Menagerie #8 - Evolution Craft Brewing Company

THECPJ

Delaware

4.25/5  rDev +2.7%

01-08-2013 19:23:49 | More by THECPJ

bigfnjoe

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +2.7%

06-10-2013 11:58:08 | More by bigfnjoe

djrn2

New Jersey

3.75/5  rDev -9.4%

06-09-2013 20:45:45 | More by djrn2

DIM

Pennsylvania

3.83/5  rDev -7.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.75

a: Very dark mahogany, pours wirh a thick, uneven head.

s : Pleasant but kind of subdued. The wine barrel plays a very prominent role; with vinous chocolate, leather, and tobacco. I also found some candi sugar sweetness and floral alcohol.

t: Definitely wine barrel first and foremost. Vinous and tart with chocolety leather, some non-grape dark fruits, a little sugar, and lingering oaky-tobacco heat. I'm really liking the chocolate in this one.

m: Kind of abrasively fizzy.

o: I liked this one for sure. I might have liked it better as 50% aged in wine barrels kind of beer. Absolutely unique and memorable.

Serving type: bottle

06-09-2013 17:33:04 | More by DIM

rondufresne

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -3.4%

06-05-2013 17:53:52 | More by rondufresne

AngusOg

Maryland

4.25/5  rDev +2.7%

06-01-2013 03:15:00 | More by AngusOg

Pencible

Virginia

4.28/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A: This poured a nearly opaque cola with tons of thick light tan head.
S: It smelled like tannic red wine grapes and metallic oak, with some sweet wild honey and toffee and dates and sourdough.
T: It tasted like sweet wild honey and dates and earthy toffee, with some tannic red grapes and dry oak and a bit of sourdough and nutty malt. It had a clean sweet and tart aftertaste.
M: It was thick with a little smooth natural carbonation. Beautiful refined body.
D: This was a very nice and unique BSDA, with well executed wine barrel aging. The scent and taste were very complex and enjoyable, and the body was nearly perfect. The finish was fairly smooth, with well hidden alcohol, so it was pretty easy to drink but worth sipping. Not sure how it would age, but I really enjoyed it fresh. Well done, Evo!

Serving type: bottle

05-30-2013 20:59:54 | More by Pencible

Immortale25

Florida

3.93/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Poured into a Dogfish Signature Snifter. No freshness date.

A- Pours a mostly opaque black color with a towering three inch head that soon crumbles bearing bumps and crags on its way down to a 1/4 inch head. Not so resilient streaks of lacing.

S- Sweet, somewhat effervescent aroma of Belgian yeast and candi sugar.

T- Sharp flavor of mildly roasted malt combined with the sweet candi sugar. Strong, but I wouldn't go so far as to say boozy although it is noticeable. Smooth and drinkable, but not overly complex, especially for a barrel-aged Belgian. There are some woody notes but nothing too apparent.

M- I think it's the medium-high carbonation that gives the drink such a kick. Mostly full body and a somewhat chalky feel.

O- Pretty much a standard BSDA. Was hoping for a bit more since I've loved previous entries in the Menagerie series.

Serving type: bottle

04-13-2013 02:00:32 | More by Immortale25

Thorpe429

Illinois

3/5  rDev -27.5%

04-07-2013 12:59:00 | More by Thorpe429

ant880

New York

4/5  rDev -3.4%

03-20-2013 18:16:06 | More by ant880

johnmichaelsen

Oregon

4.18/5  rDev +1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Was at State Line the other day, and was pleasantly surprised to see on the shelf.

The beer pours a fairly dark brown color with red hilights. Head retention was very good, with considerable stickly lacing as well. The nose was very impressive as well. The label indicates that the beer is aged in red wine barrels, the that's definitely what you get on the nose. There is a considerable wine aroma, along with dark fruits, vanilla and light chocolate. The flavor profile replicates the nose, with the wine flavor imparting a slight sour flavor. This beer reminds me a bit of the always excellent BFM Bon Chien beers, though it's not quite as complex or sour. On the other hand, the moderate sweetness in this beer is countered very nicely by the light sour wine flavor, and the finish was long and complex. Mouthfeel was medium bodied to full, and I thought the alcohol was very well integrated into the flavor profile (no heat or heaviness on the finish).

