Apple Brandy Benthic
Half Acre Beer Company

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pitch black pour, plump brown head. Smells of great coconut, caramel, apple brandy, semi sweet, chocolate, fudge, vanilla, and big raisin and plum. The nose is just incredible, the taste is good. Here are the booziness is revealed on the edges, the interior has great sweet and deep caramel and chocolate with the coconut as a natural bonding partner. Feels thick, sticky, very warm, and almost chewy with the smooth sip.

2024 edition poured black with a creamy dark brown head. Apple brandy is prominent on the nose. The AB seems to be washing out the other flavors. Finish is smooth.

2024 Batch! Dark chocolate drizzled apple cinnamon cake, a faint hint of coconut, and a sweet brandy barrel nose on this one! Taste follows exactly with not enough coconut and an apple brandy boozy finish. Pretty good...it needs more coconut on the nose and palate and more nuance from the barrels to be rated any higher IMO.

Appearance - The beer was slick black in appearance with a modest level of bubbles at the top of the glass.

Smell - Sweet apple brandy really came through in the nose.

Taste - Apple cinnamon meets bourbon chocolate cake. There was a decent level of spice. The apple was strongest in front but the boozy chocolate lingered in the finish. No coconut was detected in this one.

Mouthfeel - The body was smooth almost like a milk stout with light carbonation.

Overall -Dangerously drinkable!

16 ounce can into a snifter. Canned 10/14/19, had 10/31/20.

Pours a dark brown, opaque, with a quarter inch foamy head and light, foamy lacing. Aromas of apple brandy, cinnamon, coconut, chocolate, malt, raisins, some vanilla. The flavor also begins with apple brandy, then cinnamon, chocolate, vanilla, coconut, malt. Smooth, a solid, thicker full body, well carbonated.

This is excellent. That’s the most apple- forward apple brandy I‘ve had in a beer, and it’s great. The coconut and cinnamon show well, especially in the flavor. Wish I had a couple more of these. Really enjoyable.

 

 

16oz can, dated 10.14.2019, poured into a Half Acre "occult" snifter glass.

The beer pours a deep jet black color, very thick and viscous with a great khaki head, about two fingers tall with great retention and spotted lacing. The aroma is wonderful, tons of apple brandy leaps from the glass, loads of cinnamon, light chocolate, rich grains, smooth oak, light coconut, brown sugar and some dark fruits. The flavors are excellent, apple brandy and cinnamon jump out almost like apple pie, but there is a great charred oak character that brings out the coconut and brown sugar, smooth chocolate and dark fruits and lingering rich grains. The mouthfeel is good, coating and smooth medium body, creamy texture with an easy finish that is a bit warm and dry.

Verdict: A very good Benthic variant. There is a great apple pie flavor in this beer that brings out all the rich and decadent dessert flavors. There is great balance and ultimately, this is just a delicious beer.