Balinator
Carton Brewing Company

 

Pours a deep burnt-orange burgundy with a lightly murky center. Head foams up to a finger in height, and is off-white in color. Aroma is caramel, coffee, dark fruits and caramely, nutty, earthy, bready malts. Sweet doppelbock notes come through with coffee cutting through the mix. Flavor profile is caramel, molasses, toffee, dark fruits, bready, nutty, earthy malts with coffee cutting through the mix again. Coffee is bold, in more of a cold brew fashion, vs. a clean pourover. It makes the coffee expansive and unavoidable. Just a hint of alcohol singes the back of the throat. Mouth feel is medium in thickness with a little effervescence sizzle on the front that breaks away for a still finish. Overall, lots going on here, especially with coffee in the mix. It feels fairly well focused on doppelbock with good intent.

Served in a 15.5oz Speigalau tulip from a 16oz can.

 

 

 

 

DATE: April 6, 2019... OCCASION: chilling with the boys after seeing Captain Marvel... GLASSWARE: Ayinger Celebrator pokal... pours a sizzling opaque chestnut brown boy with sparse, thick bubbles that form a quickly dissipating off-white head... before too long, it takes the appearance of iced tea... speaking of which, tea leaves intertwine with light coffee bean, brief chocolate, earthy vegetable, and the slightest trace of toffee--not getting any vanilla, but it may come in the flavor... its strength lies in its variety... at 8%, more lively than its lack of carbonation suggests, with a medium-bodied payoff that begs for sips more than it swallows.... its aftertaste is herbal and lasting, as it folds into a tobacco gravel that appreciates... mint, coffee bean, low-end tootsie roll, wet vegetable, sweet malts and caramel... this strong-arms the tastebuds into a better place, and once again places Carton at the fore of Jersey brewing--seemingly a beer for every season and moment...

 

 

Poured from 16 oz. can into a Carton pint glass. It pours an orange-brown color, something between cola and iced tea, with a half finger of frothy, ecru-colored cap and a thin film of lacing. A mostly malty nose with notes of cherry, chocolate, anise, and coffee. The smell becomes more coffee-forward as the glass warms. The taste is rather unique; it opens with lots of malt and spice - like one would expect from a Doppelbock but it segues quickly to freshly-brewed coffee and notes of chocolate and vanilla. The finish is rather dry. It has a rich, creamy mouth feel with moderate carbonation and you can feel the 8% ABV. My first impression was that Balinator would be overly sweet but it's really not when compared to Carton's other coffee-flavored ales. Overall, it's a typically adventuresome Carton offering. I enjoyed it.

True to the malty fall/winter nature of doppelbock, but in the end a coffee bomb, worth a try as a novel experiment.
a) lace, over a brown, brawny hazed body.
s) laid back, but mainly malt, black coffee, and coffee liqueur.
t) More ample, big but too poundingly sweet for me,
f) Sweetness trumps but a bucolic mouth feel,
o) Worth a try and a test against other D-box.