J.W. Lees Harvest Ale (Lagavulin Whisky Cask) - J.W. Lees & Co (Brewers) Ltd

DoubleJ

California

4.4/5  rDev +12%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Regular old JW Lee's is outstanding, so what can a whisky cask do to make the flavor different but still awesome? Served on-tap at Beachwood BBQ in a 10 ounce glass, on to the beer:

Looks dark orange with a small head on top that slowly drops to a semi-creamy lace. The nose smells like good scotch, and it also offers notes of plum, and fruity yeast. It gets better, but in its taste. There's sweet whisky upfront, loads of delicious malt, more fruitiness, and well hidden alcohol. It's full bodied and covers all over your palate.

This was my first time in the cask series of JW Lee's. While I prefer the original over the Lagavulin, make no mistake that this is delicious beer.

Serving type: on-tap

05-27-2012 23:59:05 | More by DoubleJ

sulldaddy

Connecticut

2.45/5  rDev -37.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.5

2007 vintage aged in my cellar.

Poured into a snifter at cellar temperature. THe brew pours a rich warm chestnut hue with very minimal fizzy head foaming up and fading to nothing in short time. Some small chunks are suspended in the beer but I decant carefully leaving about a 1/2 oz of dredges in the bottle.
Aroma is rich malty with molasses, deep boozy whisky notes and dark fruit. Seems like it will be hot and burny on the swallow just from the nose. I also get small amounts of burnt wood in the background but this is definitely not a dominant scent.
First sip reveals a sticky syrupy texture with very faint gentle almost non-existent carbonation.

Flavor is sweet malt briefly with brown sugar and dark fruit but moves to a lot of fusol heat and earthy peat burnt wood hits. Fairly big flavor profile and finishes hot and makes this a sipping beer for certain. Almost more like a tumbler of scotch than snfiter of beer, and this has cellared for 5 years, cant imagine how hot it is fresh. The finish is actually a little medicinal and bitter, not from hops in my opinion but more the black pepper, alcohol bitter flavor.
While I expected some boozy notes on this beer the whisky is just a little too much for me and reduces the enjoyability of the beer for me. Others may really enjoy it, but you would have to like scotch to really like this beer.
I wont pick up this beer again and leave the bottle fairly disappointed in how unbalanced the beer and whisky qualities are displayed in the brew.

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2012 03:31:49 | More by sulldaddy

vivasbeer

Michigan

1.13/5  rDev -71.2%
look: 1.5 | smell: 1 | taste: 1 | feel: 2 | overall: 1

2009 9.3oz bottle

All kinds of chunky bits floating around

Smelled like a Meat Smoke house. If I wanted Bacon, or Smoked sausage I would have bought that.

Taste was god awful. Like an old campfire that had been extinguished with brown dirty lake water. I am gagging just remembering it.

Overall it was the worst beer I've ever had.

Easy decision = Drain Pour

Serving type: bottle

04-23-2012 18:28:46 | More by vivasbeer

cbutova

Massachusetts

4.23/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Celebrating 10 Pittsburgh goals since they will probably lose the series and I needed a reason to drink this beer for the Penguins. Next year I guess.

2007 vintage.

A- Poured into my small Cigar City snifter with a dark red-brown colored body. Small tan head forms but doesn't really build much and eventually disappears completely, five year old barrel aged beer makes sense. Some chunks floating around and no lace.

S- Nice smoky whiskey meets halfway with a big, sweet barleywine. Leathery peat campfire notes blended with deep caramel sweets, dark fruit and raisin. Fades a bit.

T- As I have noticed with other versions of this beer, big on the sweetness. It is a bit much for me but the overall flavor of the beer is quite nice. Again, the Lagavulin lends peat smoke, burning campfire, some seaweed and oak notes. Big sweet caramel barleywine with dark cherry and raisin hints.

MF- Thick and slick oily body with carbonation on the low end. Sweet feel on the palate with alcohol warmth.

