Reflection Chamber (2022)
Alma Mader Brewing
- From:
- Alma Mader Brewing
- Missouri, United States
- Style:
- American Strong Ale
- ABV:
- 15.5%
- Score:
- +7 ratings needed
- Avg:
- 4.43 | pDev: 2.93%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 3
- Status:
- Retired
- Rated:
- Nov 13, 2025
- Added:
- Jun 30, 2022
- Wants:
- 0
- Gots:
- 0
NO SCORE
-
-
As we begin our barrel program, we plan on using Reflection Chamber for blending some of our best barrels. This series gives us the opportunity to put together exciting blends and flavor combinations across style categories. The 2022 blend of Reflection Chamber consists of a barleywine and an imperial stout aged in Willett and Heaven Hill barrels for 20-25 months. This year’s conceptualization was to go for a flavor combination similar to fruit and chocolate, but with the notes all being derived from the base beer and barrel. It is reminiscent of chocolate covered cherries and blackberry ganache. We went a little softer on the carbonation to push forward a sweet plum character that feels incredibly port-like. We are also in love with the oxidative (in a good way!) impacts of both barrels and we pick up new aromas each time we bring the glass back to our nose. While we're really enjoying this beer right now, we also expect that this beer will age beautifully in bottle.
Tasting notes: cherry-chocolate, blackberry ganache, port, plum
Tasting notes: cherry-chocolate, blackberry ganache, port, plum
Recent ratings and reviews.
Reviewed by REVZEB from Illinois
4.32/5 rDev -2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
4.32/5 rDev -2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Cellared 3 years. Blackish brown opaque body, brown ring. Big leather, bourbon barrel with dark rustic accents, barley, cocoa, earth, fig, and burnt caramel nose. Taste is simpler: big barrel and earthy tones, cocoa, and leather. Feel is warm yet lighter, sneaky thick but insanely smooth
Nov 13, 2025
Reviewed by jrc1093 from Connecticut
4.36/5 rDev -1.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
4.36/5 rDev -1.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
2022 vintage; consumed on 3/29/2023
Pours a jet-mahogany body capped with just over a finger of frothy, sand-brown head, steadily receding to a few spotty islands of cap, a large, creamy collar, and minimal-no lacing holding to the walls of the glass.
Aroma bursts with milk chocolate brownies and dark chocolate fudge upfront, soon revealing undertones of black cherry and baked marshmallow interspersed among hints of stewed plum, raisin, and toasted walnut into the back end as a bourbon peak finishes.
Taste offers dark chocolate phasing to notes of plum, blackberry, and dark cherry esters, while sparks of dry oak barrel on the mid-palate project tones of caramel into bourbon on the back end as charred toffee meets sweet vanilla on the finish.
Mouthfeel shows a body on the lighter end of medium and a delicate, airy prickle of moderate-low carbonation; creamy barrel tannins fade through a slight, oncoming warmth over the mid-palate, with a drying edge easing to a steady roast profile dispersing wispy char prickling the close.
A symbiotic cocktail of amply fruit-forward barleywine and the malted richness of stout, coated in harmonizing barrel tannins entrenching this blend in the sort of amplified excesses welcome at the culmination of style fusion; an exceptionally presented strong ale.
Mar 30, 2023Pours a jet-mahogany body capped with just over a finger of frothy, sand-brown head, steadily receding to a few spotty islands of cap, a large, creamy collar, and minimal-no lacing holding to the walls of the glass.
Aroma bursts with milk chocolate brownies and dark chocolate fudge upfront, soon revealing undertones of black cherry and baked marshmallow interspersed among hints of stewed plum, raisin, and toasted walnut into the back end as a bourbon peak finishes.
Taste offers dark chocolate phasing to notes of plum, blackberry, and dark cherry esters, while sparks of dry oak barrel on the mid-palate project tones of caramel into bourbon on the back end as charred toffee meets sweet vanilla on the finish.
Mouthfeel shows a body on the lighter end of medium and a delicate, airy prickle of moderate-low carbonation; creamy barrel tannins fade through a slight, oncoming warmth over the mid-palate, with a drying edge easing to a steady roast profile dispersing wispy char prickling the close.
A symbiotic cocktail of amply fruit-forward barleywine and the malted richness of stout, coated in harmonizing barrel tannins entrenching this blend in the sort of amplified excesses welcome at the culmination of style fusion; an exceptionally presented strong ale.
Reviewed by Harrison8 from Missouri
4.61/5 rDev +4.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
4.61/5 rDev +4.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
Pours black with a finger of khaki-colored foam. Heavy oily legs clings to the glass at the slightly swirl of the liquid.
Aroma is plum, dark fruits, raisins, fig, toffee, caramel, molasses, and chocolate. Plum and dark fruits swirl together to form a rich and heavy port note. As the beer warms, brownie batter starts to accentuate the chocolate note even more. Barrel, char, and whiskey add a slight swell of heat in the back half of the flavor profile, but balanced out by the initial sugary notes. Balanced on the nose, with extreme depth in every sniff.
Flavor profile pushes the same chorus of notes, hitting plum, dark fruits, raisins, toffee, and molasses. Rich port wine helps open things up with a heavy depth, before shuffling to barrel, char, and whiskey notes. Some resiny, sticky hops create a sticky mid-section following the initial sugary notes. Leather comes thru more towards the finish. The brownie batter note of the aroma is much more of an afterthought, and mild in the flavor profile. As a whole, it leans more into the dark fruits and port notes than stout.
Mouth feel is thick, with a mild creaminess that is nearly mashed out to flat by the heavy weight of the beer and alcohol.
Overall, a sublime sipper. Loads of rich and punchy depth in both aroma and flavor profile. Despite it being just north of 15% ABV, it's smooth, never burning the palate.
Served in a 15.5oz Speigelau tulip from a 500mL bottle. 2022 release. Consumed/reviewed December 31st, 2022. Aged 20-25 months in oak. ABV of 15.5%.
Dec 31, 2022Aroma is plum, dark fruits, raisins, fig, toffee, caramel, molasses, and chocolate. Plum and dark fruits swirl together to form a rich and heavy port note. As the beer warms, brownie batter starts to accentuate the chocolate note even more. Barrel, char, and whiskey add a slight swell of heat in the back half of the flavor profile, but balanced out by the initial sugary notes. Balanced on the nose, with extreme depth in every sniff.
Flavor profile pushes the same chorus of notes, hitting plum, dark fruits, raisins, toffee, and molasses. Rich port wine helps open things up with a heavy depth, before shuffling to barrel, char, and whiskey notes. Some resiny, sticky hops create a sticky mid-section following the initial sugary notes. Leather comes thru more towards the finish. The brownie batter note of the aroma is much more of an afterthought, and mild in the flavor profile. As a whole, it leans more into the dark fruits and port notes than stout.
Mouth feel is thick, with a mild creaminess that is nearly mashed out to flat by the heavy weight of the beer and alcohol.
Overall, a sublime sipper. Loads of rich and punchy depth in both aroma and flavor profile. Despite it being just north of 15% ABV, it's smooth, never burning the palate.
Served in a 15.5oz Speigelau tulip from a 500mL bottle. 2022 release. Consumed/reviewed December 31st, 2022. Aged 20-25 months in oak. ABV of 15.5%.
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