Ob.liv.i.ous
Griffin Claw Brewing Company

So good. Unique taste unlike any beer. Massive mouth.

2018 out of can. Similar color to a hefe weizen but taste & feel nothing like that. Strong bold tastey -you'd think you were drinking a bourbon barrel stout if you didnt look at it. With a great feel Smell is sweet almost a honey due melon with a surprizing buzz at the end. Enjoying one now.

22 oz bomber, 2017 vintage, sent from Ian likely in 2017 or 2018. It has been aging gracefully at cellar temp (45-50 degrees) for the last couple years and then placed in the fridge briefly for review time. Time to let 'er rip.

Wax bottles are super fancy, but they are always a pain in the ass to get into. And...not having a dedicated wax cutter, (mostly because wax bottles are just an occasional thing for me) it took about 2 minutes to get into this sucker. You have to really, really want it.

Anywho -- poured into a Parish globe stem, looking tea-colored with some ruby highlights and a little muddiness towards the middle. Some floaties which may or may not be from the wax - hey I never said I was gentle with opening it. Tiny fingernail of head that disappears nearly immediately.

Wow, from the aroma, I can smell the age. It's stiff, it's tight, it's very oak-y. Lots of booze. Lots of bourbon barrel. Not so much coffee, but more traditional Wheatwine highlights like plum, apricot, leather, lighter fluid (just kidding, personal joke), tobacco, slight parchment oxidation, as well as some smaller aromas of banana pudding and dried figs. It really reminds me of an Eclipse barrel aged stout.

Flavor brings honey, molasses, plum, lemon, tobacco, figs, various vinous notes, golden delicious apple, a hint of medium-dark cherry, a hint of bourbon'd oak, lick-able security envelope, and with it a tiny wince of appropriate stiff oxidation. It leans a bit sweet but is not cloying in any way. The coffee by itself is long gone in this beer if it was very strong to begin with, but what I'm getting here is a very tasty beer nonetheless. There is a brightness here (aforementioned as lemon) that comes across almost 7-Up-like. Very intriguing.

Feel is poppy and carbonated like a 7-Up, too. Very very similar. I would not expect that out of a barrel aged beer much less a typically smooth wheatwine. All the same, it drinks more fun than your typical heavy hitter would, lending to some possible "danger will robinson!". The heat is well packed into this beer, it's not a bully, and still lends a presence. Semi-stickiness on the finish, light hops, good malt sugars coating the palate.

Overall, a very enjoyable yet fun Wheatwine. A quality beer over here.

 

Pours a nearly translucent golden copper with a finger and a half of off white foam. Head retention is good. Aroma is raisins, figs, citrus, tangerine, caramel, toffee, dark cherry and caramely, toasty, nutty malts. It smells fairly bright with a light sweetness behind. Flavor profile is caramel, figs, toffee, molasses, raisins, chocolate and toasty, caramely malts. A whiff of bourbon adds a little steam to the back, but not enough to heat it beyond control. In fact, it's just enough to bring the initial sweetness to a close. Mouth feel is medium in thickness with a moderately sharp effervescence. Overall, sweet with good balance via the booze at the back combines well to create a dynamic and intriguing flavor profile.

Served in a 15.5oz Spiegalau tulip from a 16oz can.

Poured into a snifter. Moderately hazy golden color with a thick white head. The foam stayed around linger than expected.
Prominent bourbon aroma, along with honey, raisin, and caramel. Taste followed suit. Bourbon was front and center but did not detract from other flavors. Nice honey notes and some caramel malt. Warm on the finish as expected but not too boozy. Full bodied and low-medium carbed. Very nice. The malt notes aren't what I would expect from a Barleywine, so it's tough to compare to a Wheatwine.

Hazed gold with two fingers of airy, off-white head. Sort of looks like a tripel. Decent lacing.

Musty, woody aroma with hints of vanilla bourbon.

Taste largely follows the nose. The barrel presence is a bit more distinct. There’s a little apple and raisin. Clear alcohol. The beer is fairly bitter and a touch dry for the style, although not over the top.

Medium bodied with tight carbonation.

It’s okay, but is a bit of a let down. Worse than other wheatwines I’ve tried, and not in the same class as the Flying Buffalo stout.

 

 

 

 

raisiny.not so drinkable. bubble gum in finish. something real sour milk finish.2014 bottle.off flavours for sure thinks, from the beginning.big booze.

 

 

Thanks to @ecoboostinst for this one.

2015 vintage

Copper orange color with no real head.

Smell is sweet wheatwine with some vanilla and slight slight barrel.

Taste is good. Nothing stands out as exceptional though. The Bruery makes a BA wheat wine that is much better imo. But this is not bad though.

Silky feel. Clean finish. Pretty creamy.

Overall this was good. But I was hoping for more to be honest since I am a fan of the style.

 

 

Thanks to Lazhal for this: I am on a quest to collect & pass through my bladder every wheatwine, everywhere. 22 oz. white-waxed bottle dated 2015 split with my wife.

The wax is both brittle & resistant to most man-made tools; I manage to get it off without shedding any blood. Pour is a fiery orange that I believe Guy Montag would approve of. Smells like birch syrup, vanilla sweetness. No beer. I’m OK with that.

OB.LIV.I.OUS…did I get the periods right? The bottle is all the way across the room. Super sweet malts with a heavy dose of vanilla to the right lung sac, & a soft backing of bourbon. Wood – probably St. Helena Gumwood – mingles socially with sherry, creamed oranges, with the wheat coming in gently on the finish. Appropriately heavy, & I could appropriate this whole bottle. Unfortunately my wife is enjoying her 11 ounces as well (OK, her 10.25 ounces).

My quest so far for the rye version hasn’t borne fruit, nor wheat, but after suckling at this teat, I’ll go at it again. Excellent beer & wonderful example of the style.

22 ounce bottle into a tulip snifter.

Pours a clear, copper color, with a half inch, quickly dissipating head and little lacing. Smell is lighter malt, bourbon, yeast, vanilla, caramel, a bit of a spicy aroma. The taste starts with the bourbon, then the lighter malt, caramel, vanilla, some orange and oak. Smooth, good body, well carbonated.

Good effort, true to the style, it's really bourbon forward when warm. Enjoyable to drink. The really high price point for this, makes it a little hard to solidly recommend a purchase, though.