Ortolan Bunting - Armagnac (Ghost 174)
Adroit Theory Brewing Company

L: Poured from a bottle to a pint glass. Had a dark brown color and a thick, opaque consistency. There was an inch of creamy, tan-colored, fairly long-lasting head. Excellent lacing.

S: A decent, if somewhat underwhelming aroma of malt, vanilla, wood, armagnac and dark fruit.

T: Tasted of mild amounts of the advertised armagnac (and its accompanying barrels), some vanilla notes, dark fruit (figs, raisins), a large shot of malt, and a little caramel. The flavor here seems to be a little muted in spots. The armagnac just wasn't overly present. An interesting taste, though.

F: A good amount of carbonation with a smooth, dry finish. Medium-bodied.

O: Definitely an uneven beer, but worth a look. Drinkable.

Poured from a bottle into a snifter, the beer is a deep, dark, toffee-mahogany coloring, with a low profile, foamy, light tan head. Aromas of boozy brandy, rich old world fruit sweetness, vanilla, wood, and earthy highlights. Flavors are very boozy forward, with a blend of chocolate, toffee, and molasses to follow. Hints of smoke and wood, with vanilla highlights. Tangy blend of date, fig, and plum rich and sweet. Slick, bold, oily body, with a brandy-like aftertaste of old world fruits and rich toffee and caramel. Slick, bold finish, with a solid sweet linger and slightly building warmth. Good beer.

 

Forced a decent head that rewarded me with a fairly thick, foamy beige result which left pretty decent lacing over this otherwise ordinary looking dark, opaque beer.

Overwhelming hotness in the nose. Big time alcohol that comes across like vanilla extract. Secondary to that is a hint of caramel.

Taste sticks to the same script at first until a more brandy like taste pops up but the big alcohol is drying out and dulling my tongue to much to get much else up front. Once I let the taste stew a bit, I get a malt thing that comes off as sort of peat-ish.

It's hard to say what aging would do to this as this beer is billed as being unique due to the barrels used. Makes me think that as it gets more tame, it may take away some of that barrel nuance as well. Dunno, just a thought.

 

The beer pours very little if any head that dissipates very quickly. The beer itself is a cloudy dark brown color that just screams indulgence. It has a very nice thin and oily texture to it.

The smell and taste are both fantastic. The Armagnac really comes out differently after the first two times you experience it. The alcohol is definitely detectable at first but it quickly gets buried underneath the other notes. The other notes from the Armagnac is a woody and light vanilla note that takes the edge off of it. The wood definitely stands out the most and mixes well with the bitter hop note that you normally find in strong ale and the caramel malt sweetness as well. The malt, like the vanilla note, dulls the wood note and gives a nice sweet note to it. The hops are pronounced but not dominate. Rather, it's closer to being the second strongest in the smell and taste; complementing the wood note to create a nice bitter note to it.

The feel is also fantastic. Most strong ales have a heavy body and thick, smooth texture. However, this one is completely different. It still has that heavy body feel but none of the smooth thickness. Rather, it has a nice and thin feel with more of a slickness than a smoothness to it. The carbonation is biting and very light but gives off a nice tingling feeling to it.

Overall, this is a fantastic beer and worth trying while it's available. The beer definitely invokes that kind of indulgence the meal it's named after does without violating poaching laws or the extinction of an endangered species. The Armagnac was definitely a good choice to mix a strong ale with. Go for it.