Bo's Vintage Ale 2002
Bo's Brewery & Bistro

What can I say about this beer? Three vintages (02, 03, 04) shared among the jolly folk at the 12 Hour Pizza Port Belgian Beer Fest. Something syrup to counteract all those flowery dry beers we’d been drinking. What I remember of this beer is a volatility and heat, unparalleled. We worked from old to young and things seemed to progress towards the heat. Aroma was a bubblegum and sugar syrup blazing alcohols, with faint edges of tequila, pine sap and fermenting oranges. It scorched the nostrils like only a 19.5% beer can. It made you stand up and go, "Holy shit, that’s freakin’ hot!" In the glass, a ruby-tinted amber pour, with glassine edges and nearly calm. In the mouth, an immediate intimidation of though rubbing alcohol has entered the mouth accidentally. After the initial shock, a calming movement of piney malt syrup, old dates, pectin candies, and some Cointreau. A lot of esters and really old, tired yeast cloud the middle. Out the back, a real tar-paper piney sensation and possible some hops. I really didn’t get a sense that oxidation worried these beers, only the massive amounts of yeast, esters and residual sugars that make this beer what it is. As we moved to newer vintages, the alcohols only got warmer and more singing and the turpentine nature of this brew became more apparent. Unfortunately it was a little wild to drink more than a few drams of each vintage.

from the bottle 2003 vintage, poured a mahogany with no head. aroma, honey, brown sugar, alcohol, berries, fruity with a hint of vanilla, molasses. flavor was looking for some of the aroma but the first thing I got was ashes like from a ash tray than a musty sourness, mediciney , got some honey and molasses , and port wine. I don’t know if this didn’t age well or not. I have this for bottle for about 2 1/2 years. maybe I should have had it earlier. for a big barley wine this did not hold up IMO

Small glass of rusty dark orangey brown liquid with a small ring of fizzy foam on the top. Aromas are super intense and concentrated, almost like an eisbock, old ale? or something? Anyways, I get tons of sugary nutty hints as well as tons of dark fruits, and cinnamony spicey like notes. Taste is a bit cloying and heavy on the raisiny dark fruits. Not much booze or hops in the mix, but it works, even though it is a bit sweet and cloying. Mouthfeel is a bit much and syrupy thick, but drinkability remains pretty good...

Egads!! This thing should come in two ounce glasses. Clear rust under a ring of orange foam. Nose of woodpiles, soy sauce, over-ripe fruits and raisin liquer. Huge sweet malt attack, expectedly cloying. My 10 oz. glass needed about ten pounds of hops for balance. Alcohol is obvious, but not distracting. Thick, chewy, homemade brandy caramels. Definitely a beer to share, or strip the paint off that dining room table your wife's been nagging you about.