Bishop's Barrel 25
Saint Arnold Brewing Company

 

 

Bishop's Barrel 25 has a thin, khaki head, a dark brown appearance, with lighter brown at the edges, and no lacing. The aroma is of rich, chocolate malt, cream, sweetness, and port wine. The taste is of rich chocolate fudge, cream, coffee, dark brown bread crust, and faint port wine, as the beer breathes. Bishop's Barrel 25 has a heavy body and a drier finish.

RJT

 

Pour is black with a half finger of dark khaki head that fades to a nice ring around the glass.
Nose is chocolate, coffee, roasted malts, red wine, raspberry.
Taste follows. Soft chocolate, a touch of coffee, red wine, chocolate covered cherries, plum. Light touch of drying acidity, red grapes.
Medium low carbonation, smooth mouthfeel. Lingering chocolate covered dark cherries.

Pours a pitch black color with a thin brown foamy head. Head retention is good. Lacing is very good. Aroma of chocolate, dark fruits and red wine. More dark fruits on the flavor with a hint of dark chocolate and good amount of red wine. Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.

 

This is Divine Reserve 17, which was a Baltic Porter, aged in Port Barrels. Website says ABV is 9.2%

A: Pours an opaque black color. A two finger tan head forms with excellent retention and spiderweb looking lace down the glass.
S: Dark chocolate, baked bread, warm malt aromas that I want to warp myself in. Some wood aromas, and a bit of dark fruit pokes through, but man love that malt character.
T: Now, it becomes incredibly nuanced. Dark and bitter bakers chocolate. Bread, toasted malts, again a wonderful malt flavor. Wood and dark fruits pop as this warms. Dark cherries, plums, even a touch of acidity. All incredibly well balanced.
M/O: A full body that has really good carbonation, especially for such a big beer. Though becomes ultra smooth at the same time, if that makes any sense. A great sipper, one that I would want to come back to on a real cold night and a good book.

A great nuanced and balanced character on all fronts here. Which, to me is one of the things that separates Saint Arnold from a lot of the other breweries around the area. As some will no doubt get bigger and more extreme flavors. Though that really can detract if not done well (and lets face it, a lot of breweries in Houston don't do it well). Overall, I just want to get another bottle of this, and that is all that needs to be said.