Elixir De Belphegor
Broadway Pub

375ml teardrop bottle poured into tulip, I think Dave brought his one, cheers dude

A dark amber, thin film leaves a patch of lace but it was a small pour after all

S orchard in the fall, faint bourbon, wet wood, not sure of the barrel but JD wouldn't surprise me, vanilla, plum, honey, maple syrup, and caramel apple, smells great

T more of the same but with some brown sugar and the booze comes out, still solid but the nose has a slight edge

M leaning towards full, a little sticky on the lips, faint heat, soft carbonation

O smells awesome and not lacking anywhere, I could drink a fair bit of this, the barrel leaves a big mark no doubt

by this point in the night I was pretty much shitfaced and my notes are pretty messy by this point, another brew that I'd like to revisit sober with a lager sample size

 

 

 

Big thanks to Mathieu for the trade.

Bottle looks like December 2012 (opened in July 2013)

Pours carmel, cloudy with a fine head of small bubbles, dissipates pretty quickly.

On the nose: oak and carmel; no high notes, nothing bright, just dark and serious.

First impression: oak, dried fruit, rich, a little hoppy, a little sour/tart sensation in the fruit (?), alcoholic. Later impressions: smooth, effervescent in spite of the high alcohol -- a nicely balanced weight.

I generally like a more mellow barleywine -- this one has a light and bright mouthfeel. But it's very good. Would buy a few more if I could find them to see if it cellars -- or would it just lose that bright effervescence that balances it?

330mL bottle from La Duchesse D'Aiguillon (Quebec City). 7.99. Bottled 12/12. Served in a Burnt Hickory snifter.

Pours dark russet mahogany with two and a half fingers of fluffy pale head. Leaves a few decent sized clumps of lace.

The nose is very bourbon forward. Whiskey, oakey vanilla, plums/ figs and caramel.

Flavor is much fruitier than the aroma led me to believe. Lots of dark stone fruit, toffee, burnt caramel, oak, bourbon, mild vanilla, apple, sour cherries, white grapes, cane sugar and a heathy lick of booze. An interesting interplay between the bourbon and fruits.

Medium body, a tad thinner than expected, with a lively carbonation that is dialed in a bit too high. Bourbon soaked dates linger in a long lasting aftertaste.

Nothing stellar, and I'd avoid the hefty price tag in the future but this was a fine one time purchase. The fruits almost made it seem more of a bourbon barrel aged quad than a barley wine.

 

 

On tap at Churchkey. Served in a snifter. Love how they're always bringing in these little-known sleepers.

Pours a deep, deep brown with a slight off white head. The head subsides without much lacing on the glass, although there is a slight ring around the edges of the brew that persists throughout. Nose brings a very large dose of bourbon while at the same time remaining fairly mellow. Second sniff brings in a bit of brown sugar and hints of chocolate.

With the first sip, bourbon is really the only thing that hits me. It's quite mellow and creamy without any real presence of booze. Low carbonation. Not too heavy, more of a medium body. Taste also brings a tiny bit of roast as well as brown sugar. Fairly one dimensional, but the bourbon aging is so well done that I won't fault them. My introduction to this brewpub, but I'll definitely be on the lookout for more.