Red Brick 15th Anniversary
Atlanta Brewing Company

 

"It's a full bodied brown ale that was aged in bourbon barrel. It earned the Gold Medal in the 2008 World Beer Cup. (Not that I'm comparing them to you…) it's high gravity, so be careful: I want this to be a memorable experience for us." Brewed in the style of an American Brown Ale aged in Bourbon Barrels. Released in 22 oz. bottles and on limited draft.

Poured from a 22 oz. bottles to a Red Brick snifter. Served above 60º Fahrenheit.

(Appearance) This ale pours a fizzy frothed head of a tan white color over a copper brown body with high clarity and very low visible carbonation. Retention is below average and there is no visible lacing. 2.75

(Smell) Very funky and sour up front with notes of red grape wine, stone fruit and faint caramel against a fairly clean and light malt base. Potency is moderate. 3.5

(Taste) The flavor continues on these aromas although the malt profile comes through with a bit more flavor, biscuity, clean and smooth with vinous undertones. Any bourbon influence is as pale as the beer itself. Although I highly doubt this was the intended flavor for this beer to have, I'm pleasantly surprised at how well it comes together. 4

(Mouthfeel) The texture is slick, lightly chewy and moderately acidic. Carbonation generates a mellow frothiness for a light, slightly creamy mouthfeel. The body is medium for the style, medium overall. Balance is slightly acidic over sweet. Alcohol presence is modest. Unless some sourness isn't your preference, off characters are very mild in this beer with minimal oxidation and yeast side-effects. 3.75

(Overall) Considering it took Red Brick several years to get their own age universally understood, it's hard to date this bottle aside from the origin of the relatively few reviews it has earned over the years. Regardless, 15th anniversary ale shows promise and potential, and has aged surprisingly well over the years, even if it is hardly a shadow of what it once was, I found it enjoyable in its present form. You may not see this bottle in even the slowest moving stores anymore, but one can appreciate the work that Red Brick has always invested into their Brick Mason and reserve series amongst the finest works they have produced. This is one of the last beers brewed prior to the brewery's sale to current ownership and subsequent rebranding, recipe and seasonal changes and the launch of the fairly successful Brick Mason side project series, but this beer reminds me of the legacy that this historical brewery carried with it in its early years. Even in anonymity, quality and dedication to the art of brewing is more respectable than success and fame. And (at least) 5 years past it's release, 15th Anniversary Ale is still quite the tasty beer. 3.75

Red Brick Brewing Company's
Red Brick 15 Anniversary Ale Aged In Bourbon Barrels
3.56/5.00

From a large bottle into a small snifter in October 2013.
Pours with a clear reddish-brown body with a rather weak head and little lacing.
Tart with aged cherries and other fruits. Limited bourbon aroma and flavor.
O: Enjoyed but not as stellar as I hoped.

 

 

 

Pours a clear amber color. Little beige tan head.

Aroma: Fairly decent nose. Bourbon and oak with vanilla, caramel, and chocolate. Not as much flavor as a stout would be.

Taste: Something was off putting here. It didn't match up to the nose. Maybe it was overpowering bourbon, being the base beer was so low in abv? It really didn't taste good.

Mouthfeel: Bubbly and creamy. Lighter bodied with a fine amount of carbonation.

Overall, not really enjoyable. They should have used the barrels for a bigger base beer. I didn't drink a lot of this.

 

 

A: Pours a clear copper/mahogany color with one finger of off-white head. The head quickly recedes into a thin ring with no lacing.

S: Caramel, vanilla, oak, and bourbon dominate the nose. Not very complex aromas, but pleasant nonetheless.

T: Very similar to the aroma, there are flavors of caramel, vanilla, oak, and bourbon but not much else. There is a very slight roasted nutty flavor towards the end and the finish has a light alcohol burn. Like a cream soda with a splash of bourbon.

M: Medium body with low carbonation, this beer is a bit watery with the consistency of a soda.

O: Not a bad beer, but the barrel flavors dominate leaving me wondering just what kind of beer went into the barrel since its original flavors are completely absent.

Thanks to Jason for sharing this one. Apparently this is aged in Pappy Van Winkle barrrels? Served in a Cigar City snifter.

A - A half-finger of white foam settles to a thin collar and a few cloud-like wisps, leaving behind spotty lace on the sides of the glass. Transparent reddish-brown body.

S - Red licorice, light cocoa, bourbon, vanilla, and some grain character as well. Not bad for a bourbon brown ale.

T - Tastes like I left my ice cubes in my bourbon for too long and they melted, leaving me with watered down bourbon. Plenty of vanilla flavor as well, and the faintest hint of the base beer in the periphery.

M - Zesty carbonation, medium body, sticky finish.

D - This won a gold medal? Seems like a waste of Pappy barrels to me. Not a bad beer, just not very interesting.

Thanks to boatshoes for this one.

A- Hazy, dirtied ruby in coloration with a small, off white head. It leaves a few initial rings of lace until it dissipates.

S- To me, the smell is the best part of this beer. Plenty of the typical bourbon oak characteristics that never seem to get old. Vanilla is strong, raisins, figs, brown sugar, toffee and caramel. Some vinous notes of cherry and other dark berries begin to peak out.

T- After reading some previous reviews, it seems that this beer has past its prime some time in the last few months. Its taken on a tart, nearly sour, red wine character. This tartness is blanketed over the smooth, silky bourbon notes. Its quite a shame because the vanilla, oak and bourbon seems to be pretty good.

M- Thinner than I expected with a medium level of carbonation.

D- Shucks, I would have really liked to have gotten this beer 4 months ago or so.

22-ounce brown bottle, wrapped in gold foil, poured into a snifter glass. No date printed on bottle or label, though the brewery's anniversary year indicates this one came out of 2008, putting this bottle somewhere around two years old.

