Yo (Batch 1220)
El Toro Brewing Co.

Thanks to Josh for opening an '07 side by side with an '08 version...
These are notes from the '07 version, which faired much better than the fresher bottle.
Appears a hazy, dark brown with red highlights, with a small head that slowly fades. A small, off-white head mildly fades into a small, off-white cap of bubbles.
Smell is of roasted nuts, brown sugar, vanilla, black cherries, mellow tartness, and ripe plums.
Taste is of the mentioned aromas with more of the black cherries coming through in the flavors.
Mouthfeel is medium bodied with a tart, wine like fruitiness clinging to the palate.

"Yo Adrian!"

--Rocky Balboa

Midway between candy apple red and blazing bonfire orange. The gemstone-like liquid is utterly pristine until the final three ounces murk things up significantly. Not only does the whipped creamy crown of pale caramel colored foam look good, but it's a wonderful lace creator.

The nose is akin to a weakly aromatic caramel-malted barleywine with well-masked alcohol. No spices are appreciated (and only 'malted barley, hops, water and yeast' are listed), so why is this ale a winter warmer? Because El Toro says it is, that's why.

Caramel-malted barleywine gets it about right. American strong ale works too. The trouble is, yo, Yo just isn't very good. Strong and simple are fine if you're in need of a bodyguard, but it makes for less than interesting beer. Burly it ain't, which might be due to advanced age. Unfortunately, no dates are provided. Given the timing of the first review, Yo is far from over the hill.

The beer can't be old because hop bitterness is at least as prominent as malt sweetness. Possibly even more so. Flavors include watery caramel, oranges soaked in brandy, white tea leaves and grapefruit peel. It might have been better beer right after bottling, but I doubt it. More malt please.

The mouthfeel doesn't get it done. It starts out light-medium (for the ABV, which is listed as 8.4%), then thins precipitously and finishes just shy of watery. Laid back carbonation and a hint of mouthcoating keep the score respectable.

It's a shame that El Toro Brewing tends to get lost in the shuffle of California craft beer, because these guys know their way around a mush tun. Deuce, IPA and Negro Oatmeal Stout are all fantastic. Too bad Yo Winter Brew (Batch 1220) falls far short of their usual high standards. Thanks to tayner for an interesting toss-in.

12oz bottles shared courtesy of Josh. We did 2 vintages.

Poured a medium and cloudy amber color with a smaller sized off white head. Aromas of dark fruits, some nuttines, and caramel. Tastes of dark fruits, cherries, caramel, and nutty. Had a lighter tart and sour finish that I really dug. Tart cherries.

This one was my favorite of the 2 vintages and had a lot more character than the fresher one.

12 oz bottle marked brew 1220 8.4% abv, no freshness dates. received from lothore in the powerball bif, thank you Lothore.

Pours a dark shoe-leather brown and hazy. There is a big foamy, sticky off white head that takes a long time to dissipate after an aggressive pour. it leaves a decent sticky lace behind.

The smell is hops up front. That is quickly followed by alcohol. I think the alcohol managed to kill all smells except for the hops.

The taste. Alcohol. Right up front i feel like i am drinking a bourbon and water. This is a strange beer that i am finding my self at a loss to explain. There is a pithy bitterness finding its way to the back of my palate but not really until after i swallow. There is some vague sweetness and perhaps even a little biscuity sweetness but those are both well masked by the alcohol. I taste every bit of the 8.4% this beer claims to be. It isnt a drain pour, but for me, it is way off balance with way too much alcohol masking every other flavor profile except for slight hop finish.

Even though it appears carbonated, and smells strong, it has very thin mouthfeel to it. It is serioulsy like drinking a watered american barleywine.

Drinkability is low on this one. It does not appear to be bottle conditioned. I am not sure how well it would hold up over time or how it might change over time. If the alcohol would mellow and allow the other flavors to come out it would help this beer tremendously i think.

Stopped at El Toro on the way home last week. Got to try a lot of small samples. I made a seperate entry for this beer because the gravities and abv's change with each batch. I also called this a winter warmer because thats what the brewer calls it, and its got some kind of spices in there.

This years batch is the strongest yet from the sounds of it. It pours a reddish brown color that is somewhat clear. It is unfiltered but not bottle conditioned. There is some beige head that dissipates quickly and leaves a little lacing.

The smell is more of a barleywine with a moderate amount of alcohol coming out. Lots of crystal malts, a good amount of alcohol, and something spicy. I have no idea what it is but I'd be willing to bet that there are in fact spices in this beer. Half winter warmer, half american barleywine. It's nice but it looses some points for all the alcohol bringing down the smell.

The taste is sweet, slightly hoppy, spicy, and dry. There is a definite hop presence in the form of bitterness and dryness. Lots of malt backbone and possibly some more dryness coming from the yeast. I get that in some of my barleywines from using the dry english ale yeast from whitelabs. Spicy aftertaste.

If you like bitterness then you'll like this one but even if you don't, the abv will get to you quickly so you'll enjoy it one way or another.