Cave-Aged Barrel-Aged No. 6
August Schell Brewing Company

Bottle. Khaki head. Lace. Caramel brown color.

Cocoa, raisins, molasses, dark dried fruits. Light vanilla and whiskey. Oak. Fair char. Pretty smooth. Easy drinking.

 

Pours a dark cola color with a khaki head, Smell has dark fruits ,toffee plum and fig . Taste follows nose with the addition of whiskey notes ,wood and slight smoke with roasted malts in finish. Medium body and full flavored BA Baltic Porter.

Best before 4/12/20

Pours a jet brown body with faded brown accents at the surface and a silky two fingers of beige foam on top; solid retention leaves a dense, lasting frothy collar, spotty, paper-thin cap, and thin splotches of sparse lacing.

Aroma opens with herbal cola seamlessly flowing into charred crème brûlée, dusty cocoa, and whiskey-soaked raisin; the depth of barrel and malt continues to advance across the middle, with the deftest touches of cherry and milk chocolate easing to soft smoke and toffee on the close of the bouquet.

Taste brings the prominence of oak and sweetness with whiskey and vanilla beans at the front end of the profile, as candied raisin contributes an effortlessly integrated fruity tone; sweet smoked caramel and toffee on the finish; creamy vanilla lingers past the swallow.

Mouthfeel is lighter-bodied and a touch watery, though spotted by an intermittent moderate carbonation almost chalky in texture; drying along the mid-palate and steadily thinning, a minor alcohol presence shows into an otherwise smooth finish.

A lighter-feeling Baltic porter taking full advantage of its barrel-aging for some exhaustive depth to the aroma and flavor profile, this remaining vibrant and expressive despite it steadily weakening on the palate; drinks like a burly dark lager (albeit light) with all the robust character of its whiskey influence.

Tall, thick, root-beer float head with excellent retention leaving rows and loops of lacing. Deep dark color, virtually opaque from the front, but clear dark ruby with a backlight.

Delicious aroma: Dark fruits, figs, hints of tobacco, leather, vanilla, even blueberry.

Taste is equally complex, with all of the flavors from the aroma, especially the blueberry and tobacco. The oak is prominent as well. A great beer for sipping by the fire, enjoying it like a great cigar. Only slightly bitter toward the end (which is likely from the oak, not the hops), with a dry finish. The aftertaste is the oak / tannin, blueberries, and tobacco.

This is one flavorful, delicious beer.

Body is moderate to substantial.

Overall, a wonderfully complex beer.

Schell's cave-aged lagers evoke the days before refrigeration. Sorry if I sound like a commercial, but if you are in Schell's distribution footprint, I strongly recommend you pick this up while it is still available.

 

 

12 oz bottle acquired from 6 pack this year.
Ommegang snifter.

Deep inky black liquid pours into the vessel forming a beige head of 1 finger, gradually receding to a thick fingernail. Slight lace and legs left behind.

Aroma is full of spiced figs, vanilla, blackberry, jammy dark blueberry, tobacco, and oak.

Flavor brings elements of tobacco, charcoal, blackberry jam, minty and/or herbal hops, citrus, cigar papers, caramel, and fig bar. Slight metallic element throughout as well.

Feel is good for what it is, a Baltic Porter, and retains a nice slickness and medium to heavy body. The alcohol heat is remarkably low for its listed ABV. Nice oaky tannin on the finish with slight dryness and very slight roast.

Overall, not my favorite cave aged batch of all time (that would be #3), but this is definitely no slouch, and for the price it's a no-brainer. Get some while you can, it's only around for a couple months usually.