Barrel Aged Triple Exultation
Eel River Brewing Co.

 

 

 

I had this at a brewfest in Arcata, CA. Beautiful dark red color with tan head and thick lacing rings, with big nose of caramel malts and ripe fruit. Rich creamy mouthfeel. Flavor is very rich and the barrel aging shows some oak and whisky notes. Very enjoyable brew that I feel lucky to have had a chance at.

Found this at Green's on Buford Highway in the ATL
Reddish brown pour with a not very big head. Ample lacing down the glass.
Malty aroma but not assertively.
Flavor starts out well with a very pleasant maltiness which is not too sweet and a good shot of hop bitterness at the end. Malt and hop profiles are kind of lean. I cellared this beer for a while, maybe a little too long as he flavors are a little muted, but tasty enough. The warmer it gets the better it tastes.
Mouthfeel is probably the best thing about this beer, suitably syrupy and ample.
Drinkablility is hampered by the alcohol which is aggressively present and burns a bit. Don't think I'll finish this one but I'll try because I don't think I'll find another one of these.

*did not mind would not buy*

app: muddy brown ick

smell: mild but nice, some booze smells, almost like a brown flemish.

taste: Yum, full malt flavors, with a nice hop zest, acid in the back of the throat, good balance.

mf: good

drinkable?:sept for the chemical part that tastes like a headache

I unexpectedly came across this beer while searching for something new at Sam's Quik Stop in Durham, NC. My store sells two of Eel River's offerings, so this one intrigued me from the start–especially considering I've only tried one other Old Ale, Fuller's Vintage.

This one pours a very dark brown into my Sam Smith pint glass. A brief head appeared, soon replaced by a lean lacing of bubbles at the point of surface tension and scattered on top. The aroma is mainly of dark malts and a slight brown sugary sweetness, and just a little alcohol.

I really dig the intense flavor of this beer. When the first sip pours across your tongue you notice the creamy mouthfeel; this is followed by the flavor of malts, with vanilla, whiskey, and something resembling sweet potato not far behind. (It's not sweet however.) I was surprised by the dry, hoppy finish; this reminded me of IPA style, but the flavor is too far removed from that to get them confused. Also, I wouldn't have guessed the ABV would be 9.7% from the flavor.

Great beer; I'm ecstatic that I haphazardly chose this one to try.

On tap at Eel River Brewing Company in Fortuna, CA.

The beer poured a murky chesnut brown with a minimal lace around the glass.

The aroma was heavy on sweet caramel malts, bourbon, oak, vanilla, and alcohol. There were no hops in the nose.

The flavor of the beer was intensely malty, but reasonably attenuated so as not to be too sweet, as many old ales can be. Of the malt flavors, caramel was the most prevalent with some toffee and faint chocolate notes peeking through. The barrel aging left a distinct oakiness that cascaded into flavors of bourbon and vanilla in the finish. The hops were relatively light, but present enough to help round things out.

The carbonation seemed just right. The mouthfeel was heavy and creamy. The beer developed a lot of flavor as it warmed in the room. This beer could even be served at room temperature - it's somewhat brandy-like in that respect.

This was a solid barrel-aged old ale. Very full and well rounded flavors. This is a very heavy beer that is built for slow sipping next to a hearth in the cold winter months.