44th Anniversary
Bull & Bush Brewery

 

 

My bottle is dated 7/21/15, so it's interesting to see how it has aged. Kind of a dark brown, clear, and plenty of long-lasting foam in the Faust stein. Aroma is strong-- some kind of candy, caramel, and raisin stew.

Very sweet, but lots of the Belgian yeasty taste that dries out in the end. Powerfully flavored, and I don't mean that as a compliment. Grapes and grainy murk. The stuff is so spicy. I had to get a clean glass to be sure the previous winter ale hadn't affected my judgement. From the 500 ml bottle purchased at Grapevine Liquor on Monaco.

 

Dark brown with hints of amber. A tiny wisp of beige about the size of a quarter is in the middle of the glass. Aromas present are fig, caramel, toffee, and marzipan. The taste is packed with toffee and caramel on the front of the palate. Then the spices emerge at the back of the palate with nutmeg, cinnamon, and also notes of raisin. The alcohol gives a warming presence while the spices tickle your tongue. It is otherwise moderately carbonated and dry.

Comes in a 1 pint .9 fl oz brown glass bottle. Bottled: 7/21/15. 8% ABV. Label calls it a "strong Belgian style dark ale brewed with blackberries, figs, and candi syrup, then oak aged for two months."

Served cold into a tulip; allowed to come to temp during the review.

HEAD: 1.5-2 inches in width. Off-white/khaki colour. Has a nice creamy frothy consistency and a decent complexion. Retention is above average - ~3 minutes. Leaves no lacing as it recedes.

BODY: Deep amber/ruby. Translucent but nontransparent. No yeast can be seen within.

It's a bit lighter in hue than most beers in the style, but it's generally appealing. Has no stand-out characteristics.

AROMA: Figgy sweetness, candi syrup, biscuity Belgian yeast, jammy fruit. I find neither the blackberries nor the oak, but at a scant two months of aging, that's unsurprising. The jammy fruit dominates.

Suggests a beer on the sweeter side for the style. That said, it doesn't seem cloying or boozy. Lacks the raisin presence usually seen in the style.

Aromatic intensity is average. I find no off-notes or hops.

TASTE & TEXTURE: Jammy and sticky on the palate, playing to the fig. Candi syrup injects a raw sweetness that fits the style, with amber and dark malts filling out the backbone. No oak is present whatsoever, and any blackberry is melded into the dominant jammy fruits. Fans of traditional abbey-brewed paragons of the style will find this lacking in terms of (adequate) dark fruit notes and raisin, as well as in terms of its Belgian yeast characteristics (there are hardly any). But the sticky mouthfeel does accentuate the fruitiness nicely, and the subtle coarseness of the texture lets the ale esters shine.

One would expect a more dialed-in attenuation given the style. This has a raw young feel to it, lacking the refined taste of say, Chimay Blue. But it's nicely executed for what it is, and approximates the style neatly.

Smooth, well-carbonated, full-bodied, and of apt heft and thickness on the palate. Decently balanced.

There are no overt off-notes, and the texture doesn't suffer from oiliness or boozy heat or anything. Indeed, there are no obvious flaws here - just ways the beer could be far better.

OVERALL: It's a drinkable enjoyable stab at a Belgian strong dark ale which drinks easier than its 8% ABV would have you expect. Still, it can't hold a candle to the best traditional Belgian offerings in the style, and one wonders where the oak and blackberry went. A sweet winter warmer type brew, but it lacks the intricate spicing or deep dark fruit characteristics of better brews in its class. I'm glad I tried it, but this isn't on par with the quality of say, Legend of the Liquid Brain. Bull & Bush can and has do(ne) better, but this is easily above average for an American attempt at the style.

C+ (3.18) / ABOVE AVERAGE

 

 

 

Clear copper with white head.

Malty, maple spice esters with pretty assertive booze nose and hints of toffee, coffee and bourbon bananas.

Rich medium body with a creamy rich feel

Flavors follow nose perfectly. Sweet notes and nice malty balance.

Good stuff and a nice complex beer for the NON hopheads!