Oaken Dagger
Against The Grain Brewery & Smokehouse

 

I tried this at the Midwest Brew Fest in Plainfield. The beer poured clear amber color with slight white head. The smell is oaky and malty with nut and toffee-like toasted aromas and a hint of vanilla and coconut. The body was medium to full with mild carbonation. The tast was malty and slightly sweet with hints of belgium sugar. Overall its a decent beer.

 

Served in a snifter at Local Option.

The LO boys knew they had me at "barrel-aged bier de garde". This stuff pours a clear sunrise amber topped by a finger of off-white foam. The nose comprises oak, sweet biscuit, light whiskey, and a touch of Belgian-ish spices (mostly clove). The taste brings in more of the same, with some stronger whiskey, some randomly-placed farmhouse-style wheat and mild funk, and a vein of bland vanilla running through the finish. The body is a straight medium, with a light moderate carbonation and a sorta/kinda drying finish. Overall, a pretty nice beer, but I think the base doesn't meld entirely well with the barrel, or at least not to a good balance point (the barrel tends to dominate a bit here).

A: Pours a clear, dark gold with a thin, creamy, lingering white mousse.

S: Aromas of oak, biscuits, caramel, woody spices, and toasted coconut immediately assault the nose.

T: Notes of caramel, biscuits, minerals, hay, straw, woody spices, oak, vanilla bean, heavy cream, and toasted coconut linger for some time in the mouth. The finish is rich and smooth with a pleasant combination of oak, caramel, vanilla, and coconut underscored by mellow alcohol.

M: Medium in body and firm, but also somewhat creamy. Carbonation is gentle and unobtrusive. Alcohol presence is noticeable, but well integrated. Compared to some strong ales, this one is very well-balanced.

O: A very solidly crafted biere de garde. It tends to be a little too heavy on the bourbon barrel flavors for my liking, but I really dig where the brewery was trying to go with this beer. Rock solid, refreshing, and definitely worth a shot.

Pours a clear copper color with a solid one finger cream head that dissipates fairly quickly, leaving no lacing.

Aroma is fairly subtle, with oak, vanilla, bourbon, and sweet caramel malt coming to the forefront. There's a hint of herbal hops, as well as heavy alcohol.

Flavor is slightly plastic, phenolic, with a good alcohol kick. Caramel malt forms the backbone, but is dominated by alcohol and citrus hops at the peppery finish. Oak becomes more evident as it warms, adding complexity. Notes of toffee and vanilla surface later.

Body is moderate to thick, with moderately low carbonation and significant alcohol warmth.

Overall, a bit lackluster in flavor. I had hoped for more complexity. It's a good beer, just nothing to write home about. Alcohol is overwhelming.

Poured from my growler into a tall snifter. Beautiful clear dark gold color. Nice two-finger head and good lacing. Nose is oaky and malty with nut and toffee-like toasted aromas and a hint of vanilla and coconut.

Medium to full body and a nice oily mouthfeel. Soft, sweet malt flavors predominate. Caramel flavors up front are nicely accented by vanilla and faint bourbon tones from the barrel aging. No real booziness or alcohol burn at all. Super smooth and flavorful and just glides across the palate. There is a faint herbal hop kiss on the finish. It's hard to find anything wrong with this. I suppose a tad more hop presence would be nice. It's just a delicious, super-drinkable beer.

I don't have a lot of experience with this style, but I'm reading the style description on bjcp.org and I have to say this beer fits the description nearly perfectly. You must try this beer if you come across it, especially if you like malty beers with a bit of complexity. This is another outstanding beer from ATG; a brewer I'm getting more impressed with all the time. I'm so grateful they distribute kegs to Party Town in Florence, KY.