RBA My Strong Hand
Ascension Brewing Company

 

 

750 ml bottle into tulip glass; batch #1, bottled in 9/2016. Bottle #150. Pours hazy deep orange/copper color with a small fairly dense off white head with good retention, that reduces to a thin lace cap that lingers. Light spotty lacing clings on the glass, with a moderate amount of streaming carbonation retaining the cap. Aromas of big caramel, brown sugar, toffee, raisin, plum, cherry, fig, date, apricot, pear, apple, pepper, clove, vanilla, spicy rye whiskey, toasted oak, and brown bread; with light notes of chocolate, coconut, cocoa, and yeast/oak/toasted earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of dark/bready malt, fruity/spicy yeast, and rye whiskey barrel notes; with great strength. Very minimal booziness in the aromas as it warms. Taste of big caramel, brown sugar, toffee, raisin, plum, cherry, fig, date, apricot, pear, apple, pepper, clove, vanilla, spicy rye whiskey, toasted oak, and brown bread; with light notes of chocolate, coconut, cocoa, and yeast/oak/toasted earthiness. Light-moderate peppery yeast and rye whiskey/oak spiciness on the finish. Lingering notes of caramel, brown sugar, toffee, dark fruit, cherry, apricot, apple, pepper, clove, vanilla, spicy rye whiskey, toasted oak, brown bread, light chocolate/coconut, and yeast/oak/toasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Great complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/bready malt, fruity/spicy yeast, and rye whiskey barrel flavors; with a great malt and yeast/rye whiskey spiciness balance; with zero cloying/astringent flavors after the finish. Light-moderate dryness from yeast/oak spiciness, increasing through the glass. Medium carbonation and medium-plus body; with a very smooth, moderately bready/grainy/tannic, and slightly slick/sticky/chalky balanced mouthfeel that is great. Alcohol is extremely well hidden; a very mild warmth with zero barrel booziness lingering after the finish. Overall this is an awesome barrel aged Belgian strong dark ale! All around great complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/bready malt, fruity/spicy yeast, and rye whiskey barrel flavors; very smooth and dangerously easy to sip on for the huge ABV. Pretty much perfectly balanced between all flavors. Very well attenuated; never overly sweet/heavy feeling for the ABV. Great barrel presence without being boozy. Not as dark or malty as I expected, but a spot on style example regardless. A really delicious offering.