Cuvee De Craig (Elijah Cuvee)
Brooklyn Brewery

April 2012. 750 ml corked "ghost bottle", at an exclusive tasting with Garrett Oliver. Deep golden colour, moderate white head. Wonderful vinous and complex aroma, spicy, notes of tobacco. Excellent complex flavour, spicy notes. I hope this beer will be made widely available.

 

 

 

 

Served from bottle into a Raleigh Rare & Vintage Beer Tasting snifter. Poured a dark red-orange brown with a minimal off-white head. Maintained nice lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, roasted malt, cherry, fruit, wood, and earth. The flavor was of sweet malt, roasted malt, earth, wood, vanilla, and subtle spice. It had a light feel on the palate with high carbonation. Overall this was a fairly good brew. There was truly quite a bit going on in this one which was definitely most appreciated. The notes of fruit on the nose seemed a little out of place, but at the same time well incorporated based on the rest of the things going on in this brew. The flavor was all business for the style with a nice kiss from the barrel treatment. Really wish it would have been a little more complex if I am honest. Granted still a quite good offering from Brooklyn that I'm quite glad showed up to this event.

 

 

 

 

 

Poured at the Black Market dinner with Garrett Oliver. Served with a pulled duck barbeque. Delicious.

Ale aged in Elijah Craig barrels. I had the name of the beer as Elijah Cuvee, but as this is a 'ghost' beer the name is not really important. From my notes, big vanilla and coconut aroma from this beer. Very nice. Flavor includes these as well as chocolate and dark fruit. Soooo smooth and very delicious. I don't always like barrel aged beers, but this one really impressed me. Very balanced, as I find most Brooklyn beers. Probably my favorite beer of a very exceptional beer night, too.

 

 

 

 

From notes taken at the BBF. This beer was aged for 7 months in Elijah Craig barrels.

A - Nice deep, rich dark brown nearly black with a tan head that faded to form a nice blanket.

S - Just wasnt all that impressed by this. The dark fruits, bourbon, oak aging...its all there just very very muted for me.

T - Wow...this is a huge 180 from the nose! Big, strong bourbon and barrel flavors. Great smoke qualities as well as roasted malts and nice dark fruits.

M - Surprising carbonation here. Not heavy or thick, quite crisp. There is a fair amount of alcohol heat though.

O - Overall, this was a very enjoyable beer. Would love to have a bottle of this to age it, see if the alcohol heat fades out. I with the nose had been stronger, but the great flavour profile more than made up for it.

From 09/09/11 notes. Got to try this at Night of the Funk up in Boston, MA. Poured from 750ml bottles.

a - Pours a very dark brown color, almsot black, with one inch of tan head and light carbonation evident.

s - Smells of dark fruits, bourbon, light smoke, wood, and fruity malts. Lots of dark fruits and bourbon.

t - Tastes of bourbon, dark fruits, spice, light smokey malts, alcohol, and roasted malts. More smoke than the nose.

m - Medium body and moderate carbonation, which a touch of heat.

o - Overall a pretty good beer and what I thought was a big improvement from the Cuvee Noire. This had a lot less smoke than the base beer, and more bourbon (obivously), which I enjoy a lot. Would like to try it again.