XReserve Lord Of Misrule
Saucony Creek Brewing Company + Gastropub

I really like visiting Kutztown & while Saucony Creek Brewing Company + Gastropub is a little outside of the city proper, I still try to get in when I can. I have had this bottle for a while but as the end of The Bottle Backlog at Chez Woody nears, I am pulling out all of the stops!

From the Bottle: "

I Pop!ped the cap & began a slow, gentle pour as befits an aged beer such as mine. Once it was sufficiently decanted, an in-glass swirl raised just over a finger of dense, foamy, light-tan head with modest retention. Color was Coppery-Brown (SRM = > 17, < 22) with NE-quality clarity. Gorgeous! Nose smelled like raisin bread! 8=O I LOVE raisin bread! No cinnamon here, but very bready & very much of raisins! Nomnomnom. Mouthfeel was big, thick, full & viscous. The taste was like liquefied raisin bread & I was SO happy that I had inadvertently allowed it to age! Maybe it is better than this when it is fresh, but I disbelieve that one. This was very mellow in terms of its alcohol while the breadiness of the malt & yeast had created a pillowy cushion for the raisin-y fruitiness to rest its head. Mmm. I let it roll around in my mouth & on my tongue, taking in the subtle nuances that emerged as it warmed. It was just so bready that I could not imagine drinking it fresh. I loved baking as a kid & wanted to be a cook/chef, but mainly a baker. There is something about the process that just always draws me in. Mmm. Finish was dry, but I caught a tinge of alcohol heat that lingered & which would probably have been more pronounced in a fresh bottle. YMMV, but I recommend aging with this beer.

 

 

 

 

What Lone_Freighter said. Deep heavy loveliness. One is enough, but I'm sure I want another. This has some real depth and chewiness to it. Yumm.....

 

Bottle from parents. This was poured into a tulip. The appearance was a burnt dark brown color with a finger’s worth of white foamy head that held for a little bit and fell off fairly gentle. Light stringy lace. The aroma had some raisins, vanilla, milk chocolate, light clove, leather, butterscotch, caramel, sweet wood, dark bread and a little bit of pecans. The flavor took all of the prior mentioned aromas to blend sweet initially and rounded out with the spices fairly nice. Nice sweet Belgian malty aftertaste roaming into the finish but combined a little bit of spice. The palate was about medium bodied with a good sipping quality about it. Some alcohol "heat" noticed but wasn’t distracting. Carbonation felt good. Spice harshness wasn’t distracting. Overall, pretty nice Belgian strong ale, though I didn’t get a whole lot of that "Belgian yeastiness" I normally get with the style in the aroma there’s still a ton of stuff going on. I’d want to give this another shot.

 

I cannot find a date of bottling or expiration date anywhere.

That is a problem, because I bought a case of this stuff, and it's pretty foul. I can't believe I have tasted the same ale that has garnered mostly positive reviews here. The beer HAS to be damaged in some way. Maybe it wasn't kept adequately chilled in the beer distributor's warehouse. Or maybe it's way old, though usually dark beers with high ABV can tolerate or even be improved with age.

For me, the smell is sour and the taste is sour. It's drinkable only inasmuch as I can get a nice little buzz from the ABV. It's maybe a step above drain pour.

I know it's not fair of me to rate this at all, given that I suspect the beer is damaged. On the other hand, PLEASE - there should be no brewers left who do not put some time data on their labels somewhere - BOTTLED ON or USE BY.

If I were judging this beer strictly by my experience with it, it would be getting 1's in every field except for Look. Given my suspicion, I am generously rating a 4 for Look and 2's across the rest of the board.

 

 

 

 

Saucony Creek Brewing Co. "Lord Of Misrule"
on tap at the brewery on 24 Sept 2016
$5/10 oz.

Notes: Listed at 9% ABV. Hazy deep chestnut/mahogany brown beneath an off-white head. Limited aroma for a strong ale, mainly malty with some dark skinned fruit. The flavor follows with sweetish caramel malt, maple?, dark fruit, apple, spice, and even a touch of banana. The alcohol is well-cloaked. Medium-full in body with a delicately zesty, fine-bubbled carbonation. Nicely done.

Best beer they make.