Heralded Nocturnes Fall Harvest Project: Autumnus
Paradox Beer Company

My bottle 51 of 1350 spent the last year in a chilly cellar, but it doesn't seem to have improved any from the previous tepid reviews. A dubious looking hazy tea color. A very unenthusiastic pffft on flipping the stopper. Not much carbonation at all. Very peculiar scent of rusty water with a hit of cherry cough syrup.

This tastes a lot like cherry cider that got left in the back of the frig a long, long time. Some oxidized winey taste, maybe a hint of sweet vermouth amidst the murk. Still some sweetness. No hint of hops, or bitterness either. Very much of a fruit-flavored dishwater. What was this supposed to be again? It's not very strong, and not drinkable at all.

I'll hope for better luck with the next Paradox offering, but it's definitely a sad end for this one. From the 750 ml swing-top bottle purchased at Grapevine Wine & Liquors in Denver.

 

 

Beer pours a hazy brown-red with a fizzy off white head.

The aroma is fruity but it is hard to pick out anything in particular. I can also smell some alcohol. No hops are detectable but I can pick out some caramel malt aromas.

The beer is fairly fruity to taste, not really apple like, but thee is a little bit of acidity in the beer but not enough to make it sour. Some caramel flavors make there way to the forefront. All of the flavors are very subtle. The finish is a little awkward as nothing stands out, it is not dry, not overly sweet, not bitter, and nothing lingers.

The mouthfeel is somewhat slick, maybe from an increased amount of acetic acid in the beer. Makes the mouthfeel come across as weak.

Overall the beer does not really stand out that much.

Bottle No. 27 of 1350; ale aged in wine barrels; bottle conditioned.

Unsure of the beer style, so listed it as an American Strong Ale for the time being. I've called the brewery to find out how they would classify it and hope to hear back from them shortly. Label also indicates 1 out of 3 hop cones, so I'm guessing low hop bitterness and/or aroma.

Deep, orange-copper body with lots of carbonation; head settles out to about one-finger in height with velvety, off-white head. Interesting smell: starts out almost skunky with a noticeable alcohol character but transitions to a more malt-centered and fruity scent; caramel; warm bread; ripened apricot. Big mix of malt and fruit notes in the taste, much like the aroma, and tempered with a bold alcohol warmth; slightly astringent and bitter at the finish. Light-bodied, almost watery mouthfeel with lots of fizz to tickle the tongue; dry finish.

I'm not sure what to make of this beer, especially without any further information on its intended style. Definite esters throughout the tasting experience. Perhaps this is meant to be more of a barleywine. Eh, its not bad, but I'm not sure I'd go with another bottle from this run.

Late note update (11/9/12 3:45PM): just got a phone call from Scott at Paradox Beer Company: the base beer is an Oktoberfest/Marzen beer; aged in Bordeaux wine barrels. Jimminee, I can't remember now what he said about the yeast, but in any case, this is definitely an artisan-type of beer and not easily pigeon-holed into any particular style. With that said, as I've finished the bottle since my initial posting, I may try another bottle for a different day and see how my overall impressions go...