2015 Barrel Of Love
Adelbert's Brewery

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On tap at Hay Merchant in Houston. Interesting to have this side by side with the new Saint Arnold Bishop's Barrel 13, of the same style.

A: Pours a dark brown color, light ruby highlights around the edges. A creamy one finger white head forms, and recedes after a minute to leave some light lace.
S: Spicy, phenolic, whiskey barrels, slightly sour/tart fruits (not saying the I word at all) which seems more like tart tannins than anything else.
T: Tart, spicy, tannin like up front. Lightly phenolic, clove, more spice, sweet brown sugar and oak. As this warms I even get a little buttery flavor.
M/O: A big thick body. Well carbonated and smooth. There is a lot of heat here, more of the ethanol variety than the feel good warming variety. Which does take it toll after a while. A very slow sipper.

Not bad at all. I like that the base Quad does come through, and it is not all barrel character. I just think it is a slight step down from the Bishop's Barrel 13. To be fair I have had the base (Saint Arnold Divine Reserve 13) many, many times. Which is a fantastic example of the style, and am very familiar with that particular example. Maybe if I had the base beer here I would have a different opinion. As is, very good but not quite exceptional. I will be happy to try this a few more times and update my review though.

 

 

 

Poured gently at 53°F from a 750ml bottle (bottled on 02Oct15) into a snifter. Allowed to warm up to 55°F before drinking. Consumed on 14Feb16.
LOOK: Pours with a quarter fingers worth of white foam that shrivels into a line after 20 seconds. Deep, dark brown in color (nearly black) with a faint, yellow tint. Rising bubbles are moderate in quantity and both very small and small in size. Lacing is thin and very subtle.
SMELL: Strong aromas of whiskey entangle with mild clove, caramel, fig, raisin, plum, caramel, brown sugar, vanilla, oak, and spicy/sour rye.
TASTE: The initial taste is comprised of strong flavors of whiskey and mild sour/spicy rye flavors. Strong brown sugar and mild caramel and clove flavors immediately follow. Mild fig, raisin, and plum flavors enter about 2 seconds after the brown sugar, caramel, and clove flavors. By this time, the rye flavors have faded to subtle. Mild oak and subtle vanilla flavors along with hints of bananas (those weren't in the smell) finish off this delicious complexity as all previous flavors push on.
FEEL: Very full-bodied and moderately carbonated. Goes down smooth and creamy while also clinging to the back of the throat like syrup. Finishes with a mild dryness. A strong, but welcoming alcoholic warmth can be felt as it goes down the throat.
NOTE: As previously stated, this was insanely complex regarding the taste profile. So much was going on, yet it wasn't mushed together. My main complaint was that the whiskey came through too much and didn't let the other flavors shine too much. However, that's just a tad complaint. Great job, Adelbert's!