Empire (Barrel-Aged Lost Gold IPA)
Real Ale Brewing Company
- From:
- Real Ale Brewing Company
- Texas, United States
- Style:
- American IPA
- ABV:
- 6.6%
- Score:
- 90
- Avg:
- 4.04 | pDev: 11.88%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 9
- Status:
- Retired
- Rated:
- May 07, 2018
- Added:
- Jul 20, 2010
- Wants:
- 2
- Gots:
- 6
SCORE
90
Outstanding
90
Outstanding
No description / notes.
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Reviewed by Jugs_McGhee from Texas
2.53/5 rDev -37.4%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 2.5
2.53/5 rDev -37.4%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 2.5
Real Ale "Mysterium Verum Empire." Reviewed from notes taken @ Whip-In in Austin, TX in 2014:
$10 for a half pint pour. Ouch.
Bourbon Barrel Aged Lost Gold IPA.
HEAD: White head of a half finger's width. Retention is about 1.5 minutes. Okay creaminess/thickness to its consistency. No lacing.
BODY: Murky dirty-looking nontransparent translucent orange. Appears unfiltered and undercarbonated. Not a vibrant brew.
It's not looking very good at all.
AROMA: Bursts of rind and fruity zest. Dirty tangerine citrus, stale orange juice, boozy pineapple. Blech.
Pale malt sweetness. Gushed oak wood. I don't pick up on any bourbon character whatsoever. Really really grassy. Earthy as well; almost farmhouse-redolent.
A pretty poor aroma for an IPA (bourbon barrel aged or not). It's unappealing, but luckily the aroma is merely average in terms of intensity. Alcohol warmth is evident. Really an off-putting aroma for a beer of any style.
TASTE: Tripel-like heavy malt base. Pale malt sweetness. Farmhouse-redolent grassiness and strange herbal flavour. That grassiness is out of control, dominating the brew and evoking actual grass (not just mildly grassy hop varietals).
There's some vague white oak wood notes, but no bourbon character at all (not that it'd be welcome in this mess of a build anyway). Generic floral hop character.
Not good for an IPA.
Average depth, duration, and intensity of flavour. Surprisingly simple given it's a Mysterium Verum series brew; they're usually reliable. Imbalanced.
I'm not liking it.
TEXTURE: Smooth and wet, with some subtle coarseness in the second act that disappears by the finish. Overcarbonated.
Doesn't stand out as a great mouthfeel, nor does it suit the flavour profile particularly well. But it's not oily, gushed, or astringent.
OVERALL: Drinkable but underwhelming (especially given the price). I wouldn't bother with this again. Far from a great beer. The bourbon barrel notes are really lacking, and the base beer wasn't so great to begin with. Awfully priced (not that that affects my rating).
I don't think I understand the trend of bourbon barrel aged IPAs.
Low C- (2.53) / BELOW AVERAGE
Aug 12, 2016$10 for a half pint pour. Ouch.
Bourbon Barrel Aged Lost Gold IPA.
HEAD: White head of a half finger's width. Retention is about 1.5 minutes. Okay creaminess/thickness to its consistency. No lacing.
BODY: Murky dirty-looking nontransparent translucent orange. Appears unfiltered and undercarbonated. Not a vibrant brew.
It's not looking very good at all.
AROMA: Bursts of rind and fruity zest. Dirty tangerine citrus, stale orange juice, boozy pineapple. Blech.
Pale malt sweetness. Gushed oak wood. I don't pick up on any bourbon character whatsoever. Really really grassy. Earthy as well; almost farmhouse-redolent.
A pretty poor aroma for an IPA (bourbon barrel aged or not). It's unappealing, but luckily the aroma is merely average in terms of intensity. Alcohol warmth is evident. Really an off-putting aroma for a beer of any style.
TASTE: Tripel-like heavy malt base. Pale malt sweetness. Farmhouse-redolent grassiness and strange herbal flavour. That grassiness is out of control, dominating the brew and evoking actual grass (not just mildly grassy hop varietals).
There's some vague white oak wood notes, but no bourbon character at all (not that it'd be welcome in this mess of a build anyway). Generic floral hop character.
Not good for an IPA.
Average depth, duration, and intensity of flavour. Surprisingly simple given it's a Mysterium Verum series brew; they're usually reliable. Imbalanced.
I'm not liking it.
TEXTURE: Smooth and wet, with some subtle coarseness in the second act that disappears by the finish. Overcarbonated.
Doesn't stand out as a great mouthfeel, nor does it suit the flavour profile particularly well. But it's not oily, gushed, or astringent.
OVERALL: Drinkable but underwhelming (especially given the price). I wouldn't bother with this again. Far from a great beer. The bourbon barrel notes are really lacking, and the base beer wasn't so great to begin with. Awfully priced (not that that affects my rating).
I don't think I understand the trend of bourbon barrel aged IPAs.
Low C- (2.53) / BELOW AVERAGE
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