I love Lagavulin and this delivers great flavors from that whiskey. The JW Lees sweetness still carries in but the whiskey use here just rocks.

Serving type: bottle

04-19-2012 02:14:43 | More by cbutova

scottfrie

California

3.98/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

2008 vintage. Thanks Jay!

A: Pours a murky iced-tea color with a thin bubbly collar for a head. I left a ton of yeast in the bottle.
S: A very rich and decadent beer. I get notes of butterscotch, caramel, leather, whisky barrel, raisins, cocoa powder and dark fruits. Not getting much oxidation.
T: Better than the nose. Very sweet and sugary notes of caramel and fruit syrup. Hop resin, butterscotch, toffee, leather, and milk chocolate come through nicely, with hints of earthy peat, apple cider, and honey. Finish is sticky syrupy sweet with flavors of whisky. Aftertaste lingers.
M: Very thick and syrupy mouthfeel, warming alcohol, very low carbonation and a full and heavy body.
O: A great thick little sipper. Very syrupy and smooth. Alcohol warmth is very mellow. Peat flavors are unique but easy to get used to. Pretty good all around.

Serving type: bottle

04-03-2012 02:04:59 | More by scottfrie

4DAloveofSTOUT

Illinois

3.83/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

vintage 2010.

poured into tulip glass.

Appearance: murky light brown bodied beer that almost looks like apple cider. 1 and a half fingers of head that drops down to a thin cap. lace is thin and spotty.

Smell: Its interesting with a really busy / complex nose. Malty and even a little bit fruity. Smoke, charcoal, earthy, peat moss, and scotch / whiskey notes.

Taste: This beer has a fairely sweet malt profile. Caramel and apples upfront and mostly what I get out of the malt profile. Midpalate the barrel notes show up in the form of heavy wood and earthiness; a little bit of vanilla and even honey adding richness to this already sweet beer. Finish is all about the smoke, you start to get hints of it midpalate, but really starts to build into the finish. The smoke tastes like bacon and is a "meaty" smoke note. Lots of complexity.

Mouthfeel: Full bodied beer with a low end of moderate carbonation. Slick and sticky and thick. Almost syrup here, but it well carbonated so it does quite get all the way there to syrupy mouthfeel.

Overall: Good beer with nice complexity, but the bottom line is...its too sweet for me(never thought I could say this about an english barleywine). I really enjoy this beer style alot, but its just a little over the top sweet.

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2012 00:37:58 | More by 4DAloveofSTOUT

Holland

Pennsylvania

1.88/5  rDev -52.2%
look: 1.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.5

A: cloudy orange and brown color with no head and no lacing.

S: apple cider, earthy tones, some sweetness and peaty scotch

T: apple cider and bacon. Later on once I let it settle a bit I get some more scotch, but not much.

M: thick and uncarbonated

O: skip this, it's bad on cask at least. It would be fine if I had it with pancakes in the morning alongside an FBS since it tastes like bacon and apples. At $10 for a pour, forget this garbage.

Serving type: cask

03-07-2012 02:36:43 | More by Holland

clayrock81

Virginia

4/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured a copperish body with minimal head on top of a strong whiskey/oak aroma, with a think yeast aroma as well (and touches of honey and sugary sweetness (and black cherry?)). The yeast sediment sticks to the bottom and slowly dissolves every time I take a sip...thick, sticky, has a boozy but not medicinal taste - the sweet malts are great and this is a very sweet and sturdy beer (a great after lunch sipper). Slightly warming as I sip - real nice finish. No dry or bitterness as hops barely noticeable, but a real good sweet and malty beer to relax with.

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2012 19:56:30 | More by clayrock81

maximum12

Minnesota

4/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to my favorite wife for this bottle, part of a lovely Christmas box. 9.3 oz. bottle popped to end a nice Saturday evening, 2007 vintage.

Pours with massive floaties, Sediment Gone Wild! Yeasties slowly settle to the bottom of the glass in a caramel-colored brew. Smell is strong whiskey, very distinctive, not at all like the standard barrel-aged American beers. Smoky & sweet.

