1936
Atwater Brewery

 

this is the first large format beer i have seen from these guys, great label, gold foil, looks good. the beer looks alright too, sort of a murky hazy brown amber color without a lot of head, like a mature english barleywine. it smells sort of like a hybrid style, malt driven for sure, but boozy and not anywhere near as sweet as many strong ales like it, a nice testament to the skill of the brewer here. its aged in red wine barrels too, which i think is a really nice touch. there is a lick of dried fruit in the malt flavor too, so the grapey quality in the wine works really well with it. dates and brown sugar, slight red wine tannins, not too much residual sweetness, mild toast, even a hint of cognac type booze to it in the finish. the flavor is awesome, but the feel lags a little for me. its not quite thick enough to earn the "no carbonation is okay" designation, so its flatness is a problem for me. its still and dead on the tongue, and i dont care for that. the flavors here are solid though, and maybe with some cellar time it well ferment out a little more and carb up. i enjoyed my pour of this one, and gives me a new perspective on these guys.

750 ml bottle into tulip glass; no bottle dating, but was released June 18th after being bottle conditioned for 6 months. Pours lightly hazy/cloudy deep reddish copper color with a 1-2 finger dense khaki head with good retention, that reduces to a thin cap that lingers. Light spotty soapy lacing clings around the glass, with a light amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of big caramel, vanilla, toffee, toasted oak, red wine, brown sugar, brown bread, light nuttiness/chocolate, raisin, plum, fig, herbal, and oak/toasted earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great complexity and balance of dark/bready malt, red wine/oak, and moderate fruity yeast notes; with great strength. Taste of big caramel, vanilla, toffee, toasted oak, red wine, brown sugar, brown bread, light nuttiness/chocolate, raisin, plum, fig, herbal, and oak/toasted earthiness. Light-moderate herbal bitterness/oak spiciness on the finish; with lingering notes of caramel, vanilla, toffee, toasted oak, red wine, brown sugar, brown sugar, light nuttiness/chocolate, and oak/toasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Damn nice complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/bready malt, red wine/oak, and moderate fruity yeast flavors; with a great malt/bitter/oak spiciness balance and zero cloying flavors after the finish. Light-medium carbonation and medium-full bodied; with a very smooth, moderately creamy/bready, and slightly slick/sticky mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is very well hidden with only a light-moderate warmth lingering after the finish. Overall this is an excellent oak aged imperial red ale. All around great complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/bready malt, red wine/oak, and moderate fruity yeast flavors; and very smooth and easy to sip on for the big ABV. A very enjoyable offering.