Gratitude - East End Brewing Company

hippityhops85

Pennsylvania

4.15/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On draft at Capones in Norristown, PA. Review from notes.

Poured into a miniature snifter. Pours a burnt umber with minimal eggshell/tan head that quickly dissipated.

The nose is pretty subdued on this brew. I allowed it to warm up and yet still not a whole lot going on. Some caramel, vanilla and bourbon. Smells very sweet.

The taste is really nicely balanced with the toffee and caramels notes dancing around the bourbon flavors. Really enjoyable and not overwhelming.

Mouthfeel is very sticky and thick; just what I'd want out of this beer. Nice.

Overall, I was happy to be able to try this one. It didn't quite live up to the expectations I had built up in my head but still, a very nice beer. Recommended.

Serving type: on-tap

12-01-2011 15:40:47 | More by hippityhops85

oline73

Maryland

3.25/5  rDev -24.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

I had this on-tap at Capone's during the Black Friday event. Poured into a snifter. This was the 2009 vintage.

Appearance: Pours a murky reddish brown with no head.

Smell: Very sweet with some caramel and dark fruit notes. There is a mild unpleasant smell that reminds me of sweat.

Taste: Very sweet with lots of caramel flavor and some dark fruit. There is some warm alcohol, but it is quite smooth. The sweat from the smell doesn't show up at all.

Mouthfeel: The body is quite thick. There is no carbonation and the finish is a bit chalky.

Overall: I was pretty underwhelmed by this one. It is a good beer, but It didn't live up to the hype for me. The smell was a bit weird.

Serving type: on-tap

11-26-2011 16:16:56 | More by oline73

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

3.93/5  rDev -8.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

This poured out as a deep orange color. The head was minimal intact it was just a thin white film on top of the beer. I believe the vintage was 2009 on this. The smell of the beer was sweet, good amount of hops on the nose and some boozy aromas too. The taste of the beer is sweet with some fruity notes and more booze. The mouthfeel was smooth. Overall this beer was really quite nice.

Serving type: on-tap

11-26-2011 06:56:12 | More by Knapp85

Retail1LO

Pennsylvania

4.22/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had on tap in a 9 oz snifter at Capone's Black Friday event. Pours a brilliant ruby bronze color with no head. Nose is rich with vanilla and bourbon notes. The taste is also rife with alcohol, bourbon, vanilla, and grapes. The mouthfeel is thin and smooth. Very alcoholic, but outstanding. I love this stuff.

Serving type: on-tap

11-25-2011 15:41:47 | More by Retail1LO

DrDemento456

Pennsylvania

4.3/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Had this at the Mad Mex meet during happy hour. 12oz pour in a tulip.

A - Looks nice, murky brown with little to no head which was expected for such a high abv offering.

S - Smells of raisins and other dark fruits mostly plum with a bit of caramel body.

T - Taste starts rather sweet with caramel malts and dark fruits, little yeast notes and a nice hop finish. ABV was way drinkable as I drank this with wing happy hour. Could use more carbonation.

M- Medium bodied which was great for such a high ABV. Smooth drinkable barleywine goodness.

D - This is the best barleywine I ever had. High ABV with a ton of flavors, yet little carbonation which was expected and some hop presence in the finish make this one smooth barleywine. Surely I will have this if found at the brewery on tap or local place. Top notch!

side note: they said the carbonation was due to the keg but during the end of the happy hour was shook up to reveal a nice half inch of foam on new fills. Too bad I didn't save this for my last offering since my only complaint was no carbonation (or head)

Serving type: on-tap

02-10-2011 01:36:26 | More by DrDemento456

stakem

Pennsylvania

4.2/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

On tap at Capone's black Friday event on 11/26/10. What a rare treat to have this on tap. Vintage 2009.

Served in a wine glass, it appears a color of ruby highlighted amber that is lightly hazed. A thin Beas of white head sits atop the brew.

The aroma is primarily fruity hops and alcohol with a strong backing of caramelized sugars. Some tangy notes hang inside the nose with a bit of apple character.