J.W. Lees Harvest Ale (Lagaluvin Whiskey Cask) is uniquely English. Having a problem locating the word until looking at the other reviews: peat. Yup. Burning peat bog. Sweet, sweet, almost honeyed malts. Underneath, all sorts of more subtle feelings. Caramel, slightly herbal, additional honey. Very nice. Pretty flat & heavy, but no problem taking this small bottle down.

This beer really grew on me as it warmed & I moved through it. The unusual whiskey is really nice, the complexities lovely. Really good beer that's licking the boot of excellent; looking forward to the other varietals.

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2012 05:39:54 | More by maximum12

Beerzebub

District of Columbia

4.48/5  rDev +14%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

2005 bottle, poured into a Bruery glass, not too cold.

Deep, glowing amber color, quite attractive. Some chunkies due to not pouring carefully. The great color is not obscured by any head.

Rich aroma of caramel and nuts, with a bright fresh fruitiness like a mixture of agave, Bing cherry, and lemon peel. A welcome hint of nutty, sherrylike oxidization. Hints of soot and sea air, but less indication of peaty Scotch barrel than I was expecting. Nonetheless, really good and complex.

Tastes like big sweet malt up front, sticky toffee pudding and fresh cherries, and then the whisky barrel comes in and builds gradually. The barrel treatment certainly comes through more on the palate than on the nose, mature Scotch with industrial smoke and salty ocean air, nicely restrained and a great complement to the sweet fruity malt. Long, long finish, with the smoke building, becoming almost completely dry with only peat smoke and roasted nuts lingering at the very end, amazing after such a sweet attack. Very tasty stuff, with great balance and complexity.

Serving type: bottle

02-12-2012 06:10:51 | More by Beerzebub

MBrausen

Minnesota

4.7/5  rDev +19.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

2010 vintage bottle poured into a CBS Sniffer.

A. Beautiful red hue, thin layer of head even with an aggressive pour. Head faded quickly to a clean as glass surface.

S. Smells of sweet fruit, cherries, sour. Very much like sherry, and nearing the smell of a sour.

T. Very sweet, light cherry, a little honey and and a tiny bit tart. Noticeable charred oak after taste along with some chocolate. Mild whiskey taste, but very well balanced. This is one of the better additions of whiskey I have ever had. After 2 years, it has clearly mellowed to an ideal balance.

M. Medium body, watery with a coarse slightly dry finish. A little chewy. Thick without being hard.

O. This is a very good barelywine to me. I think 2 years was perfect for this one. Minimal alcohol with a fair amount of barrel really make this a pleasure to drink. You do not taste the 11.5% at all. If this wasn't so spendy, I would have a fridge full of it.

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2012 02:38:04 | More by MBrausen

DIM

Pennsylvania

2.5/5  rDev -36.4%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Pumped from the actual lagavulin whisky cask, pretty cool.

a: This was a ruddy dark copper color. It was served to me with a small but firm cap.

s: Strong sherry aromas with hints of caramel and ash. Where is the whiskey?

t: This tasted strongly of sherry, not whiskey. There was plenty of ash as well that wasn't all that pleasant. There was a puckering quality about this that wasn't quite sour. I found a vague sort of fruit that reminded me of port. The regular version was extremely sweet, that was all lost here.

m: Still and syrupy.

o: I had to try it, the concept is very cool. I just didn't enjoy the beer though.

Serving type: cask

01-07-2012 22:02:57 | More by DIM

fx20736

New York

3.45/5  rDev -12.2%
look: 2 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Poured from a 9.3 oz bottle into a pint glass,served near room temp.

Bronze Orange, no head, I decanted bottle slowly, leaving maybe 11 oz in the bottle along with alot of sediment which may have reduced head somewhat.

Aroma: A much more appealing bouquet than the others. I can't identify but there is a woddy aroma, a fruitiness and something else...

mouthfeel: soft and syrupy

taste: Oaky and smoky with the Scotch coming on the tail.

