Mogli - Caldera Brewing Company

ehammond1

California

4.43/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Bottle (2011)

Thanks for opening this with me, BdubleEdubleRUN!

(Aged for 1+ year)

Very dark brown in color, but not bordering on black. Small brown head of very small bubbles. Leaves the glass oily and spotted with stick.

Intense chocolate and vanilla layers in the aroma. This one took me aback; I simply wasn't expecting it to be as rich, decadent, and enjoyable as it is. Along with the vanilla and chocolate layers is good amounts of oak and dark molasses fruit cake.

The flavor is just as nice as the aroma. The layers of chocolate and molasses fruit cake are extremely expressive, complemented very nicely by a bit of oak, though it's not overpowering. An incredibly well-crafted beer.

Medium to nearly full in body with low carbonation.

I'm glad Brett hates beer because I couldn't have sat on this one as long as he did. Thanks go to him for sharing.

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2013 22:26:35 | More by ehammond1

MoistPope

California

4.25/5  rDev -2.1%

05-17-2013 15:50:42 | More by MoistPope

BAsbill

California

4.5/5  rDev +3.7%

05-15-2013 21:21:21 | More by BAsbill

drrone

Arizona

4.5/5  rDev +3.7%

05-15-2013 05:43:51 | More by drrone

JeffTheJuice

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev -2.1%

05-14-2013 20:47:31 | More by JeffTheJuice

fdig23

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev -2.1%

05-13-2013 21:23:09 | More by fdig23

ChumleyX

California

4.25/5  rDev -2.1%

05-12-2013 23:00:14 | More by ChumleyX

breaks808

California

4.75/5  rDev +9.4%

05-12-2013 07:14:42 | More by breaks808

SocalKicks

California

4/5  rDev -7.8%

05-10-2013 07:01:14 | More by SocalKicks

funkel81

California

4.5/5  rDev +3.7%

05-10-2013 02:46:08 | More by funkel81

trapper2408

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +3.7%

05-09-2013 10:13:20 | More by trapper2408

straightlambic

California

4/5  rDev -7.8%

05-05-2013 23:19:49 | More by straightlambic

irishgreensoda

Washington

4.75/5  rDev +9.4%

05-05-2013 07:42:10 | More by irishgreensoda

Scoot1969

Michigan

5/5  rDev +15.2%

05-04-2013 17:43:36 | More by Scoot1969

xnicknj

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev -2.1%

05-02-2013 22:49:19 | More by xnicknj

AgentMunky

Alabama

4.25/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.25

Poured from a 22 ounce bottle into a brandy snifter.

A: Dark brown, cream-coloured head that fades fast.

S: Musty beans, smoked(?) chocolate malt. Not that great.

T: Woah. Hugely sweet, creamy, and immensely tasty and complex. Smoke? Yes, nice porter. Strong? Yes, imperial porter. Chocolate? Sure, but it's bittersweet and not overwhelming. Bourbon-oak-vanilla sweetness. The aftertaste is bitter dark chocolate and lingeringly interesting.

M: Rich, smooth, and delectable with a hint of bite.

O: Everyone else liked it more than I did, but this was damn tasty and does what it does well. Recommended.

Serving type: bottle

04-30-2013 06:37:18 | More by AgentMunky

Rollzroyce21

California

4/5  rDev -7.8%

04-28-2013 08:17:14 | More by Rollzroyce21

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

4.06/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

This poured out as a deep brown color with a nice brown head on top. The retention is very thin and there is a scattered lacing. The smell of the beer is very nice, plenty chocolate on the nose, not much of the oak barrel on the nose though. Sweet milky chocolate sweetness. The taste is also chocolatey, reminds me of Southern Tier Choklat a little. The mouthfeel is smooth, drinkable, dry rich finish. Overall it's a decent brew, probably not worth the price tag in my opinion.

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2013 02:26:42 | More by Knapp85

LiquidAmber

Washington

4.38/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into an Elysian snifter. Pours a dark, nearly opaque brown with a fine two finger light brown head with good retention and lacing. Aroma of rich chocolate with very light toasted malt and a hint of vanilla. Nice. Flavor follows, with nice high quality chocolate, vanilla and toasted malt, faint oakiness. Finishes somewhat dry with faint hops. Medium bodied with appropriate creaminess, nice mouthfeel. I've had a lot of excellent chocolate ales before, but this is one of the best presentations of chocolate experience, very reminiscent of dark chocolate syrup on vanilla ice cream. Nicely done and tasty.

Serving type: bottle

04-24-2013 03:22:59 | More by LiquidAmber

deapokid

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +3.7%

04-21-2013 19:58:49 | More by deapokid

sludgegnome

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev -2.1%

04-20-2013 15:32:03 | More by sludgegnome

sukwonee

Washington

4/5  rDev -7.8%

04-13-2013 14:52:38 | More by sukwonee

kojevergas

California

3.5/5  rDev -19.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Picked this up at my local SoCal beer store. Reviewed live. Expectations are high; I liked the rauchbier this brewery put out and the description sounds tasty - "Oak Aged Imperial Porter Brewed with Chocolate." 8.5% ABV confirmed. 1 pint 6 fl oz brown glass bottle with waxed-over pressure cap served into a Mitchells of Lancaster flared stem-tulip in me gaff in low altitude Los Feliz, Los Angeles, California.

Served after a period of rest following its removal from the fridge; I don't like my porters too cold - especially when they're oak aged. Side-poured with standard vigor as no carbonation issues are anticipated.

A: Pours a two finger dark khaki colour head of nice cream, good thickness, and good (~5-6+ minute) retention for the high ABV. Body colour is a solid dark black; nontransparent and opaque. No yeast particles are visible. No bubble show. Appealing if typical for the style. I'm looking forward to trying it. No overt flaws are obvious in the appearance.

Sm: Evocative cocoa dusting, chocolate malt, a bit of roast, vanilla (bordering on artificial), and buried background oak. Malty sweetness. A pleasant aroma of moderate strength. No yeast character or alcohol is detectable. Complex and inviting. I'm excited to try it. I'm not blown away, but it's appealing.

T: Cocoa powder is prominent, with a bit of slightly artificial sweet vanilla. Chocolate malt and dark malts comprise the foundation. Caramel. The oak is really buried and not at all evocative or interesting; there's no oaky vanilla or toasted character at all; that's disappointing. No yeast character or alcohol comes through. It's got a nice body to it, but there isn't much complexity, subtlety, or even depth of flavour here. It's nice across the board, but there's nothing unique or special here. What little oak there is comes off as more oak chips than oak barrel; is this the case? I'd like more roast. There's some sarsparilla-esque notes here too; sort of a vague cola note that plays well with the vanilla.

I do get more oak as it warms, but never enough to really impress.

Mf: Smooth and wet. Full-bodied. Good carbonation. Good thickness. Adequately supports the flavour profile. Complements the flavour profile well.

Dr: Drinkable and enjoyable. A tasty imperial porter, but admittedly not the best I've had. Like it, don't love it. I doubt I'd get it again at this pricetag, but I'm glad I got to try it. Another solid brew from Caldera. Hides its ABV well. My biggest issue was just the lack of complexity; there's ample room to do more here - especially with oak aging.

High B-

Serving type: bottle

04-08-2013 01:56:38 | More by kojevergas

TheEvilGenius

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev -2.1%

04-06-2013 23:17:33 | More by TheEvilGenius

SDStoneEnthusiast

California

4.5/5  rDev +3.7%

04-06-2013 03:54:15 | More by SDStoneEnthusiast