Cordially Yours
Southern Grist Brewing Co.

 

 

Thanks Buck89 for this
500 ml bottle poured into a tulip

A- A murky brown with a small tan head.

S- Cinnamon, orange peels, toffee, molasses, some cherries, touch of chocolate.

T- Orange peels, cherries, toffee, some molasses, cinnamon, some chocolate. Flavors seem to clash.

M- Smooth, medium to full body.

O- Hits the flavors they advertised but they clash too much. The fruits are more sublet in the nose and I feel I would like it more if it was balanced more like the nose.

Sickeningly sweet and almost like drinking cheap sherry or port. The best part is the cherry element and the familiar Rhinegeist cranberry (Bubbles), but past that it’s pretty messy. Surprisingly little going on on the nose beside a fruity, medicinal sweetness, which unfortunately bleeds over into the taste. Sugared berry pie filling is kind of the primary takeaway on the tongue. There is a nice hit of dark chocolate on the very end of the sip that at least gives it a non-fruit note. Feel is velvety and a little sticky.

I have no idea how to grade this against English Old Ales, as it's barely a beer. There's little to no hop or malt character, just fruit and adjuncts. I will say, I’m not sure I've ever experienced a 12.9% beer with zero heat or booze. It honestly sips like a 6% beer. This one could be dangerous if you can get through it. For me, it was barely drinkable.

 

Modeling their collaboration beer after post-dinner cocktails, conversation and depth of taste, you can assuredly say that the relationship between Rhinegeist and Southern Grist brewers is much more than just cordial. But making over the dinner party cordial mixed drinks lead the brewers to a bourbon barrel aged, spiced British-styled Barleywine that will rival any other after dinner digestive.

Pouring a glaring garnet hue and captured in a faint haze, Cordially Yours builds a scant swirling creme that shares secrets of sherry, cocoa, citrus, spice, pitted fruit and whisky soaked oak before falling quickly still. Its malty upstart greets the palate with a spicy sweetness of toffee, brown sugar, sorghum and an overall toasted nutty sweetness.


But the dry sherry-like effects take hold as the spices of the beer begin to offset the relaxing sweetness to pull the entire taste within balance once the beer hits the middle palate. Its fruitiness emerges with orange and cherry with underling hints of date, fig and red grape. Spicy with an understated blend of cinnamon, cocoa, vinous spice and toasted oak tannins eventually side with bourbon spice for a late palate of both sweet and heat.

Full bodied but off-cloying, the digestive of a drink breaks up the monotony of malt with whisky spice, vinous tartness and a light woodsy bitterness to close out the session. A long linger of malty dryness, spice tannins and coconut extend with echoes of curacao liquor and sherry once more.

Absolutely no head to this ale. Appearance is muddy and tan/black. The smell is ripe semi sweet cherries, and cocoa nibs with a dash of orange, and a hint of raisin. First several drinks are smooth with a somewhat sweet sweet cherry that gets cut through immediately with the acidic orange zest. On the back end it’s cocoa nibs, vanilla and a hint of cinnamon. The overall aftertaste is heavily coated that lingers for several moments. I’m glad I picked up more than one of these for aging.

Southern Grist is that wildcard company that makes a lot of eclectic beers, some good, some not so great, but when they get one right, they hit a grand slam. This one is definitely one of those.