Aboriginale - Block 15 Brewery & Restaurant

Rifugium

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -14.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

First had: on tap at their brewpub

Labelled as a "free-style ale," I wasn't sure what to make of this one at first, but I suppose "old ale" makes sense in retrospect. I wasn't too impressed, but I would like to be able to sample this one cask-conditioned. But oh well. Poured amber with a small white ringlet on top. Aroma is vegetal, woody, and full of well-balanced hops. Mild bready base in the taste, toasted grains, rye and pumpernickel spice, earthy and resinous hops. Not very stand-out-ish, but certainly too robust a brew to be considered bland. Medium body, chewy, light carb, and pretty drinkable overall.

Serving type: on-tap

01-05-2012 04:32:03 | More by Rifugium

bbb099

California

4.05/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A - Deep amber color with foamy egg-white head.

S - Toasted grains, maybe a little sesame in there as well.

T - Full flavor of caramel and nutty malts accompanied with small amount of grassy hop bitterness. The hops mix in quite well with the full-bodied malt.

M - Medium to full bodied, creamy. Average carbonation.

O - A good balance between malt and hops, drinkable and smooth. I haven't had that many old ales however and I'm not sure how this stacks up to the rest.

Serving type: on-tap

10-29-2011 03:17:05 | More by bbb099

Kegatron

Pennsylvania

4.2/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On cask, via hand pump @ Block 15 Brewery & Restaurant (Corvallis, OR) on 8/29/11. Served in a pint glass.

Pours a clear copper, with a ½ finger of eggshell-white head. This retains with a rich creaminess, maintaining some robust edges, and leaving back a strong smattering of spotty lace down the sides of the glass. The aroma smells fresh, floral, and earthy in the nose, with rich notes of citrus, pine, and a sticky backing of caramel sweetness, roast, and spicy rye. Wow, this has a deep, ripe, tanginess to it.

The taste has a nice balance to it of bitter green fruit and pine, which is softened by more malty tones of doughy bread, toasted grains, caramel sweetness, and a hefty dose of rye. The finish is pithy with lingering spice, resins, and rye malt all hanging in there as well. The malts probably make the biggest impact on this but the hops hold their own here as well. The mouthfeel is medium bodied, with a soft and creamy chewiness that lays down a light prickle as well along the back of the tongue. There is just a touch of warmth here, as that cask conditioning really smoothes and softens this out to the point where all of those rich flavors and alcohol are really quite drinkable.

This was really unique and I can definitely see why it’s hard to nail down style-wise. It came off to me as more of an American Strong Ale or maybe an American take on an Old Ale. Or maybe even an American Black Ale with a lot of malt complexity. At any rate, I really liked the way all of those hops and malts balanced and complimented each other and the cask feel really just pulled it all together nicely. I’m glad I gave this one a shot.

Serving type: cask

09-14-2011 19:03:04 | More by Kegatron

dgilks

Australia

3.88/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Cloudy golden colour with a creamy off-white head. Poor head retention. Good lacing.

Sweet toffee with a note of citrussy hops. Interesting.

Sort of like an American Old Ale. There are the requisite toffee malts and fruity yeasts but the hopping is distinctly American with big, beefy, piney hops and moderately-high bitterness. Interesting.

Medium-full body with moderate carbonation. Fine.

A good take on a beer using local ingredients. Full of flavour with a curious interplay of English style malt flavour and American hops.

Serving type: on-tap

07-13-2011 19:55:40 | More by dgilks

quisatzhaderach

Oregon

3.95/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This beer is an interesting take on the Old Ale style heritage. It is very American, and very West Coast.

The beer is a partially cloudy rust color.

The aroma first demonstrates hop spice, followed by an ample grain character.

The flavor is an elegant and original combination of heavy grains and a well-muscled bitterness.

The subdued carbonation tips the scale toward the Old Ale style.

This beer is inspiringly original, and is an excellent example of the effective "Americanization" of a well-loved style.

Serving type: on-tap

02-23-2011 21:06:56 | More by quisatzhaderach

GreenWBush

Oregon

4.35/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Interesting how this beer has grown legs in just a few short months.

Praise-worthy lace atop a burning ruby beerbody.

Initially I would have agreed with BA's Old Ale designation of this beer, but no longer. Its an American IPA in the same way that Arrogant Bastard is. Close, but not BJCP-categorical. Or, its hoppy with dark(er) malts. But this one has a nice zesty crispness whereas AB has so much malt weight it seems barleywiney at times. Citrus, zippy, very drinkable.

Impressive enough on its own, I thought this beer shared a similarity with White Knuckle on the nose. Mmm. Great drinker.

My fave so far from B15, and hopefully they'll bottle it like I think they may.

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2009 04:02:21 | More by GreenWBush

RedDiamond

Oregon

4/5  rDev -2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Block 15 refuses to assign a definitive style to this beer, insisting only that this combination of 7 malts and 3 hops defies classification. The old ale category is nicely open ended for housing beers of this sort, but it also has the spice of a winter warmer and isn't too far removed from a ruddy-brown IPA.

It's a good drinker by any standard. Notes of nutmeg, cinnamon and peppercorn emerge from the nose and the hop varieties contribute spice through the flavor and bittering ranges. It's a charismatic ale to be certain. My dad called it "solid", I called it "hearty", and the waitress said, "It's sort of a free-style ale. This is what we're all about." I might call this a distant cousin of New Old Lompoc's legendary C-Son's Greetings. Though Aboriginale lags behind that classic, the comparison alone is a strong endorsement.

Serving type: on-tap

06-11-2008 01:03:20 | More by RedDiamond