The taste is fruity with a toasted grain quality. The abv is evident but masterfully blended for how high the alcohol level is. Some earthy hops linger in the mouth after the fact which is a nice contrast to the fruity sweetness.

This is a full bodied brew with a light amount of carbonation. It is very drinkable. The carbonation is a bit strange in this brew, it doesn't look all that carbonated but it has a little pop to the feel on the tongue. Up until recently I have only enjoyed the 2009 version which is what this review is base off of. I recently got to try a bottle from 2007 (care of ClockworkOrange) and wow is that even better. You should seek this one out.

Serving type: on-tap

12-13-2010 20:00:21 | More by stakem

mfunk9786

Pennsylvania

4.08/5  rDev -5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

From notes (2010 Capone's Black Friday event). Menu stated that this was a 2009 vintage:

A: Nearly no head in the glass. Reddish brown in color, a bit more in the way of ruby highlights than most barleywines I've had.

S: Well-balanced but sort of threatening. Dark fruit was cut with a little bit of aged barleywine musk, like a cologne for an older gentleman who still wants to be respected.

T: Whoa. The drinker is immediately socked in the face with a big fruit and malt character - apricots are particularly noticeable, with other savory fruit flavor kicking me back in my chair. Halfway through my sip I thought I might be let down by this beer as a whole, but the aftertaste comes quickly, and suddenly - a lovely, beautifully light passion fruit with a bit of citrus - starts musty and figgy and finishes light and summery.

M: The mouthfeel is nice, though the glass I had seemed a bit undercarbonated (surely because of age). Points also taken off because even after a year of age, alcohol was still quite present.

D: Definitely a sipper, and I can't imagine wanting another glass of this anytime soon. If there was an actual disappointment in the stellar lineup of beers I sampled on Friday, it was this - but what a glorious disappointment!

Serving type: on-tap

11-28-2010 01:28:49 | More by mfunk9786

jimbomill

New Jersey

4.47/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This was my third beer (I wasn't driving- thanks Sis!) at Capone's Black Friday event.

East End named their Gratitude predictively - after the first taste, I was grateful for the chance.

The appearance was a darker red/brown, akin to most barleywines I like. The nose was well balanced - hinting that a rich offering was on the way.

Taste was eye-openingly delicious, mouthfeel was rich, enveloping the tongue like a bear hug.

As barleywine is one of my favorite styles and this is an excellent representation of the genre, I found it most drinkable.

Serving type: on-tap

11-27-2010 19:54:11 | More by jimbomill

onix1agr

Pennsylvania

3.85/5  rDev -10.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

On Tap for Capone's annual black friday event, which is always a doozy, but the outcome is worth it's weight in gold. Gold, Jerry, Gold!

Gratitude comes to me looking confrused because there is no head up above to protect the lucious liquid in the glass. There is a swirl of foam here and there but nothing that I can call a cap, or even a sparse cap, no lacing obviously. Smell is a bunch of fruit dipped in caramel. Apricots are up front with some plum, fig, and yes some alcohol. This is the 09' vintage by the way. Taste is superb but this loses something off the tap. A big malting causes for a big display of caramel. I did not pick up the werthers quality that I found in the bottle. Sweet caramel sided with apricot, plum, slight apple and cherry, figs, fruits, you know what it is. Yes, the alcohol pokes it's ugly head out but it does not distract from the beer, I think it boosts it's flavor profile some. The feel seems a bit thinner than out of the bottle, it's a big medium feel that is slick and leaves some fruit and alc. on the tounge afterwards. Carb is there but seems tame. All in all, I prefer my gratitude out the bottle, but it's no slouch off the tap as well. I drank my glass with ease. Thanks Matt and Bill for making this happen.

Serving type: on-tap

11-27-2010 14:39:17 | More by onix1agr

koopa

New Jersey

4.3/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

2009 vintage had on tap yesterday at Capone's Black Friday event.

Appearance: Pours somewhere btw burnt orange and caramel with no head.

Smell: All about fruit and caramel here my friends. Strawberries, apricots, and peaches doused in heavenly caramel.

Taste: Same as the nose with a hint of jam on toast. The fruitiness was surprisingly more pungent than I was expecting it to be already on the newest vintage of this fine PA elixir.

