Adambier
Uinta Brewing Company

 

Draft at PreFunk. Dubbel? Quad? Both? Wouldn’t go with the sour style. Dark brown, muddy pour, thick carpet of beige head. Sweet aroma, pit fruit, raisins, molasses. Taste too, sweet, candy sugar. Pretty thick.

In an effort as schizophrenic as they come, the Uinta brewers team up with a diverse collection of beer minds in creating a beer that celebrates flavors of British old ale, Belgian quadrupel ale, sherry, barleywine and sour ale in what seems to be all equal parts.

Adambier is more like Frankenbier as the dark ale of garnet hues and a short spritzy foam character relaxes into a dark sherry appearance, gleaning with bright ribbons of crimson and bronze. Rich and savory aromas of coffee, molasses and chocolate carry an umami rich perfume of oak, red wine, brandy and sherry. Fruit and spice mingle in the nose while its taste is lavish with molasses, honey and steely caramel.

The maltiness of molasses, honey and caramel drop the bulk of their sweetness over the course of the middle palate while remaining tremendously savory with toast, coffee, cocoa, pecan and oak. Vanilla, pepper, red wine and brandy offer a spicy offset to the lingering sweetness while the characteristics of sherry, teriyaki, brownie and balsamic keep the layers of complexity revealing themselves sip after sip.

Full bodied and carrying a drying madeira dryness, the beer's sour twang of lime and grapefruit assist in balance, variety and intrigue. A long sherry finish brings the brightness of red grape, oak and peppery booze to the forefront. Adambier employs many unique flavors and manages to balance them quite well. Without much heirarchy or becoming a kitchen sink beer, the ale multitasks about as well as beer can.