Ten Apple Stout
Põhjala Brewery & Tap Room

 

 

 

 

 

 

I normally like Pohjala, but this one wasn't very enjoyable. I feel like the apple brandy didn't work well with the base stout. Just kind of tasted off to me.

Collaboration with To Ol and Brus.

Picked up at Julio's and shared with JLindros.

A - Poured into a Kate the Great tulip a nice dark black hue with a thin mocha head that fades to leave light lacing and a thin blanket.

S - Big aromas of calvados, nice chocolate and malts. As it warms the apple comes out much more, though the barrel itself is weaker.

T - Taste is similar to the nose with loads of apple brandy. The apple brandy is really nice but everything else is super muted.

M - Mouthfeel is lightly carbonated, creamy, little boozy.

O - Overall this was a solid enough stout, though the apple brandy overpowers the base beer.

THanks to rudzud
A bit of bug bubbly mocha colored fizzy head, a bit of lacing, very mild legs, basically pitch black beer, but as it warms and I swirl it lots more lacing and legs

Nose is quite nice, loads of apple brandy and calvados, a bit of toasted oak and raw wood esters, big dark malts but not roasty, a little fluffy marshmallow nougat and cocoa, mild dark chocolate and caramel notes

Taste loads of barrel again, toasted oak, huge apple brandy calvados, some creamy vanilla ice cream, a bit of dark chocolate cocoa, not a lot, touch of caramel, a little alcohol warmth but not a ton, touch of roast, no real bitterness, a touch of sticky on the finish, a little dry

Mouth is med to a bit fuller bod, creamy lush, decent but lighter carb, only a little alcohol

Overall tons of apple brandy calvados barrel but the base beer is basically lost, so eh

 

2018 vintage 12 oz bottle bought on brand recognition. Poured hard, room temp to a tulip glass. Big, three finger tan head, that fades to a loose, thin ring. Deep mahogany red color. Lots of lacing persists. Nose is practically nonexistent. I was expecting a burst of apple aroma, but nose is almost touching liquid and nothing. First sips are crisp, hoppy-ish up front, followed by a licorice back end. Apple flavor is very, very, very subtle. Again, a bit disappointing considering it has ten 10 apple varieties, so my expectation was high for a combo of malt sweetness against a big apple blast. Mouthfeel is thin to medium, with a light apple aftertaste. Alcohol hides well. Even after warming, I’m just not getting any prominent apple profile. For almost a dollar an ounce, it’s good, but I’d spend my money elsewhere. I have one of their barrel aged barleywines queued for tomorrow, so we’ll see how that one pans out. Someone bought all the Sajand! I think I know who it was...never should have gifted him one!

 

Loads of subtle unique fresh apple notes, red apple, baked apple, green apple, apple spice, apple brandy, oak barrel, some smokiness, mild meatiness, dark coffee, dark chocolate, vanilla, dark molasses, dark toffee, dark caramel malts

 

 

awesome collaboration, my first beer from these guys, and something of epic quality and depth overall, i loved it, a highlight from a legendary session to be honest, glad to see these beers getting out there more and more, i will surely be experimenting with as many as i can find after this one, wow! 10 different apples in this thing, with 10 different treatments, and then aged in apple brandy barrels. its unrivaled in its complexity and nuance, it floored me. the apple, for how diverse and distinct it is in here, isnt overpowering, its well integrated, with characteristics of both being cooked like in a pie (minus this spice), and raw like crisp and even a little tart like green apple skins, crisp like that. its cool that its a stout, but i think i want it in a saison too. i like the rich chocolate and coffee and tobacco character with the fruit, but i also think a little brett and fluffy earthy wheat would be a cool base for the apples. i get cider in here, some sweetness, especially with a molasses element to the grain, and i get the apple brandy big time, especially in the finish. huge frothy body, dry and sweet at the same time, real dense like a batter, but so smooth too, and surprisingly bubbly and not all that boozy for what it is. a mark of quality to me, rich in a special way. the flavors here are insane, more dynamic as it warms too, oak and coffee and real red apple. astoundingly interesting. not a beer i will soon forget. inspiring really. amazing.