Code Switch
Revolution Brewing

 

 

 

Canned 10/10/18
Consumed 10/16/20

I’m not sure what I think about the look of this one. The purple color is interesting but it’s very thin and lacks carbonation. On the pallet I taste enough carbonation to make me happy but it is thin as most Rev BA beers are for me. The nose is fascinating though with berry and bourbon notes. Normally it might turn me off as I’m not a big lover of berry BA stouts, but upon drinking this I’m impressed. Revolution’s strength has always been their ability to balance the adjuncts and bourbon notes and again they hit it perfectly here. The berry isn’t too forward but I get enough sweetness from it. The booziness is prevalent too and even with 2 years aging, I get a lot. But it’s super smooth. This is a unique wonderful beer and worth seeking out if you can find it.

 

 

12 ounce can into a tulip snifter. Canned 10/10/18, had 3/13/19.

Pours a dark purplish brown, cloudy, with a quarter inch quickly dissipating head on an aggressive pour and no lacing. Aromas of whiskey, bourbon, tobacco, caramel, brown sugar, candi sugar, char, malt, some blackberries, light maple. A light, sweet aroma overall. The flavor also starts with the whiskey and bourbon, then a big hit of blackberries that lingers, malt, brown sugar, tobacco, some caramel, a little maple, light alcohol. There’s a little sweetness from the candi sugar and a tart note on the finish. Ridiculously smooth for the ABV, a good medium body, but the carbonation on the low side gives it a thinner feel than expected.

There’s really a lot going on here, and I thought this was a very solid effort. Lots of aromas and flavors to pick out. The berries are the star of the flavor and really the star overall. While the barrels come to the fore and are solid, they’re fairly tame.

30 January 2020 - Beer #16

Appearance: 3 - looks like a fairly dark barleywine. Head fizzled away immediately. Hmm...

Nose: 4 - smells like a barleywine. I don't get much blackberry, if any, but it's pretty inviting.

Taste: 4 - VERY interesting. Still tastes like a barleywine, but the blackberry adds a mild tartness. Plenty of flavor, not terribly boozy. Nicely done.

Mouth: 4 - good amount of carbonation, fairly sticky.

Overall: 4 - an interesting and unique offering. Glad I got a chance to try it.

Cheers!

 

 

 

Thanks to intecwrx for this 12 oz. can that arrived as an extra. It looks weird, so it’s been resting unmolested in the fridge for a while. No longer.

The pour is a purplish smoothie with zero evident carbonation – doesn’t look like what my dad would recognize as ‘beer’. The nose is your basic blackberry wine. Not bad.

Code Switch reads like a mess & tastes lovely. All them ingredients! So much depth! The blackberries are on top (OF THE WORLD!)& the Belgian yeasts add a lovely additional kick of fruitiness. The barrels are subtle but layered, with the sugars adding significant sweetness while masking any tartness emanating from the berries. No alcohol. Smooth. This could lead to a long review of the bottom of a coffee table if one was not careful.

This seemed destined to be a mess. In reality, it’s an excellent beer. Revolution. They good.

 

 

 

 

Tasted in a Rastal Teku from a 12 fl oz can on February 8, 2019. Collaboration with Sun King Brewery. A complex imperial ale brewed with maple sugar, dark candy syrup and a blend of Belgian yeast cultures. Aged in Tennessee whiskey and Kentucky bourbon barrels. Blackberries add sweetness and subtle tartness.

We've a unique one here... well-suited for this catch-all category.
Had on tap at The Beer Temple, proving once again that it is a great source for inventive ales.
My snifter had this dark brown liquid with purple tinges. (They produced a Purple Haze in my mind as I was unaware of the ABV.) Smells gave me mostly sweetness from malt, sugar and finally the blackberries. Complex. Tastes continued those qualities, but was balanced in a way only the masters know how. (Thanks.) Very smooth, but I started getting the residue of the berries. Surprisingly refreshing and, actually, perfect for an aging malt-head trying to beat the February Blues.

I am a total fan of RevBrew and what they stand for and, usually, produce.