Perfectly Preserved Brain
Tired Hands Brewing Company

Thanks and Maximum Respect to @Jlabs for this gem.
Delivered on Friday, drank on Saturday. That's how we do! Growler pour brings forth a coppery hued beauty with a lite froth. Reminds me of a Belgian Quad in aroma. Not as sweet as expected, but very complex. There's a caramel aspect to the malt that's slightly roasted. Quite nice. Finished very much the same. This one is full of surprises.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From 04/12/14 notes. Had on tap at the brewpub in Ardmore, PA.

a - Pours a deep mahogany brown color with one inch of light tan head and moderate carbonation evident. Looks pretty nice.

s - Smells of smoked malts, caramel malts, burnt malts, bready malts, burnt sugar, molasses, ash, and earthy notes. Decent nose, lots of smoke but the caramel and burnt notes come through from the barleywine.

t - Tastes of smoked malts, burnt malts, burnt sugar, toasted malts, caramel malts, brown sugar, molasses, light dark fruits, and light earthy notes. Much more burnt notes and malts than the nose, a very slight step down from it for me.

m - Medium body and low to moderate carbonation. Pretty easy to drink.

o - An interesting beer but didn't really do it for me. The smoke and the barleywine qualities both come through, but I think I like smoke paired with stouts and porters better. Sara liked it a lot; worth trying if you really like smoked beers.

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks to tenderbranson69 for sharing this, enjoyed chilled from the growler in a stemmed glass.

The color is dark tobacco with translucent clarity and thick white head that rings the glass with lace with a fine bead. The smell has lots of malt aroma with a mix of smoky and roasty notes with light woody accent and mild sweet smell. The feel is creamy with light roastiness and subtle carbonation with mild bitterness and gentle smoked edge with gentle alcohol in the feel and mostly dry finish.

The taste begins smoky and earthy with mild toasted malt flavors and low sweetness with smokiness coming back in repeated tastes with a mild english hop flavor that compliments the woodiness in the malt with yeast adding dimension and low alcohol in the background however the dry aspect of the smoke adds an almost chalky taste w/ lingering yeast flavor. Overall this is a decent smoked strong ale with some interesting malt but it still seems a bit green to my taste.

 

 

 

 

 

32oz growler poured into a Tired Hands Teku glass

Appearance: Pours a very dark amber color with 2 fingers of a light tan, creamy head. Good retention and some light spotty lacing. Body is somewhat clear when held up to light.

Smell: Campfire like smokiness, but not overpowering at all, caramel, maple and brown sugar, slight earthiness.

Taste: Follows the aroma pretty closely. Smoked malt, toffee, slight nuttiness and just a hint of smoked meat.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with a soft, silky mouthfeel. Medium levels of fine carbonation. Could maybe be a bit fuller, but otherwise really nice.

Overall: This one doesn't appear to be quite as popular as some of their other offerings, as it seems like it's been on tap for quite a while now. That said, I would highly recommend giving it a try, even if you're not particularly fond of smoked beers. Pairs really well with their candied bacon too!