Notes: The best of the JWL Cask Aged Barleywines but not very 'beer-like'. This definitely taste like Scotch but if I want Scotch, I'll drink it, not beer.

So my vertical tasting of all four of these is complete. Like the Rochefort tasting this was a bust. I am glad I did it but won't buy these again.

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2012 22:56:06 | More by fx20736

KyleDS

Pennsylvania

3.3/5  rDev -16%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This exceptionally rare brew from JW was poured straight from the cask at the Belgian Cafe in Philly - one of my favorite pubs in town.

I was really excited to try this beer but was a bit dissapointed with the overall characteristics. Although i appreciate the time, craftmanship, and hardwork that when into producing this beer, it's not something that i would likely try again.

A: copper coloring, very little head

A: woody, earthy, chared wood, smokey, caramel

T: alcohol warming, woody, cramel, warm all the way down with sryup, dark fruit on the back

M: consistent of a scotch feel, with apparent warming in the mouth and throat.

O: i enjoyed tasting this beer and differentiating the characteristics, however, its not something that really caught my attention.

Serving type: cask

12-15-2011 19:36:13 | More by KyleDS

Phelps

Arizona

4.15/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

2006 vintage. Enjoyed at the 2011 RAREaffair. Poured into a tasting glass.

The color of iced tea, a dark orange with perfect clarity but no head. 2.5

The nose is packed with heavy smoky peat, caramel, brown sugar and molasses. Hard to get past the peat, but I'm not complaining — it's quality stuff.

The flavor is peat plus apple brandy plus sugar. The standard heavy JW Lees sweetness that usually overpowers the palate actually works well with the smoke, being tempered by it. Burnt sugar notes and some semblance of earthy hop bitterness come through, though there’s not much. Complex.

Sugary, thick medium body; prickly medium-light carbonation. Alcohol fumes come through the nose, but they’re fairly light and are hidden by the hefty sweetness.

If there's one liquor that works with the uber-sweet Harvest Ale, an islay scotch is it. Great mix of sweet and smoky.

Serving type: bottle

12-15-2011 19:06:49 | More by Phelps

ficknish

California

4.2/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

2005

A - Darker copper. No head.

S - Peat. Wood. Soil. Earthy sweetness.

T - Peat. Whiskey. Butterscotch. Cake. Molasses.

M - Medium body. Sweet finish.

O - A fine beer. The peat smells and flavors are nothing I've ever seen in a beer before. Very interesting indeed. I enjoyed the earthy sweetness and peat smokiness together. Might drink again.

Serving type: bottle

12-13-2011 07:45:54 | More by ficknish

Greencoat

Ohio

4.4/5  rDev +12%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

2005 vintage, strait from the cask.

A: murky medium brown with absolutely no head
S: huge whiskey nose with a gorgeous caramel backbone
T: brilliant oak and whiskey flavors, no hop presence. Wonderful smoke character on the finish.
M: still, sweet and warming
O: one of the most enjoyable beer experiences I've ever had. I feel privalaged.

Serving type: cask

11-20-2011 03:34:31 | More by Greencoat

BedetheVenerable

Missouri

2.68/5  rDev -31.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.5

Presentation: 9.3oz brown pop top with really classy, minimalist label; 2008 vintage...was saving this, but decided to pop it after a very bad day.

Appearance: Slightly murky beer, the color of hardened amber, with a slight off-white cap...was surpised at the levels of carbonation still here, actually. Did my best to keep the floaties (of which there were a BUNCH) in the bottom of the bottle, but a few flakes made it into the beer.

Smell: Sweet candied red fruits and sweet, sugary alcohol lead the way. Then comes the barrel character, with a hit of earthy, damp smokiness. This smells like it may be a brusier. Not tons of depth, but fairly pleasant.

