Dexter Gordon Old School Strong Ale
City Steam Brewery Café

 

Notes from 4/5/12
Served in a small snifter with a thin cap of a white head. Translucent black body with deep mahagoney color around the edges. Some lacing remains and just about no head.

Smells very mild. Some Carmel and roasted malts. I need a bigger glass to explor this more. No off putting alcohol is present.

Initial taste is a sugary sweet malt. Some roast and Carmel mix in with some bready malt character. No alcohol taste, just a touch of warmth as it warms up.

Medium full bodied. Low carbonation. Clean suble bitterness on the finish.

This is a very well crafted BW. Very drinkable and pleasant. Well balanced and the alcohol is well masked. I get this again.
$5.50 a small snifter 10oz or so

Served in a 10-oz brandy snifter at City Steam brewpub in Hartford, Conn.

A: Thick, dark and nearly black in color with faint ruby highlights that shone through when held to the light. The two-finger head of creamy, white foam clung with some sticky lacing.

S: Roasted malts, sweet, figgy plum and an herbal, earthy aroma. Faint, but still present, scent of cocoa and tangy coffee.

T: Robust, flavorful and fruity, this brew sips much lighter than its ABV would have you believe. Light cherry and dried raisin notes play off of earthy, lightly toasted specialty malts with a hint of sweet, tart acidity thrown in before a lightly bitter finish settles on the palate.

M: Medium-full bodied with a surprisingly creamy and balanced mouthfeel. Some tart and tangy notes reach out from the otherwise malt-forward palate.

O: A nice apertif as well as a bracer for buffalo chicken nachos, which is how I enjoyed this brew. The near 9% ABV hardly makes itself known until long after each sip, where a warming effect takes hold. A really nice beer I wouldn't mind having on a late autumn day either.

Draught: Served in a brandy snifter. The color appeared to be an opaque brown, but the light was a bit subdued in the bar. There was almost no hear at all. The aroma had hints of dark fruits and chocolate. It has a rich and silky taste, with some roastiness to go with the fruits and chocolate. Warming. It is very good!

Coke colored. Honest light brown head. Pretty good malty aroma for this pub. Solid toffee flavour. It doesn’t smell very thick though.. Mostly caramel/toffee and an unnecessary lactic touch. Fairly mild for what it lets think it is. Mouthfeel is a bit stale with little to no carbonation.

Served in a brandy snifter a bit cooler than room temperature. Deep chestnut color with a short, light brown head that recedes quickly. Nose of molasses and brown sugar, roasty malts, some coffee and raisin. Flavor fairly matches, with the addition of some cocoa and plum. Just a slight tendency toward sweetness, and a flourish of alcohol in the finish. Light carbonation leaving the mouthfeel a bit thin. Very complex, very tasty, a good sipping drink. I need a cigar.