Mouthfeel: Not creamy, but definitely smooth and on the heavy side of medium bodied.

Drinkability: The bit of booze this one shows and the small lack of body holds it back but this is a world class barley wine none the less.

Serving type: on-tap

11-27-2010 13:27:05 | More by koopa

oglmcdgl

Pennsylvania

4.33/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A snifter on draft at capones in norristown. Oh boy its black friday again. 09 on draft.

A- comes to me with just the faintest ring around the glass. Hazy burnt orange red in color with a spectacular glow.

S- candied peaches and caramel. Lots of fruits and a touch of strawberries. Honey and a bit of wheat bread.

T- sweet out front with a caramel toffee landslide in your mouth that rolls into a very bright yet deep fruit caracter. There's some earthy hop in the middle that cut the sweetness a bit but never really making a dent. I get a bit of toast at times but mainly this is a sweet brew. Just the smallest glimmer of booze.

M- full bodied but not super chewy. A bit sticky and slippery. Low creamy carb that does just enough to lift it up. Heat builds just a bit as the brew warms.

D- this is a special treat to see this on draft and oh boy did I enjoy it. That being said I do prefer the bottle version of this brew. I will say this its one of the finest bw in the world. At least to me.

Serving type: on-tap

11-26-2010 16:34:23 | More by oglmcdgl

yinzer

Pennsylvania

4.28/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Draft, 01/05/07. Kellys

Looking at the goblet of a very cloudy brew that acted as if it was on a Nitro. Lots of tiny bubbles forming a head that slowly dissipated. It looked like something a kin to when I would rack into the secondary with the yeast still in suspension. I really expected a layer of yeast on the bottom of the glass. Also there was a cask conditioned feel. The head didn’t give up too much aroma. Some yeast and what seemed to be some Belgian esters. No big hop punch

A very young taste. It reminded me of a strange experience that I had with Hop Devil on Cask. Once I got a glass that actually had some crushed malt in it that was thick and luscious that reminded me of straight Wort. Once again the EE Gratitude was yeasty with simple malts followed by a nice bitter possibly Chinook taste. No big late addition hops or nose present.

Mouthfell was very full with a nice malty feel, but not too much complexity.

Very drinkable, I sucked down my generous goblet in about 15 minutes.

I hope that there will be more reviews while this beer is on tap and so young. I’d love to hear what others think. I’m looking forward walking a long side this beer as it matures over the years to come.

appearance: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | mouthfeel: 4.5 | drinkability: 4

2nd review 11/2007 - Just purchased at the Brewery

The beer is now pouring slighly hazy w/a beautifull copper color. The aroma has opened up from what I remember. A bit more hops. The falvors are still sweet but much more in harmony with the hops. Nice American BW taste, the sweetness that makes it a BW and a nice the hop punch finish.

Serving type: on-tap

01-06-2007 01:52:36 | More by yinzer

mdaschaf

Washington

4.43/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Review from notes. 2010 Vintage.

A: Pours a clear brown color with a small tan head on top made up of rather large bubbles. Quickly, the bubbles reduce to a ring on top, minimal lacing.

S: Lots of caramel, toffee, and brown sugar as well as a good amount of fruit - some raisin, fig, and plum.

T: Similar to the aroma, but better. A great mixture of caramel, brown sugar, and toffee, but much smoother and blended together better than the aroma (not that it was bad on the aroma, the flavor was just better). More dark fruit mixed in as well.

M: Medium to full bodied with low to medium carbonation, extremely smooth.

O: One of the best barleywines I have had, rich and complex, but extremely smooth and easy drinking for style and abv. Fantastic.

Serving type: bottle

05-28-2013 21:27:17 | More by mdaschaf

EgadBananas

Louisiana

4.23/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Big thanks to jlflorance for BIF-ing this to me!!!

From what I know, Gratitute wouldn't carbonate in the bottle, twice, so this is a force carbed growler pour. Epic.

Dark hazy orange, light head, Aroma of juicy fruits, caramel, sugar plums, baked molasses,

Taste is sweet and sugary, caramel, butter bread, sweet fruits, plums, dates.

