8 Barrel Ale
Chatham Brewing, LLC

 

Green can, packaged sometime in 11 ?? 21.
Very pretty pour, deep amber to russet brown color, a full 2 inches of pale tan head rose above the rim. Maybe a bit over charged but not out of control. The dense, clotted mass of foam receded to a tight ring of film leaving wispy clouds of lace behind.
The aroma is malt forward - red berries and green apples, grapes on granola with brown sugar. Nice non - hop smells though some sprucey notes waft in along side the inviting fresh wort sweetness. A bit soft spoken for a big beer but I like it.
Righteously Balanced huh? Not so much in the nose - which is fine by me - let's see about flavor and the rest.
Sweet and rich up front - more berry and cherry flavors with a barley-corn candy coating but hop bitterness kicks in right behind with a firm, dry bite into the chewy malt center.
Malt complexity is there one second and gone the next, palate rinsed leaving a bone dry after taste with a hint of smoldering alcohol. Up front flavors I want to savor are just gone as soon as tasted.
A bit over done on the boil hops for real balance for me but nice overall beer with equal parts ying and yang but not a lot of harmonious blending of the two.

 

I am working to clear out my backlog & while I was going to attribute this CAN to tone77 as the CANtributor, I do not see a review from him, so perhaps it had another source. The CANQuest (tm) moves in mysterious ways!

From the CAN: "Righteously Balanced"; "8 Barrel, a righteously balanced ale. The sweet toastiness of this Strong Ale comes from a dominant malt backbone and a judicious dose of American hops. Always a favorite around the brewery, this full-bodied amber brings it all to the table."; "Keep refrigerated!!! This is a live, unpasteurized craft beer. Canned for superior taste and performance."

I was anxious to do a Crack! & Glug on this one simply because I could not remember the last time, if ever, that I had reviewed an AmeriCAN Strong Ale from a CAN! Believe me, it does NOT happen often. My Gussie Busch Glug formed just over two fingers of dense, rocky, foamy, tawny head & while the retention was modest, the lacing was not! I was left with a mess of sticky lacing that was probably going to require a jackhammer to remove. Color was Coppery-Brown (SRM = > 17, < 22) with NE-quality clarity. Nose was very sweet, quite malty like caramel, toffee, butterscotch: CANdy-like with an inexplicable earthiness and a light pine presence. Hmm. Mouthfeel was big & full, a previous reviewer mentioned "chewy" & I CANnot disagree! The first thing that I noticed about the taste on this one was that it was bringing the heat! It did not try to hide its alcohol & came on in a big way. Once I got over my initial shock, it was time for Mr. Toad's Wild Ride! Not only did it CANtinue with its CANdy flavors, but the pine resionousness became very assertive. This was a humpy, bumpy excursion with wild twists and turns. Finish was very dry & I think that this Strong Ale may have been stronger than me. Let me know how you fare!

 

On tap at O'Slattery's Pub and Restaurant in Delmar, NY.

This one pours an auburn brown, somewhat opaque, with a very small head, and no lacing.

Smells like sticky hops, sweet caramel, pine, and heavy breadiness.

Stylewise, this one is tough to figure out, as it kind of tastes like a hoppy red DIPA or something like that, and a good one at that. It's chewy, with piney hops, a significant bready and caramelly malt backbone, with some earthy tobacco and leafy hops as well.

This is medium bodied, with a nice rich but crisp mouthfeel, and a good level of carbonation.

This is a nice little surprise- cool beer here.

 

Appearance: amber in color with a nice 2" head that slowly falls to dome surface foam.

Smell: woody and earthy tones rise from the glass.

Taste: big malt backbone with some grapefruit, pine, wood, and some earthy tones. Bitterness is very noticeable here.

Mouthfeel: medium-heavy bodied beer. Lightly crisp throughout. Long lasting bitter aftertaste.

Overall: a slow sipping ale that does a good job balancing the flavor profile.