Brandy Barrel-Aged Baltic Porter
High Water Brewing
- From:
- High Water Brewing
- California, United States
- Style:
- Baltic Porter
- ABV:
- 9.3%
- Score:
- +7 ratings needed
- Avg:
- 2.01 | pDev: 0.5%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 1
- Status:
- Retired
- Rated:
- Jan 22, 2012
- Added:
- Nov 21, 2011
- Wants:
- 1
- Gots:
- 0
NO SCORE
-
-
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews.
Reviewed by Arbitrator from California
2.03/5 rDev +1%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2
2.03/5 rDev +1%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2
This was served on tap at the BevMo Beer Fest at Fort Mason on 11/19. I gravitated to the High Water tent pretty early, reasoning that unlimited pours of Retribution would be a pretty decent return for a $40 fest that I didn't really want to attend (don't get your girlfriend into beer, kids -- it doesn't pay off).
I saw this little gem being poured on draft, so I requested a pour of it. The server mentioned that the brandy-barrel aged version would be blended with its bourbon-barrel aged brother for the final product. I didn't get the actual ABV, but I am reasoning that it is reasonably close to the bourbon version (9.3%), so that is what I'm uploading here.
A: Pours a black body with slight edge highlights. Tan foam that vanishes fairly quickly. No lace.
S: This beer was poured almost ice-cold. I found it ironic that BevMo, a chain that can't refrigerate craft beer, served all its beers at arctic temperatures at this beer fest. Truly a failure of a business. Anyway, I struggled mightily to extract aromas from this beer, and eventually I realized it just didn't have much of a bouquet. Mild notes of brandy, but nothing in the way of oak or vanilla. Some coffee and a little bit of chocolate. I was hoping for some dark fruit or something, but no. Very, very mild nose.
T: The taste is pretty lacking, as well. This has even milder barrel pickup than its bourbon-barrel aged equivalent, resulting in a beer that brings some coffee, chocolate, and a mild brandy presence to the table. Coffee pulls into the finish. It's not flawed, but it's simplistic. It needs some heft and many more flavor elements to stand out.
M: Medium-full bodied, low-moderate carbonation. No heat to it. Clean finish, maybe too much so; the flavors fall off very quickly.
O: As with the bourbon-barrel aged version, this one is unremarkable. I don't think grape-spirit based barrels work well for baltic porters; 50/50 couldn't pull this style off, either.
Nov 21, 2011I saw this little gem being poured on draft, so I requested a pour of it. The server mentioned that the brandy-barrel aged version would be blended with its bourbon-barrel aged brother for the final product. I didn't get the actual ABV, but I am reasoning that it is reasonably close to the bourbon version (9.3%), so that is what I'm uploading here.
A: Pours a black body with slight edge highlights. Tan foam that vanishes fairly quickly. No lace.
S: This beer was poured almost ice-cold. I found it ironic that BevMo, a chain that can't refrigerate craft beer, served all its beers at arctic temperatures at this beer fest. Truly a failure of a business. Anyway, I struggled mightily to extract aromas from this beer, and eventually I realized it just didn't have much of a bouquet. Mild notes of brandy, but nothing in the way of oak or vanilla. Some coffee and a little bit of chocolate. I was hoping for some dark fruit or something, but no. Very, very mild nose.
T: The taste is pretty lacking, as well. This has even milder barrel pickup than its bourbon-barrel aged equivalent, resulting in a beer that brings some coffee, chocolate, and a mild brandy presence to the table. Coffee pulls into the finish. It's not flawed, but it's simplistic. It needs some heft and many more flavor elements to stand out.
M: Medium-full bodied, low-moderate carbonation. No heat to it. Clean finish, maybe too much so; the flavors fall off very quickly.
O: As with the bourbon-barrel aged version, this one is unremarkable. I don't think grape-spirit based barrels work well for baltic porters; 50/50 couldn't pull this style off, either.
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