Deep amber in color, mostly clear, with a one-fingered head of frothy off-white foam that fades away quickly, leaving behind some light splotchy remnants on the walls of the glass as it drains.

Aroma is somewhat vinous, with a mild scent of oak and vanilla alongside a twinge of sourness.

Medium-bodied and moderately carbonated, the mouthfeel doesn't scream "high-gravity," and that isn't necessarily a bad thing. Flavors mimic the aroma greatly, opening with a bit of smoky caramel, moving into a light earthy character that gives way quickly to a vinous, somewhat sour note mingling with vanilla and oak, very characteristic of bourbon barrel aging. Moves into a rather sweet, caramely finish, with a lingering sour, dry, white wine-like character.

I'm not quite sure whether the sour character is imparted by the barrel aging or actual age, or both, but overall the beer just doesn't seem suited for aging in a bourbon barrel. Everything is interesting, and the usual bourbon barrel flavors play rather well, but something just doesn't work, be it mouthfeel, sourness, etc., but something is lacking.

Certainly a congratulations is owed to Atlanta Brewing Company for its 15th (now 17th) anniversary, but hopefully something better will come when the brewery turns 20.

A: Pours a very clean amber with a quick cap of dirty white head, fading quickly in some places but leaving nice foamy reservoirs behind.

S: Oak, caramel and a faint vinous character dominate. Also present is wet sugar and a suggestion of raisin and grape peel.

T: Marshmallow, some lofty tartness, vanilla frosting, and what should be dark fruit character but it is overshadowed by the tartness. Not as much caramelization as the nose suggests.

M: Pretty light bodied with a complimentary level of low carbonation.

D: I'm not crazy about this tangy taste that I'm picking up which lowers the score a bit.

One of those beers I've really been enjoying for awhile and haven't yet had a chance to review until now.

A: Dark shade of amber with a clumpy white head that's reminiscent of melting snow piles. Good retention.

S: Bourbon's the main feature here, especially right after cracking the bottle. Additionally there's heavy caramel malt, brown sugar, and some oak character.

T: Sweet malty caramel and vanilla, with bourbon in more of a complimentary role rather than as dominant as it was in the smell. Finish is lengthy and sweet with a hint of bourbon/alcohol.

M: Light to medium, which fits for a brown, but comes up a little light for a barrel-aged strong ale. A little sticky with medium (well-done) carbonation.

This is definitely a big American Brown Ale and a great sipping/dessert beer. Probably one of my favorites to have come out in the last year. I think the brewers did I nice job using the bourbon barrels in a complimentary fashion while respecting the fact that this started as brown ale.

Tonight (6/6) it's the perfect beverage for watching the Lakers get dropped by the Celtics!

Great surprise in a recent trade, thanks to Geezlynn.

A dark brown, amber with an inch or so of head that fades, leaves a thin layer. decent lacing

S sweet malts, with some caramel and vanilla, slight bourbon smell

T good brown ale, the bourbon definitely comes through with some sweet malty tastes as well, nicely balanced

M/D very smooth drinking beer, good carbonation, alcohol, aside from the bourbon taste/smell, is not very noticeable. Changes considerable as it warms. I actually prefer this a bit chilled, when it is room temp the bourbon is a bit too strong.
very drinkable, excellent job on this beer.

On-tap at the brewery - I was interested to see how it stacked up with the bottle version.

Pours a somewhat hazy brown color with a half-finger light tan head. The head recedes into a patchy layer on top leaving decent lacing.

Smells of huge vanilla and toffee with good amounts of dark toasted malts lurking in the background.

Tastes very similar to how it smells. Grainy and slightly nutty toasted malt flavors kick things off before being quickly overtaken by vanilla and light bourbon flavors. Hints of toffee make an appearance before giving way to a boozy ending.

Mouthfeel is good. It's got a smooth thickness with soft carbonation.

Drinkability is very good. I finished my glass quickly and could easily have another.

Overall I was a bigger fan of the bottle of this for some reason - I feel as though the brown ale flavors still held their own a bit more. Still, this is a very good beer that's worth a shot in whatever form.

22oz bottle

A- Pours a dark brown color with an off-white head.

S- The aroma is sweet malt, caramel, and a lot of vanilla/wood notes from the bourbon barrel aging.

T- The taste like the aroma is sweet caramel malts, toffee and some bourbon notes from the barrel aging.

M- The mouthfeel is between light and medium bodied with a good amount of carbonation. 

D- Overall, this is a pretty solid beer that I enjoyed. Definitely worth a try. Happy 15th Atlanta Brewing.

appearance: deep dark brown, almost stoutish

smell: malty aroma with suble bourbon, vanilla

taste: low bitterness, nice brown ale with good bourbon. not over done as many are. nice..

mouthfeel: medium bodied brown ale

drinkability: solid well done bourbon aged brown ale. woudl buy again if available

Sampled: 04/02/2010
Sample Type: 22oz. Bottle
Vintage: 2009
Glassware: Portsmouth Tulip as usual

Poured out a dark amber color w/ a 1/2 finger cream head as expected. Light lacing left on the glass. Nose was of vanilla, oak, and light bourbon and maple. Taste was of malt, oak, and a hint of vanilla and bourbon. Not that complex, but I thoroughly enjoyed it for what it is, a bourbon aged American Brown Ale. Mouthfeel was thin and crisp, but the mild flavors did hang on the palate. To be honest, I could session this beer all night! Nothing spectacular, but just solid, light, and enjoyable.

Overall, this makes an awesome session beer! Refreshing and clean w/ no alcohol bite present, but will sneak up on you gradually. Will be acquiring more bottles of this.