A very good beer from Evolution, and it was a beer that seemed to open up more and more as the beer warmed (the wine flavor was a bit less pronounced, and I got more dark fruit, vanilla, dark chocolate, and even some light licoris). Very nicely done.

Serving type: bottle

03-16-2013 14:24:53 | More by johnmichaelsen

tobelerone

New Jersey

4/5  rDev -3.4%

03-09-2013 22:37:24 | More by tobelerone

Texasfan549

Texas

4/5  rDev -3.4%

03-09-2013 05:47:17 | More by Texasfan549

kjkinsey

Texas

4/5  rDev -3.4%

03-09-2013 03:54:48 | More by kjkinsey

DeutschesBier

Maryland

4/5  rDev -3.4%

03-08-2013 16:00:23 | More by DeutschesBier

Greywulfken

New York

4.11/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

A: opaque black beer in a chalice glass with a slim head of tan foam

S: some merlot-esque wine notes, some light burnt sugar malt

T: barrel aging beer in wine barrels is going to ensure a beer/wine hybrid, and that is what you get here - the red wine flavors of cherry, berry, currant, and dark grape are all present, and for me, initially somewhat more dominant than the candi sugar and honey and malts of the beer; as the beer warmed, I thought the beeriness became more apparent, but this was never a hoppy or bitter brew.

M: medium-to-thin - again, had a red wine feel (like a merlot/cabernet sauvignon blend), some tartness (which was more equitably attributable to the beer as much as the wine barrel-aging).

O: I have two strikes against me in reviewing this beer: one is that I am not a big wine drinker, and two is that I have a handful of BSDAs I like (quads excluded - I love those!), but would otherwise probably not rank it among my favorite styles. That said, this was a very interesting and enjoyable drink - probably would've been great accompanying any food you would pair with red wine - and another example of the good work Evolution is doing with barrel-aged products. I'm not a big fan of Chimay Blue, but respect it as a stout representative of the style, and with that in mind, I would say that this beer reminded me somewhat of what a red wine-barrel aged Chimay might taste like. If you like the Chimay and similar BSDAs, this beer will no doubt please you.

Serving type: bottle

03-07-2013 01:26:56 | More by Greywulfken

Mertzy81

Maryland

4.25/5  rDev +2.7%

03-04-2013 07:36:32 | More by Mertzy81

siege06nd

Virginia

4.25/5  rDev +2.7%

02-17-2013 20:40:16 | More by siege06nd

Metatron6

Maryland

4/5  rDev -3.4%

02-15-2013 19:55:29 | More by Metatron6

melliott

New York

4.31/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Had this on tap, from a snifter at the brewery in Salisbury, MD.

It's if a full-bodied beer, with a complex flavor. The big surprise was the finish, which I expected to slightly burn considering the alcohol content. Instead it was smooth, almost watery. Dangerous!

The nose is chocolate, and somewhat floral.
The taste is similar to a mix of their porter and esb, but has some separation.
Finished the beer with their brisket sandwich w/ root beer sauce - which meshed nicely, too.

Serving type: on-tap

02-14-2013 22:08:27 | More by melliott

yourefragile

District of Columbia

4/5  rDev -3.4%

02-08-2013 22:06:36 | More by yourefragile

Gatordaddy

Maryland

4.75/5  rDev +14.7%

02-01-2013 22:56:27 | More by Gatordaddy

George2744

Pennsylvania

4.75/5  rDev +14.7%

02-01-2013 19:43:54 | More by George2744

Archemedies

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev +2.7%

01-31-2013 01:57:21 | More by Archemedies

IPAchris

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -9.4%

01-19-2013 21:18:18 | More by IPAchris