Slumbrew Yankee Swap 2014 | Somerville Brewing Company (Slumbrew)

3.59/5  rDev -10.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.75

Served in a crystal snifter. Pours dark brown and opaque, nearly black. A thick and frothy beige head rises up strongly and caps out at about two fingers thick, and slowly settles down.

Rich aroma of dark malt, root beer, molasses, and dark rum. Rich and intense flavor right upfront, full of molasses, coffee, cola, ripe plum, root beer, slight woody note, and luscious dark rum. Mild bitterness, hop flavor is pushed back by the intense dark flavors. Finishes a bit sweet. Super high ABV doesn't mess with the flavor, but it is there. Enjoying it less as it warms, as it's turning into a strong coffee flavor.

Mouthfeel is a bit thin, somewhat woody and tannic, finishes with a tingle. Good beer, very rich, a sipper for sure.

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4.18/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

3.94/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

4.5/5  rDev +11.7%

This was the dessert beer on the table for Thanksgiving 2014. I'd say it was a great choice to pair with some bourbon chocolate pecan pie.

Appearance: Pitch black and light tan head. Fairly large head for the 12% ABV.

Smell: Absolutely huge rum barrel notes (must have been quite a "wet" barrel Slumbrew used): sweet alcohol booze notes, light orange, vanilla, milk chocolate.

Taste: Follows the nose well--it's like boozy chocolate milk with some citrus and vanilla. Slightly bitter aftertaste that is of coffee and dark chocolate. There's alcohol present in the flavor profile, but it works to boost the complexity of the beer and cut some of the sweetness and clean the palate.

Mouthfeel: Super slick and smooth, there's no sign of alcohol burn despite the high booze content. Body is a mite short of thick; the beer doesn't have too much of that "sludge factor" going on, which suits it, since the beer is already decadent enough with its barrel character. A great beer.

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3.73/5  rDev -7.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

4.31/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

4.1/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

4.25/5  rDev +5.5%

3.86/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

- 12.0% 68 ibus. chalice. 50F.

A: Dark hersey chocolate pour, sits an inky black in the vessel with a dark mocha, creamy, milky head of one inch that had a long standing appeal. Quick paced golden beads of micro-effervesce races up along the vessel walls.

S: Dark fruit, sweet plums, sweet chocolate, with a hint of black olive. Lightly roasted whole hop cones, really tame alcohol of 12.0% smells more like a 5.0% even at warmer temperatures.

T: Fresh roasted chocolate malts, sweet cocoa, with a bit of lightly scorched whisky soaked barrel wood. Again a light alcohol mention, creamy milky chocolate finishing with a lightly earthy bitterness of coffee roast, burnt toffee and fresh creamer. Wet campfire mineral ash, soft dry rum fade.

M: Milky slick texture, medium bodied, not much carbonation.

O: Overall a big, sweet roasted body, lightly dry rum and burbon alcohol that drinks much lower then its advertised 12.0% is hidden very well with a really smooth drinkability factor. very good.

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4.32/5  rDev +7.2%

4.32/5  rDev +7.2%

4.25/5  rDev +5.5%

3.75/5  rDev -6.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

2.75/5  rDev -31.8%
look: 2.75 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 2.75

Tasted on tap, did not like

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4.5/5  rDev +11.7%

4.01/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

This is pretty good. Liked last year's version a bit better. Feel that the Rum barrels complimented the Barleywine base a bit better. Still a worthy offering.

Edit: 12/3/2015 - This is infected. Although, it's actually not terrible. It tastes like it was aged in a red wine barrel as opposed to Rum. it has a slight tartness in the smell and taste.

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4.05/5  rDev +0.5%

This is a rich, dark chocolatey stout. Very smooth with mocha flavors over the Bakers chocolate. Small head that leaves only a couple of streaks on the plastic cup (served at Slumbrew's beer garden).

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4.01/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

4/5  rDev -0.7%

4.25/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

4/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

1/5  rDev -75.2%
look: 1 | smell: 1 | taste: 1 | feel: 1 | overall: 1

Had this in a vertical tasting with 2013 Yankee Swap. Darker brown pour than 2013, less of a head than 2013 on gentle pour. Taste -infected bottle - tasted like sour soy sauce, a drain pour.

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4.5/5  rDev +11.7%

4.25/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

3.89/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Cold bottle poured into bulb.

A. Deep dark brown and almost opaque poured into the glass. Smaller to medium head forms that quickly goes away leaving some lacing. somewhat lively body.

S. Good amount of rum upfront. Brown sugar, rum, wood, burnt sugars and a bit of smoke and some booze.

T. Nicely integrated rum takes control followed by the stout that's kind of muddled. Dark malts, rum spices, brown/burnt sugar. Finish is sweeter rum that lingers with you. Drinks pretty easy for 12% but is missing some depth

M. Nice full feel with medium carbonation.

O. Barrel is integrated pretty nicely but the base stout is lacking somewhat. Gonna pick up another bottle and revisit it sometime down the road.

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