Creamy, slick, and oily. Fully bodied and filling.

Serving type: growler

03-26-2013 00:14:43 | More by EgadBananas

kawilliams81

Illinois

4.43/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

2009 vintage. Poured from a 750 ml paper wrapped bottle into a Pipeworks snifter.

A- pours dark copper with a 1 finger light tan head. Large bubbles and some t.rails of lacing remain on the glass.

S- caramel, brown sugar, maple syrup, big citrus notes.

T- sweet caramel and brown sugar, toffee, lots of citrus with nearly no bitterness.

M- medium body and carbonation. Crazy smooth and drinkable right now.

O- very good American Barleywine. Very sweet and citrusy beer that has a great mouthfeel. I wish I have had this fresh to compare if it has more bitterness and any other differences.

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2013 05:41:12 | More by kawilliams81

thecheapies

Pennsylvania

4.09/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Force-carbonated FLATitude. Aka 2012 Gratitude. From growler to snifter. You don't even want to know what I had to go through to nab this (Ok, you do; but you don't).

Looks very hazy. Burnt orange/amber in color. The head of an inch fell pretty quickly. Looked cream-colored.

Toffee malts, citrus hops (grapefruit), leather, pancake batter, light roast, and a hint of vanilla. The 'lot' that is in the aroma blends together really nicely in the nose. Notes don't particularly isolate themselves right away, but they can be picked apart carefully. No obvious booze, mind you!

Dark caramel, toffee, spicy booze, more leather, grapefruit/orange hops, and light malty roast. Moderate bitterness seems a lot more gruff when paired with the alcohol. Slight brandied flavor that conjures up notes of raisin and dates. Very simply good.

Exceptionally smooth. Force-carbonation doesn't fail, nor does it go over-the top. Well-dispersed gases. The body is amazing. Full and silky. Alcohol turns out to be right where it should be. Excellent sipper.

It's a very well-made barleywine. Long finish and heady strength (but the aroma wouldn't justify that remark). I'm more and more tempted to crack my '07 bottle, every day.

Serving type: growler

02-02-2013 02:58:09 | More by thecheapies

DmanGTR

New York

5/5  rDev +16%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Indigo wax (2010), review from notes taken in 2011.

Poured perfectly clear. Deep maple, almost brown, but beautiful honey hues in the light. Creamy, long lasting head with multiple trails of lace. Very nicely balanced aromas of caramel creme and grapefruit zest... reminds me almost of a creamsicle very briefly, but then turns into english toffee, butterscotch, and a touch of vanilla. The forefront is sweet and fruity, leading to a mid palate burst of molasses, toffee, raisins, and finishing with rum and citrusy hops. Perfect carbonation for this style and flavor profile. Absolutely amazing barleywine.

Serving type: bottle

01-23-2013 03:51:16 | More by DmanGTR

UCLABrewN84

California

4.18/5  rDev -3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

Bottle pour for New Brew Thursday's 3rd Anniversary event held at Beachwood BBQ & Brewing in Long Beach, CA.

2009 vintage - blue wax.

Pours a murky orange with a foamy khaki head that settles to a small cap on top of the beer. Small streaks of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of malt, brown sugar, and citrus zest aromas. Taste is much the same with a citrus zest flavor on the finish. There is a mild amount of hop bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp and medium bodied mouthfeel. Overall, this is a very good beer with some nice barleywine aromas and flavors.

Serving type: bottle

01-22-2013 02:14:11 | More by UCLABrewN84

jeonseh

Indiana

4/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

2010 poured into a GI tulip. Part of the NWI tasting group New Year's Day

A - Chestnut brown with lemon hues. Reminds me of a light syrup in color. A bit hazy and looks thick. There is only a slight white head that lingers on the edges

S - Light bready malt with a slight piney hop presence that still remains. I also get orange and lemon in the nose

T - Bready malt and light brown sugar upfront. There is also dates and figs, orange peel and light lemon. There is a slight bitterness that lingers in the finish

MF - Medium body with light syrupiness. Clean finish with only a light astringent and bitterness that remains on the finish

O - Solid barleywine that definitely leans towards the bready and malty side. Worth trying a bottle if you can get ahold of one.

