Cave Aged Barrel Aged No. 7
August Schell Brewing Company

 

Pours dark black with a small tan head. Both the aroma and taste have caramel, oak, vanilla, chocolate, and dark malt. Medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Another nicely made lager from Schell's.

Purchased 6-pack in Rochester, MN. Drank from 12oz long neck bottle at 48 degrees F. The nose is raisins, chocolate, and a hint of vanilla on top with nice leather. Appearance is thoroughly black and opaque. Flavor....hmmmmm.....good brandy! Ok. You can definitely taste the bourbon barrel and I love that. Malty...winey....Definitely there, but not too thick or heavy on the tummy or the palate.

Dark brown color with a finger of tan head. Aroma of Munich malts with subtle notes of bourbon and vanilla. Remarkably balanced flavor. Equal parts malt flavor and barrel influence. Notes of dark bread, coffee, vanilla, and bourbon. Medium body and appropriately carbonated. Not a big beer and easy to drink.

12 oz bottle from Tony.
Into pilsner glass.

Chocolatey dark brown color with slight scarlet highlights at the very bottom. Head is a wispy ring with spotty lacing as it's swirled.

Aroma is of chocolate and smoke, with slight coffee and fruity German yeast.

Flavor is dark wheat, smoke, slight pipe tobacco, floral and fungus hops, slight yeast twang, and more wheat. It's not particularly sweet in any regard, but it tastes like a well-made German beer with some age and extra character.

Feel is slick, carbonated, slightly dry, with a moderate amount of alcohol heat. Lingering dryness on the finish.

Overall, a pretty good effort from Schell's Cave Aged series, though not their best. A bit wheat-y, pretty linear, not sweet enough or complex enough like many of their past releases. It's basically a fungus-y dark wheat lager with a little oak character.

Bottle. Light tan head. Caramel hued brown. Lace.

Warming with whiskey and brandy notes. Caramel, toffee, molasses, oak, and vanilla. A lot of barrel shows. Chocolate and cocoa. Very warming. Fairly smooth. Had to be the strongest vintage of this veer.

Called Schell's, ABV is 8.53, down from other years. Personally I like the 10 to 11 percent ABV, but this beer is OK,

taste: vanilla/oak, caramel, mellow roasted malt, dark fruit/Brandy, a little chocolate. Some alcohol but not boozey strong. Sweet but not too sweet. Rather smooth for a big beer.

I will give it a 4.28/5 overall
Aged in New Riff and Buffalo Trace Bourbon Barrels.

6 pack of 12 oz bottles picked up for $14. pours a dark, almost black color. Thin to medium head that leaves a ring after about a minute. smells faintly of coffee, some vanilla, dark malts. Tastes like 70% dark chocolate, some coffee notes, slight vanilla after taste. Weighty at a healthy 10.89%, but with no boozy kick. Over all, solid sipper, I would get if you see it on your local stores shelf.

12oz bottle. Best by date stamped on bottle neck is '031121'.
Dark brown colored body, with ruby red back lit edge. Pour produces just a thin light tan cap. Leaves an interrupted ring of lacing after each draw.
Aroma expresses lots of vanilla along with caramel. Definitely a mellow dark roasted beer.
Taste has the oak and vanilla (from the aging barrel) cover the chocolate and caramel. Has a sweet taste. Not bitter at all.
Mouth feel is medium, and has some creamy aspect. Okay carbonation.
The barrel aging really has its effect on all expressions of this beer. The August Schell website lists this with a 10.89% ABV, and it does seem a little hot, but no alcohol burn. I will keep trying this seasonal offering, with each year's edition.