Divine Reserve #16
Saint Arnold Brewing Company

Divine Reserve #16Divine Reserve #16
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From:
Saint Arnold Brewing Company
 
Texas, United States
Style:
Old Ale
ABV:
10%
Score:
90
Avg:
4.05 | pDev: 10.86%
Reviews:
39
Ratings:
142
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Sep 26, 2023
Added:
Feb 29, 2016
Wants:
  6
Gots:
  49
The Adambier style was popular in Dortmund, Germany until the mid-19th century, when Pilsners and Munich-style lagers began to take over. Eventually, the style became largely extinct until recently, as more and more breweries look to their brewing roots.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
 
Rated: 4.42 by hopley from Massachusetts

Sep 26, 2023
 
Rated: 4.5 by Musineer from Texas

Jan 29, 2021
 
Rated: 4.5 by RiceOwls27 from Texas

Apr 08, 2020
 
Rated: 4.08 by brew-Ed from Texas

Nov 11, 2019
 
Rated: 3.83 by animal69 from Louisiana

May 14, 2019
 
Rated: 4.35 by MattDecker from Texas

Mar 09, 2019
 
Rated: 3 by Matt141 from Texas

Feb 09, 2019
Photo of Beerucee
Rated by Beerucee from Texas

4.5/5  rDev +11.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Really nice one!
Dec 16, 2018
 
Rated: 4.17 by JerryHelper from Arizona

Sep 21, 2018
 
Rated: 4.31 by hcproff36 from Texas

Sep 21, 2018
Photo of Treyliff
Reviewed by Treyliff from West Virginia

4.17/5  rDev +3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
12oz bottle poured into a snifter
Bottled 2/9/16

A- pours a deep amber brown color with a one-finger foamy off-white head that reduces to a ring around the edge

S- smoky malt on the nose up front, almost peat like, along with aromas of caramel, brownie batter, brown bread, dates & plumbs, hint of green apple

T- smoked malt up front gives some smoky wood notes, followed by sweet malty notes of caramel, molasses, brown bread, dates & raisins. The finish gives sweet molasses and more subtle smoked malt that that continues in the linger

M- medium body with moderate carbonation leads to a foamy mouthfeel that continues into the finish, slightly warming

O- just enough smoky notes that work well with the malty sweetness, very little oxidation even after two years
Jul 04, 2018
Photo of Eamonn-Cummings3
Reviewed by Eamonn-Cummings3 from New York

4.63/5  rDev +14.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Poured from a 22oz bottle into a a Speiglau stout glass.

Look is a dark brown with cola highlights and a brown head.

Aroma is malty molasses with a hint of barrel (??). Delicious.

Taste is balanced and malty. Absolutely phenomenal.
Jun 15, 2018
 
Rated: 3.71 by westcoastbeerlvr from California

May 28, 2018
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Reviewed by Jugs_McGhee from Colorado

3.46/5  rDev -14.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4
BOTTLE: 12 fl oz format. Purple label. Branded red twist-off crown cap. Brown glass. Cost was $4.99 USD at a beer store in Austin, TX.

No style is indicated on the label.

Per their website:
"Adambier.
Date Brewed: December 9, 2015"
Date Bottled: February 9, 2016
Original Gravity: 1.100
Final Gravity: 1.024
Alcohol: 10.0% ABV
Bitterness: 44 IBU
Malts: Munich, Rauchmalt, Honey Malt, Carafa, Melanoidin
Hops: Bravo, Hersbrucker
Yeast: Kölsch"

Served chilled into a tulip.

BODY: Ugly murky brown. Nontransparent. No yeast/lees are visible, but it doesn't appear filtered to me.

HEAD: Gorgeously frothy and soft in complexion. Off-white in colour. Retention is excellent for the high ABV - ~10+ minutes - wow! Thick and robust. ~5cm head height.

