Stark Raven Mad
Pipeworks Brewing Co.

Late 2014 vintage; drank 1/24/15 @ the Palace.

Murky purple/brown rust appearance.

Minimal off-white head; no lace.

Sarsaparilla & sazerac nose.

Medium thick mouthfeel.

Fresh root, lemon & sarsaparilla flavors up front; a dry, clean finish. Mild caramel notes emerged as this warmed.

Yup, tasted like a sazerac...a good one at that!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Appearance: pours a unique deep reddish orange, its dark and almost looks brown but has a wonderful garnet color when held to the light. a small finger of a tannish head with decent retention and leaving behind a slight lacing. almost opaque but a hint of brightness to it.

Smell: licorice, spicy rye, lemon juice, lots of syrupy sweetness.

Taste: opens with a candy like sweetness with a strong licorice. syrupy and spicy rye. some light lemon juice and citrus.

Mouthfeel: super thick and syrupy. sticky. some sweetness up front but balanced by the licorice and some bitterness and spiciness.

Overall: this is a super strange one. very unique and in a good way. maybe too thick and syrupy but I have never had anything quite like it. I wish the lemon juice was a little bit stronger.

A- Like looking through brown glass... just a shade lighter than the bottle it was poured from. Strangely, no head to speak of.
S- Hard to describe... I pick up a sweetness like brown sugar. Not much else I am picking up on.
T- Very sweet to start, waved over by anise but not overpowering. The lemon help it have a short finish.
F- Nice body. Old ale holds up well with smooth, but medium consistency
O- Cool cocktail inspired beer. Gives you the general sense of the cocktail. If they BA this it would be really cool.

 

 

 

A nice rye beer with some decent winter warmer tasting spices added

Sounds different, looking forward to this. I had to look up Sazerac, having no idea what it was. Made with either cognac or rye whiskey.

Aroma brings some rye, a bit of cherries. Good flavor, some cola taste up front, a little lemon. I didn't get any anise taste, but my wife did. Certainly sweet, following the recipe, but I've got a real sweet tooth, so sweet don't bother me. Great body for the style, thick and syrupy from the sweetness.

A very enjoyable beer, although I can see where some might not enjoy it that much. Not one of Pipeworks best, but definitely worth trying. Always fun to try their experiments.

Sweeter anise flavored beer. Probably not for everyone, but goes down smooth.

22 oz. bottle, Batch #593 printed on the label, and some kick ass bottle art as always. Another new one from Pipeworks, listed here as a rye beer, although I'm not so sure that is correct. Per the label: "Sazerac inspired ale. Old time ale brewed with anise, bitter roots, and lemon". Sounds like I would describe this as 'Absinthe inspired'. Not entirely sure what to expect.

Poured into a clear balloon snifter.

A - Pours a dark reddish-brown, appears a murky bloody ruby color in the glass with about a finger of frothy tan head. Leaves behind good sticky scattered spotty lacing. Looks nice.

S - A unique and interesting aroma. Not quite as powerful as I'd imagined, I suppose, but still very nice. The nose invokes aromas of cola, black cherry, and cherry stems. Very mild berry / citric lemon is noticeable.

T - The taste is sweet & syrupy, with a kiss of medicinal alcohol presence on the finish. Not really pulling out what I would describe as rye, but it is mildly chocolatey, and there is lots of earthy black cherry / cherry stems, and herbal spicing to be had. Nothing I would describe as licorice / anise, but it is candyish.

M - The feel is sticky, sugary, syrupy, and sweet.

Overall, it reminds me quite a bit of the last beer Pipeworks brewed using "bitter roots" Pipeworks Brown & Stirred. Glad to have had it, but I wouldn't want this again.

Pipeworks Stark Raven Mad -----3.5/5