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2013 20:39:37 | More by jeonseh

dirtylou

Washington

3.9/5  rDev -9.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

2010 vintage; indigo wax, split

appearance: The most gorgeous packaging of any beer I have seen. Served in my lost abbey teku glass - bright orange, rather light beige ring, minimal lace

smell: aroma was mild - rich malt, butterscotch, oak, vanilla

taste: Big malty profile - caramel, bready, toffee, vanilla, dried fruit. A little undercarbonated and puzzling whale-status. A good barleywine, but not really anything beyond that

mouthfeel: Oily, medium body

overall: good

Serving type: bottle

12-17-2012 17:49:19 | More by dirtylou

johnnnniee

New Hampshire

4.05/5  rDev -6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

2009 Vintage
Pours a deep reddish brown with a huge bubbly beige head that persists forever. Upon first pour I and assaulted with aromas of tropical fruits. Upon closer inspection I get lots of toffee, brown sugar, caramel, and dark dried fruits with a hint of alcohol and a faint bit of earthy hop. The flavor is smooth and sweet with just enough ethanol and earthy to provide some balance. Flavors of caramel and brown sugar with a hint of chocolate mixed with cherries, and plums go down quite smooth. Medium to thick body with a moderate level of carbonation and a sweet syrupy bubbly mouthfeel. This is a very nice barleywine, I wish I could try it a bit fresher, but I quite enjoyed this aged version today.

Serving type: bottle

12-03-2012 23:01:57 | More by johnnnniee

thagr81us

South Carolina

3.6/5  rDev -16.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Big thanks goes out to JackTheBear for sharing this one during the One Year Anniversary of My Wreck Tasting! 2010 Vintage! Served from bottle into a Crooked Stave ‘Crooked Line’ tulip. Poured a hazy red-orange with a half finger off-white head that subsided to a minimal amount quickly. There was no lacing evident throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, caramel, caramel hop, and earth. The flavor was of sweet malt, caramel, caramel hop, earth, and wood. It had a light feel on the palate with medium carbonation. Overall this was a pretty decent brew. Nothing with the exception of the aroma really stood out to me on this one. While the aroma wasn’t really complex at all it was still fairly well balanced and inviting. I just wish the flavor would have followed suit much closer. The flavor wasn’t bad by any means, but it definitely wasn’t one of the best from the style that I’ve had. Worth trying if you get the chance, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to do so.

Serving type: bottle

11-21-2012 11:56:22 | More by thagr81us

bonkers

New Jersey

4.23/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

2009 vintage, The bottle was split wit 2 friends, poured into tumbers. The pour was deep red, slight white head. The aroma was sweet, ton of caramel notes, fruity, vanilla. It is very sweet, vanilla, figs, dark fruits, finishes with a pleasant sweetness. Gratitude is thick, light carbonation, I did not notice the alcohol. I really enjoyed it, although it was too sweet for one of my friends. Right now it is drinking like an English Barley wine.

Serving type: bottle

11-12-2012 08:53:02 | More by bonkers

joefuzz

New York

4.95/5  rDev +14.8%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

09 bottle

pours deep ruby red with a 1 finger off white head. smells of figs with some caramel apple. taste starts off very fruity green apples, pear and fig come to mind then ends with a nice sweet presence. mouthfeel is a little on the light side and carbonation is in there but soft. overall this beer blew my mind the first time i had it and this time achieved nothing less. outstanding beer alcohol is so well hidden and flavors all balance amazingly together.

Serving type: bottle

09-19-2012 00:22:42 | More by joefuzz

tewaris

Minnesota

4.25/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

2010 bottle shared by Dave, thanks!

Deep amber, medium clarity, good looks. Toasty, malty, woody aroma. Slight booze and slight bitterness in the taste keep things in check, even though it could have been sweeter (my taste anyway). Certainly hopped up higher than many other barleywines. Very good beer.

4.25/5

Serving type: bottle

09-13-2012 18:07:35 | More by tewaris