Woodbooger
Strangeways Brewing

 

Appearance: Pours a burnt caramel color with an ecru head that fades to a collar; speckles of lacing

Smell: Dark fruit, chocolate, toffee and a woodsy element

Taste: Chocolate and dark fruit forward with some toffee adding sweetness; woodsy tones with a bit of tart berry flavor in the finish

Mouthfeel: Medium body with moderate carbonation

Overall: Sat on this bottle for a long while as my experience with this brewery has been mixed; turned out better than expected

 

 

 

Pours chocolatey brown with a small to medium dark tan head. Malty-roasty aroma was nice but completely gone in just a few seconds. This is one of those beers that looked and smelled better than it tasted. Don't get me wrong, It's not bad but the malt and roastiness didn't translate in a pronounced fashion to the palate. It got stuck in neutral a bit and for a few split seconds here and there had a vibe of a flat Coke. I know that sounds harsh but overall it's still decent. After the stand-alone test, I went ahead and paired it up with some salty pita chips and flavored humus - it fairs better with some sort of combo like this.

Picked this up on my way home over the summer, never having had this before. This was my second beer from Strangeways and as "strange" as this was named, this beer was anything by that. Really enjoyed the flavors as this warmed up as it was quite complex and smooth at the same time. Toss in a recessed alcoholic presence and the end result was a brew that I'd easily have again, if it was readily available.

Not a bad pour to this as the liquid was brown with a bit of sediment in it, and topped off by a fast-settling tan head that was full of loud bubbles. Very little lacing was left on the side of my pint glass as I worked my way through this as the sparse bubbles that remained after each sip rapidly slid down the side of my pint glass. Lots of molasses, brown sugar, yeast, and coconut in the nose as the taste contained all of those. Milk chocolate, raspberry juice, coffee, British hops, and vanilla bean in the taste gave this a wonderful complexity that wasn't overshadowed by booze or malt, as that latter was quite basic and in the background from start to finish.

The body was just a hint less than average but was full enough to satisfy me as the liquid warmed up. So much going on here but somehow, it all worked out in the end. Not the best example of the style but this surprised me and was so pleasant on the palate, down to the slickness that stuck around long after I finished this off. Nice stuff that would be a great introduction to the style, for anyone unaccustomed to it...

 

12 oz bottle

very dark chestnut brown in color, with cream colored head that soon fades to just a collar. pleasant aroma of dark malt, caramel, a touch of roast, a bit of vanilla. similar flavors in the taste, starts slightly sweet, but has an herbal finish for good balance. medium bodied.

Pours a dark brown color with a tan head that fizzes down to a small layer atop the beer. Smell is dark fruit, toffee, roasted malts, and a hint of yeast. Taste is raisin, chocolate, coffee, and malts. Medium body, decent carbonation. Overall it's a nice beer, nothing special but I certainly wouldn't turn down drinking it again.

 

 

 

From the growler, it pours a nice clear brown with a modest head, soon diminishing to nothing. Candy sugar, alcohol and roasted malts in the nose. The mouth gets a pleasant roast malt with some candy sugar.

 

 

 

 

 

Pours a black color. 1/3 inch head of a tan color. Slight retention and slight lacing. Smells of alcohol, Belgian yeast, slight roasted malt, floral notes, hint of raisin, and a hint of bacterial funk. Fits the style of a Belgian Dark Ale. Mouth feel is smooth and clean, with a low carbonation level and hint of tartness. Tastes of alcohol, Belgian yeast, slight roasted malt, floral notes, hint of raisin, hint of roasted malt, hint of hops, and a hint of bacterial funk. Overall, weak appearance, but good aroma, body, and blend, with a great feel.