Taste: The initial taste is sweet, toffee/cherry, and then WHAM. Just as you think, 'hey, this is good' it hits you. Smoke. Let me repeat. Smoke...and not just 'we threw some rauch or peated malt in here'. It's intense and overpowering, and this is coming from a guy who appreciates a good single malt. Oddly, it doesn't really strike me as a peaty smoke, though I know it is...it's woody, meaty, and almost camp fire-like. I think what makes it so overpowering is that there's the smokiness is combined with the huge sweetness of this beer. It does mellow with sipping (or maybe that's just my tongue throwing in the towel) but it's just too much. Oddly enough, this reminds me forcefully of the aromas (so thick you could almost taste it) of my late grandad's wood-burning stove in the shed where he kept his antique gasoline engines. I think, honestly, the happy memories of hanging out down in the shed in the winters, shooting the shit w/my dad and gramps is the only thing that really appeals to me about this beer. Otherwise, it's just kinda over the top. Which is too bad, because I have a feeling there's a REALLY good barleywine under here...

Mouthfeel: Rich, viscous, almost sticky sweet

Overall: This one ran me about $10.00...would I do it again? Nope. Would I get a regular JW Lees after trying this? You bet!

Oh, and I bet this would make a KILLER barbecue sauce...

Serving type: bottle

11-19-2011 05:32:25 | More by BedetheVenerable

Thickfreakness

New York

4.53/5  rDev +15.3%
look: 3 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

2009 bottle as an extra from match1112! Thank you!

A- Looks like fall in a glass. Murky orange/brown just like the leaves on the ground. No head to speak off, just a bit of caramel colored foam floating atop this brew. Little bits and chunks of floaties. It sits like still water. No lacing or oil on the glass.

S- Vanilla, sweet caramel, smokey peat moss, brown sugar, oak, and alcohol. This is friggin' fantastic! Touches of cinnamon and mulling spices. This is Fall in a glass!!!

T- Sweet, smokey wood wrapped in a vanilla marshmallow! Tons of caramel, molasses, brown sugar and toasted oak! The whiskey adds a wonderful smokey alcohol burn. Picking up some dried dark fruits... Figs, raisins, and prunes. Suchh an amazing balance of smoke, caramel and spice!

M- Creamy and oily. Really coats the tongue! The smokiness stays and never lets go, but it does leave enough room for the sweetness and spice to roam! No carbonation... like a cask ale in a bottle.

O- This is phenominal!!! It's everything I was hoping it would be! It's crazy how many things are going on in this glass! No wonder J.W. Lees is one of the top makers of Barleywine in the world... they really know how to do it! Really looking forward to trying all the variations of this brew.

Serving type: bottle

11-13-2011 02:39:22 | More by Thickfreakness

match1112

Illinois

2.38/5  rDev -39.4%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

a: pours out the color of liquid caramel. no head, no lacing, just plenty of floaters.

s: alochol, smoke, caramel and bad cider.

t: smokey peat and alochol. some sweetness.

m: thick and flat.

o: truly disgusted by this beer. this must be one of those that you either love or hate with no inbetween. the longer i look at this it looks like diarrhea in a glass. smells like a pile of wet half burnt leaves. tastes horrible. not even sure at this point if i want to continue cellaring the bottle i have left. i'm gonna drain pour something i paid a dollar an ounce for after one sip. truly disgusting.

Serving type: bottle

11-11-2011 01:31:33 | More by match1112

rudzud

Massachusetts

4.43/5  rDev +12.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Enjoyed at a weekly beer tasting at Julios.

A - Poured a nice copper hue with a creamy thin head that faded at the average pace for such a higher ABV barleywine.

S - Very much what it promises. There is some light malt sweetness and toffee, but there is a fair amount of scotch on this. I'm a big fan of Lagavulin whiskey and this is it. Nice and smokey with good barrel notes.

T - Nice and light malt sweetness with some more carmel and toffee notes. The big draw is the delicious Lagavulin notes. its earthy, smokey, peaty. This stuff is delicious.

