Deception
DuClaw Brewing Co.

Deception was released in July 2004 as part of DuClaw's annual Christmas in July. It is probably more properly classified as a quad.

Appearance: Amber in color, very clear with little head and no particles/yeast visible.

Smell: There is clearly a great deal of malt in this brew and that is evident in the aroma. As with most beers of this strength, there is a syrupy smell, resulting from sugars added during fermentation.

Taste: A malt explosion. The alcohol is quite evident in the taste. There is little hop taste to match the malts, resulting in a very malt-dominated ale.

Mouthfeel: The ale is pleasant on the mouth. The malt does not overwhelm the palate. The alcohol is a bit on the high side, but it does not overpower the beer.

Drinkability: I could easily consume several snifters of this (provided that hangovers could be alleviated). Brews like this are the best reason to follow DuClaw.

A rare beer that actually lived up to the monstorous hype that surrounded it...

Had this one at the Christmas in July at Bowie DuClaw. Was fortunate to have a couple glasses of the stuff - rumours are that it was gone so fast at other locations that folks only got one glass.

Brew was a wonderful orange/amber color. It absolutely glowed. Smell was again superb. Orange, candied sugars and a hint of molassas were noteable. Flavors were in perfect harmoney.

Taste was fairly sweet, especially for a quad. The alcohol was hardly noticeable in the beer - quite a feat for the ABV. The aforementioned sugar notes domminated the flavor. Could have used a bit more well-balanced hops.

Mouthfeel was fantastic. The beer exploded with flavor. Remarkably easy to drink. The rarity and high ABV demanded that one sip this brew, but the flavor and accessibility made me want to slam them down.

Hopefully this will be brewed again next year.

Served in a snifter @ DuClaw Arundel Mills for the Christmas in July celebration. 7/29/04

Appearance: Amber/caramel/orange in colour with just a hint of whispy white lacing.

Smell: A huge nose of fruit and spice. Apricot, plum, peach.

Taste: Sweet malt, orange rind, candied apicot, clove. Finishes sweet and a touch hot.

Mouthfeel: Rich and viscous and a little cloying.

Drinkability: Sipping only. This didn't come together quite the way it has in the bottles I've tasted. A little disjointed, yet all in all an impresive brew.

Just sampled on tap, served in a snifter, during the "XMas in July" celebrations in Fells.

There is a lot of soft lighting at this location, which made reviewing the color difficult. Although the previous reviews call it an orange or orange brown, it looked rosy to me last night. Just like a cheap fruity wine. No carbonation was evident. No head or lacing. (The sample tried before the draft had a quick light white head)

Extremely faint smells. Floral and sweet, but almost unable to tell.

The taste was very sweet and fruity. Definitely picked up on peach and plum.

Mouthfeel was syrupy.

Because of the high ABV and sweetness, this is a sipping beer. Definitely not for sessions, but worth one every now and then for the treat.

This brew poured a small head of fine bubbles that that were mostly lasting and left little lacing with a cloudy light orange brown colored body. It had a mild alcohol aroma and a strong alcohol flavor. This brew is available only at special events put on by the brewery.