Réserve Ale
Ponysaurus Brewing Co.

1 pint, 6 fl oz 2023 Vintage bottle cellared since Christmas 2024. Poured into a Treehouse Teku glass

Appearance: Murky, brown-red appearance. Light carbonation. Not the best looking beer I've ever poured, but nothing turning me off. Somewhat thick looking. ABV not listed on the paper surrounding the bottle. I came back to this section after quite some time. I thought that maybe I'd want to adjust this, but it isn't a pretty beer by any stretch. That's okay though as it's probably my least important aspect.

Aroma: Smells like cherry juice. Pleasant, somewhat muted but available smell. No off flavors. I'm happy with the smell after the somewhat underwhelming appearance. I keep trying to find something else, but really it's just light cherry juice. Going in for a taste

Taste: That is quite malty. Slight bitterness on the end. Maybe very lightly fruity, but mostly malt and light bitterness. It's pretty good, but the mouthfeel is distracting. I want to like this. I do like this, I want to like this more. I'm taking quite big sips, actually. I do like it. There's something in the aftertaste that I can't figure out. The more I drink this, the more I like it. It is quite drinkable and would be much better without that 'factor' that I don't know how to describe.

Mouthfeel: Weird. I usually will be several minutes into my review before getting to this section. I jumped straight to it. The carbonation and viscosity are pretty good, but there's a weird feel that is hard to pinpoint. The bitterness is strange and takes away from this beer. It's not overly bitter or anything, just....odd. This beer really seems like it has a high ABV but I just want to keep drinking more. It drinks very well, if at times peculiar.

Overall: This one started off slow for me but really grew on me quickly. The appearance was not good, the aroma was subtle and one sided. The initial few sips were giving me this weird taste/feel that I still don't really care for, but there is something else at play here that has won me over big time. I've been really enjoying this. I'm actually trying to slow down but I want to gulp it for some reason. It's a very interesting beer and maybe more complex than I'm giving it credit for. It's certainly refined. I have a 2024 Vintage that I probably won't age for quite as long. I would/will definitely drink this again. If I were looking for a slow beer to share with someone, this would be a really good place to start.

Had a draft at Ponysaurus Brewing on 10/19/2024.
L - Pours a reddish brown color with a slight tan head.
S - Smells of sugar.
T - Tastes of dried fruit, cherries and candied sugar.
F - Medium body with carbonation on the lighter side.
O - Really nice Belgian Strong Ale. It hides the alcohol really well.

 

 

 

 

Pours murky old copper with a thin, fine beige foam that immediately dissipates. There is no lacing or film. Carbonation rapidly rises, forming occasional columns in a PBGC Hoppy tulip glass.

The aroma opens with sweet prunes and raisins. This is followed by brown sugar and hints of clove. The aroma is dominated by malt.

The flavor follows the nose with dried fruit. It is sweet, but short of cloying with a short, mild finish.

Light carbonation and light alcohol are contained within a medium body. The alcohol is dramatically below expectations.

While this is a tasty beer, it unfortunately lacks the layers and complexity required by the style. This is uninspiring. All said, however, it was enjoyable for its own sake after a long day at work.

 

 

 

 

 

 

It pours a cloudy copper with no head and no lacing. It has aromas of cherries, yeast and earthly elements. It has a heavy cherry and yeast flavors.