2023 Anniversary Blend
Perennial Artisan Ales

 

 

On tap at The Answer Brewpub in Richmond, VA.

This one pours a very dark brown color, with a small head, and not much lacing.

This smells like honey, maple, caramel, vanilla, and lactose.

I’ve had previous iterations of these anniversary blends that were miles ahead of what came out for 2023 – this is unfortunately not very good and way under my expectations for Perennial as a brewery. Some part, or parts, of the blend had lactose in it, and that unfortunately really dominates here. That just sort of artificial creamy sweetness is all over this – it kind of buries any interesting barrel character, and just smooths it over with fake honey-like sweetness and something that feels like coffee creamer. I’m glad I had a small pour of this because I was barely even able to get through the sweetness of 5 oz.

This is very creamy, with a silky finish, and not much booziness. The mouthfeel is at least decent on this, even though the overall lactose flavors are not pleasant.

This was a mistake from a brewery that I usually assume they know what they are doing.

Cellared a year, whoops! (spoiler: it worked out!) Brownish black body, tan head that settles into a thick collar. Smells of molasses forward bourbon barrels, plum, vanilla, with supporting semi-sweet chocolate and raisin. Tastes like a rev beer with a touch of more sweetness from what I guess to be lactose, vanilla moves into a supporting role where it is joined by chocolate, caramel, and barley. Plum is replaced by date in the spotlight, which with raisin really shines with those barrels and molasses. Feel is warm and lightly boozy, barrel, malt and barley are all felt, very smooth overall with refined weight. Fantastic blended strong ale, as this is the first I have had in the series: a star is born

Sweet and complex, nice barrel presence, dark fruits, fantastic stout base.

This is an excellent, highly complex beer. Had this at the Perennial tasting room. Poured from tap into a snifter. Oily dark brown with little head or lacing but who cares. The smell is sweet dark fruit and molasses, so very nice and pleasant. The taste follows. Sweet dark raisins, dates, figs, caramel apples. Really like this stuff and happy I got to try it. My wife is great!