AROMA: Marshmallow. Subtle very light smokiness (I'd guess beechwood if there was a gun to my head). Caramel. A scintilla of green apple. Acidulated malt. Malty sweetness eclipses any hop aromatics, and I don't find any grassy Noble hop character [note: Saint Arnold claims this was brewed with Noble hops, but it wasn't. Only Hersbrucker comes close, and that's not a true Noble hop]. A hint of funkiness, though it doesn't come from brettanomyces. No Kolsch yeast fruitiness is detectable contrary to the label. Has a stale wooden quality to its aroma.

The smoke speaks to me, and it's generally enticing, but it does seem a bit muddled. Aromatic intensity is average. What really impresses me is how little it gives away its high ABV.

TASTE & TEXTURE: The softness of the mouthfeel helps counter any harshness that would otherwise manifest from the smoked malt and carafa/roasted malt, and the subtle fruity esters of Kolsch yeast play well in the mix as well. Smoked malt is the star of the show here, but it's delightfully subtle...this isn't your liquid ashtray rauchbier or harsh mesquite smoked porter.

Hop flavour is absent inasmuch as I can discern. No grassiness or overt bitterness is present, but the maltty sweetness is countered by something more than the smoked malt bitterness so I guess hop bitterness worked its way in organically. Caramel is evident in the mix, but it's not toasty like some Adambiere purportedly were.

Alcohol is quite well disguised, but there is a blip of warmth that's actually rather pleasant.

Balanced albeit muddled. I like that it mixes many diverse flavours - roast, smoke, caramel sweetness, marshmallow, earthy yeast - but the whole doesn't exceed the sum of its parts and it doesn't use its complexity to elevate the beer to a gestalt whole.

Smooth yet dry - especially on the finish. Opens mellower than it finishes. Well-carbonated. Full-bodied.

Not oily, gushed, hot, or boozy. But it is somewhat astringent and possibly even tannic, and it roughens towards the finish which some casual drinkers may find parching.

Blips of dark fruit and stonefruit emerge as it comes to temperature, which really help a lot in my opinion, lending this desperately needed nuance and helping further soften the smoked malts.

OVERALL: I always love to see breweries resurrecting obscure and/or historical but uncommon styles and this is no exception. The smokiness is nice and I think the winning combination here is smoke and Kolsch yeast, though this beer's well hidden ABV is also worth commending. Still, it's not a beer I'd buy much at its $4.99 per 12 fl oz price point in spite of its enjoyability. More drinkable than it ought to be and a worthwhile beer for those interested in the Adambier style, but not a brew casual drinkers will flock to. I like it for what it is and would be curious to try other vintages, but it's not a world class beer even if it flirts with a unique flavour profile.

In any case, this is exactly what I imagine a beer of this style might've tasted like in 19th century Dortmund and I think it's a fascinating glimpse into the beer mores of the day. If historical accuracy alone decided my rating, this would be an A.

High B- (3.46) / WORTHY
Mar 02, 2018
 
Rated: 4.5 by vande from Illinois

Feb 17, 2018
 
Rated: 4.81 by Av10 from Lebanon

Dec 31, 2017
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Reviewed by princessbay710 from Texas

4.84/5  rDev +19.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
Dark pour, thin head. Smell is faint but definite malt with floral undertones. Taste is magnificent, sweet caramel dark lightly roasted malt. Hard to say much else besides it's amazing, has been aged since 2/9/2016, and available for $5 a glass at Thirsty's during the Beaumont St Arnold's pup crawl!
Dec 02, 2017
 
Rated: 3.89 by GarbageMan10 from Texas

Jul 07, 2017
 
Rated: 4.25 by npachl from Wisconsin

Jun 09, 2017
Photo of rkarimi
Rated by rkarimi from Colorado

4.27/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4-21
Apr 22, 2017
Divine Reserve #16 from Saint Arnold Brewing Company
Beer rating: 90 out of 100 with 142 ratings