100 Barrel Series #67 - MacGuffin
Harpoon Brewery & Beer Hall

 

16oz can poured into a snifter
Canned Nov 2018

A- pours deep brown in color with a ruby hue, thin foamy khaki head has short retention

S- boozy and malty aroma with notes of caramel, toffee, raisins, honey, herbal tea, brown sugar

T- malty and boozy flavors follow the nose up front, with notes of caramel, toffee, brown sugar & molasses. Mid-palate brings notes of black tea and light herbal note, the finish brings out the thyme, which is an odd combination, boozy linger

M- medium body with moderate carbonation leads to a foamy mouthfeel and a warming finish

O- boozy throughout, not sure about the thyme, although it was definitely noticeable

 

The pour gives a dark ruby red color with good clarity and a thick and lasting white head. A subtle nose of malt and spices. The drinking starts big and booze with lots of malt sweetness upfront. A pretty smooth flow and finish as well. I'm getting a sort of honey/candied fruit sugar quality is throughout consumption. This note is pretty dominate and seems to really drown out everything else. The mouthfeel feels rather full bodied with some slight stick to it. Additional notes of caramel, brown sugar, and mixed spices. I don't really get the scotch/peat notes at all and it really seems to drink more like a simple strong ale.

Overall, I'm not that impressed at all and glad I was able to just buy a single can. The overly sweetness, just made it a bit of a booze mess.

 

Can. Dark amber with ring and island. Herbal alcohol aroma with a little caramel. Very sweet plummy with wicked fucking strong taste of thyme. Gassy internally and very slick almost cloying. Pretty fucking gross.

Can to thistle.
The appearance was a rich semi-dark brown/dark maroon color with a sly transparency about it. Ever so slight bubbles of carbonation rise at a fair pace. Just a wisp of a small foamy eggshell white head slides and leaves some semi-clingy spider webbing lace.
The aroma definitely has a sweet bubblegum maltiness sweeping some honey tones over a keen wafer crisp character and a touch of tea leaf.
The flavor yielded to the sweet honey to bubblegum malts. Tea leaves are somewhat there. Slight herbal spice. Mild honey to bubblegum aftertaste.
The mouthfeel was about medium bodied with a keen sipping character about it. Low carbonation as expected for a true Scotch ale. ABV felt appropriate and high but I wasn't bothered by this as no alcoholic "heat" was noticed.
Overall, for the most part this beer does the trick for having this time of year. One thing to note - I missed the 'thyme' in this.

A: The beer is black when viewed from afar, but when held up to a light the edges are dark red in color. It poured with a finger high off white head that consistently left a thin layer of bubbles covering the surface, a narrow collar around the edge, and some lacing down the sides of the glass.
S: Moderate aromas of tea leaves and dark malts are present in the nose along with notes of thyme.
T: The taste follows the smell and has flavors of tea leaves with notes of toasted malts and brown sugar.
M: It feels a bit more than medium-bodied and quite smooth on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This beer doesn't seem to be as heavy as other beers in the style. With all of the aromas and flavors of tea leaves, it seems to be more like an imperial version of an Irish Red Ale.

Serving type: can

 

An aggressive pour from a 16-oz.can (11/26/18) was needed for a 1/2 finger of tan froth with short retention and spots of lacing. Hazy dark amber with red amber highlights.
A candy sweetness and caramel malt greet the nose with toasted bread and dough in the background with baking spice.
The taste begins semi-sweet with a burnt honey cloying sweetness just below the surface.
The middle is malty rich and smooth with ripe stone fruit and faint smoke and peat.
Bitterness is at its highest during the finish with an astringent alcohol bite, roasted malt and spice, this transitions into a lingering aftertaste.
Just shy of full bodied with average carbonation. Smooth overall, a little rough at the end.
The thyme appears spicy and herbal during the taste and smell, the honey seems to be baked. A dangerously easy sipper.

 

Smells like nail polish remover. Tastes like a mix of water, sugar, alcohol, and acetone. Gets worse when it warms up.

Deep golden brown and clear pour appears ruby brown in the glass, with a tan foam head on top... Brewed with honey and thyme... As you'd want in a Scotch ale/wee heavy , a malt forward presentation with caramel and mildly sweet watery dark fruits, maybe a hint of wood, of shellac, of brown sugar... Nothing particularly fancy here, but a solid example of the style, a bit rustic, earthy, and simple - traditional - with the thyme adding a nice herbal element akin to mint and cherry wood... Medium-weight, a little bit sticky, but smooth and remarkably drinkable with overtones of an English mild/bitter... 11.8% abv tallboy, remarkably affordable at about $4/can here on LI...