M - Smooth, slightly creamy. Enough carbonation to keep it from feeling syruppy.

O - Really, really liked this beer. Love the scotch and it works really well with this style and beer. Would pay the price of this beer.

Serving type: bottle

11-09-2011 06:40:29 | More by rudzud

zaphodchak

Virginia

4.55/5  rDev +15.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

2008(?), opened 2011. Label has fallen off.

Caramel brown body with plenty of suspended sediment in it. A bit of surface memory but my pour wasn't big enough to elicit a head. A couple bubbles.

The sweet nose of the vintage, but some undertones of peat from the aging.

The same caramel, honey, spice from the vintage, but a trace of smokey peat.

Slightly foamy mouthfeel.

Impressive beer still, but the barrel-aging imparts only subtle characteristics. Maybe a bit more spice. And a trace of peat.

Serving type: bottle

11-06-2011 04:21:05 | More by zaphodchak

meatyard

Pennsylvania

4.03/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

2004 bottling.

Pours out a clear, deep ruby with a short, khaki head that turns into a ring.

The smell is pretty strong on the whiskey and is sweet & malty. I can almost feel the alcohol warming in the aroma.

The taste is very sweet, lots of whiskey flavor (might have assumed it to tone down after 7 years) The peat flavor, which others mention, appears to be missing after aging though I get what appears to be peat long after the swallow.

Mouthfeel is thick and syrupy with a scant notice of carbonation.

Overall: This may not be to my particular taste but I can still tell that it's an interesting and somewhat special beer. I'd definitely recommend it to someone wanting an intense English BW.

Serving type: bottle

11-02-2011 19:55:13 | More by meatyard

Arbitrator

California

2.75/5  rDev -30%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.5

Chilled bottle into a glass. 2010 vintage.

A: Pours a clear, chestnut brown with a small, short-lived beige head. It has no collar, no lace, no curtains -- very still.

S: Tons of whisky on the nose. The Lagavulin is strong here. I am relieved to find that the whisky contributions are smoke, peat moss, and salt/soy instead of burning tire. I'm not a scotch guy, as you might guess.

T: I couldn't detect the base beer on the nose, but its youth its evident in the flavor. It manifests as toffee, burnt sugar, caramel; I generally find J.W. Lees Harvest Ale to be cloying when fresh, and this one is no exception, even with a year of barrel-aging on it. The oxidation hasn't really taken hold. That being said, the barrel-aging has contributed the lightest touch of sherry, which closes out the finish after a rocky mid-taste of soy-saucy, peaty whisky. It actually reminds me of seaweed.

M: Like the other treatments and the base beer, this is fairly still, with medium-plus body and a lingering, sweet finish. Very smooth, on the whole.

O: I am of a mixed mind when it comes to these barrel-aging treatments. On the one hand, they're generally not appealing to me fresh. The barrel choices could be really interesting complements to aged Harvest Ale, but if you age one of these barrel-aged treatments too long, they drop off faster than the regular beer. It seems there's no way to achieve what I think this beer could be, short of aging it in kegs and then barrel-aging it, but that's ridiculous (or is it?).

Generally speaking, I skip these and go for the base beer.

Serving type: bottle

10-21-2011 04:41:30 | More by Arbitrator

ZenAgnostic

Texas

4.25/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

9 point something ounce bottle poured into a whiskey glass. 2009 vintage. $9.50 at Side Door Liquor Store.

Appearance - Very cloudy medium brown body. Plenty of sediment.

Smell - Like a forest fire. Very smokey. It's almost off putting, but it goes so well with the taste when you get to that.

Taste - Complex as all heck. Sweet. Sour. Barely bitter. Almost astringent. Smokey. Woody. Meaty.

Mouthfeel - Medium bodied. In light of the overwhelming flavor, the mouthfeel seems irrelevant.

Overall Drinkability - Possibly the most complex and flavorful beer I've ever had.

Serving type: bottle

10-18-2011 19:15:26 | More by ZenAgnostic