Apple Brandy Barrel Aged Caramel Cream Ale
Due South Brewing Co.

 

 

 

 

22oz bottle poured into 10oz Goose Island snifter. Reviewed live.

A- Pours a dark translucent ruby red with a thin white head that has average retention and leaves some spotty lacing. Decent carbonation but not extremely consistent.

S- Decent apple aroma, caramel, some light cream, balanced malts. Interesting aroma, fairly sweet- smells like a caramel candy apple.

T- Apple, some oak, finishes with caramel, decent balanced malts. Not nearly as good as nose, decent aftertaste.

M- Fairly thin, very carbed.

O- This wasn't bad but definitely not that impressive. Definitely interesting to try, a bit better then the regular cream ale adding another dimension. I would like to maybe see an imperial version of this barrel aged.

 

 

 

 

 

Served poured into a goblet glass from a bomber picked up at the release, 2-15-2013. Nearly room temperature

Thanks to my dad for going to the release and bringing this back to Michigan!

Appearance- Pours a dark, amber red color with a 2/3 inch fizzy, bubbly head that quickly dissipates down to a thin creamy foam atop the redness. The darkest cream ale I've ever seen. Perhaps it pulls some color from the barrel. Nice looking.

Smell- A lot in this from the barrel. Tart candy apple aromas and spicy warm brandy notes begin, but not any strong boozy burn. Kind of a strong spiked apple pie aroma. The barrel treatment really dominates here, as I would expect it to- cream ales aren't usually the most aromatic brews. The creamy sugary malts make a presence at the end, but you really have to be sniffing them out. Unique. I really like the smell of this beer.

Taste- Tart apple at first, burnt caramel, boozy warmth, and ethanol. Finishes with the sweet corn grainy malt notes akin to cream ales. Quite a bit more complex than the average cream ale given the barreling. Still finishes refreshing, malty and crisp as the style should. I think the apple, brandy, and caramel flavors blend quite nicely with the corn flake maltiness.

Mouthfeel- Fizzy and crisp finishing smooth like a cream ale should be. The slight ethanol burn amplifies the bubbles a bit but not overpowering.

Overall- A great beer. I do love cream ales, and this one is perhaps the most unique one I've had. I have to admit that I have not had the regular Due South Caramel Cream Ale, nor have I ever had Laird's Apple Brandy, so I had no preconceptions or expectations about what this would be like. I have had Cat 3 IPA a handful of times and enjoy it quite a bit, so I know Due South knows their stuff. I like this it a lot. I will cellar the other bottle I have to see what some bottle aging does to it. Truly unique in that the fancy barrels are usually reserved for big stouts and big beers. A cool example of a BA session brew. Glad I got some, and I hope they continue to make this one, as well as some of their other brews in barrels as well.

On draft at Due South. When I heard Due South was putting their Caramel Cream Ale in Apple Brandy barrels I thought that this could either be great or somewhat odd. Well after tasting it I can say without a doubt that I’m glad they did. Most brandy barrel aged beers are primarily imperial stouts so this is really a breath of fresh air. Easy to drink, no harsh alcohol/boozy flavor and packed with flavor. Let it warm up a bit and the apple brandy really comes alive. Great job Mike!