble distribution, and good head retention. Little to no clinging. 4 paws.
Smell - Huge orange scent, slightly sweet like orange marmalade. Definite orange liquer, Grand Marnier thing going on. Slight alcohol, smells more like brandy than bourbon. Brown sugar, maybe a hint of anise. 4 paws.
Taste - Wow, big orange peel and orange liquer flavors. This would help to make a great and very interesting margarita. Pretty boozy, but not in a bad way. If you like liquers you should love this. Slight caramel/molasses undertones, as if the beer is piping up and saying, "Hey! Remember me? I'm that barleywine this beer started out as. How're things?" Flavor dominated by the oranges. 4.25 paws.
Feel - You can feel the numbing effect of the orange rind on your lips, the same sensation you might feel if you bit into an orange whole. The only other beer I've experienced this with is Grapefruit Sculpin, I actually find it pleasant. Thick but not super viscous. Tingle coats the tongue. 4.25 paws.
Overall - A wholly unique beer, at least I've never had anything like it. I imagine if one stored this away for a few years you would be left with an incredible sticky sweet orange digestif. I'm having a bit of trouble getting through the bottle myself but I applaud the effort. Maybe through in a bit of lacto and brett next time Telegraph? you do sours oh so well and the Seville Orange would make the perfect playmate. 4 paws.
Jan 09, 2015Look - Cork absolutely explodes out of the bottle as soon as the cage is removed. Surprisingly little gushing after that surprise. Pours a rich red amber, slightly hazy with a huge fluffy white head. Good bubble distribution, and good head retention. Little to no clinging. 4 paws.
Smell - Huge orange scent, slightly sweet like orange marmalade. Definite orange liquer, Grand Marnier thing going on. Slight alcohol, smells more like brandy than bourbon. Brown sugar, maybe a hint of anise. 4 paws.
Taste - Wow, big orange peel and orange liquer flavors. This would help to make a great and very interesting margarita. Pretty boozy, but not in a bad way. If you like liquers you should love this. Slight caramel/molasses undertones, as if the beer is piping up and saying, "Hey! Remember me? I'm that barleywine this beer started out as. How're things?" Flavor dominated by the oranges. 4.25 paws.
Feel - You can feel the numbing effect of the orange rind on your lips, the same sensation you might feel if you bit into an orange whole. The only other beer I've experienced this with is Grapefruit Sculpin, I actually find it pleasant. Thick but not super viscous. Tingle coats the tongue. 4.25 paws.
Overall - A wholly unique beer, at least I've never had anything like it. I imagine if one stored this away for a few years you would be left with an incredible sticky sweet orange digestif. I'm having a bit of trouble getting through the bottle myself but I applaud the effort. Maybe through in a bit of lacto and brett next time Telegraph? you do sours oh so well and the Seville Orange would make the perfect playmate. 4 paws.
Reviewed by neurobot01 from Germany
4.39/5 rDev +16.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.39/5 rDev +16.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
750ml (batch 124) into a perfect pint glass at fridge temp, allowed to warm.
Look: a somehow sultry orangeish brown; starts off with bonkers foamy head, which recedes in a few minutes to a durable off-white 1/4" of foam.
Smell: predominantly orange, with a hint of vanilla, brown sugar, and bourbon in the background. Much darker than an orange juice sort of orange. Clean and intriguing.
Taste: follows the nose, plus some Belgian yeasty esters. Kind of hard to describe. I guess, take your favorite BSDA, mellow it way out, add in a splash of OJ and a splash of bourbon, and you really won't be anywhere close. Absolutely unique.
Feel: smooth and creamy. Reminiscent of nitro.
Overall: I liked this beer for its weirdness the first time I have it; this time, I like it because it's genuinely tasty, while still being very unique. Obviously well-crafted, it masterfully balances a number of flavors that few would think to combine, but that turn out to work surprisingly well together. I have to assume the low score is due either to variation between batches, or driven by people who (for whatever reason) didn't know what they were getting themselves into.
Previous rating: 4.25 (7/09/14; on draft during SB Beer Week)
Jul 10, 2014Look: a somehow sultry orangeish brown; starts off with bonkers foamy head, which recedes in a few minutes to a durable off-white 1/4" of foam.
Smell: predominantly orange, with a hint of vanilla, brown sugar, and bourbon in the background. Much darker than an orange juice sort of orange. Clean and intriguing.
Taste: follows the nose, plus some Belgian yeasty esters. Kind of hard to describe. I guess, take your favorite BSDA, mellow it way out, add in a splash of OJ and a splash of bourbon, and you really won't be anywhere close. Absolutely unique.
Feel: smooth and creamy. Reminiscent of nitro.
Overall: I liked this beer for its weirdness the first time I have it; this time, I like it because it's genuinely tasty, while still being very unique. Obviously well-crafted, it masterfully balances a number of flavors that few would think to combine, but that turn out to work surprisingly well together. I have to assume the low score is due either to variation between batches, or driven by people who (for whatever reason) didn't know what they were getting themselves into.
Previous rating: 4.25 (7/09/14; on draft during SB Beer Week)
Reviewed by shleepy from California
2.61/5 rDev -30.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.25
2.61/5 rDev -30.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.25
Purchased in bottle form at K&L in Redwood City. Poured into Cantillon glasses.
A: Dark-ish amber; medium off-white head.
S: Heavy herbs; bitter citrus, vanilla / barrel notes; very orange liquor-like. Intense but not altogether pleasant.
T: Spicy, with heavy hot alcohol notes, making it hard to drink. Caramely but lightly bitter aftertaste. Herbal.
M: Medium-heavy body.
O: Very unpleasant, to be honest. Sorry, K&L! I like you guys, and I liked Kalinda, but I really could not get into this one.
Aug 28, 2013A: Dark-ish amber; medium off-white head.
S: Heavy herbs; bitter citrus, vanilla / barrel notes; very orange liquor-like. Intense but not altogether pleasant.
T: Spicy, with heavy hot alcohol notes, making it hard to drink. Caramely but lightly bitter aftertaste. Herbal.
M: Medium-heavy body.
O: Very unpleasant, to be honest. Sorry, K&L! I like you guys, and I liked Kalinda, but I really could not get into this one.
Reviewed by UCLABrewN84 from California
3.86/5 rDev +2.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.86/5 rDev +2.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Bottle pour at mrbubbler's tasting.
Billed as a bourbon barrel aged rye barleywine with Seville orange peels.
Batch 124.
Pours a hazy orange with a foamy tan head that settles to wisps of film on top of the beer. Small dots of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of malt, orange zest, honey, wood, and slight bourbon aromas. Taste is much the same with orange zest and herbal flavors on the finish. There is a mild amount of woody bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a high level of carbonation with a crisp and prickly mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty good beer with an interesting and tasty orange zest presence.
Aug 26, 2013Billed as a bourbon barrel aged rye barleywine with Seville orange peels.
Batch 124.
Pours a hazy orange with a foamy tan head that settles to wisps of film on top of the beer. Small dots of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of malt, orange zest, honey, wood, and slight bourbon aromas. Taste is much the same with orange zest and herbal flavors on the finish. There is a mild amount of woody bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a high level of carbonation with a crisp and prickly mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty good beer with an interesting and tasty orange zest presence.
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