Festivale - Terminal Gravity Brewing Company

Fatehunter

Oregon

3.75/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Half finger of head on a dark and cloudy brown colored body.
Smell is all rich dark fruit with a little barnyard yeast.
Strong flavor of plum. Alcohol and bitterness bring up the end.
Crisp texture with a lower carbonation and medium body.
A nice dig on the Old Ale style. A winner in the Winter Ale category.

Serving type: bottle

12-28-2012 04:36:49 | More by Fatehunter

LiquidAmber

Washington

3.9/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a Seattle Beer Week pint glass. Pours a slightly hazy rich reddish brown amber with a healthy two finger light tan head with good retention and lacing. Light but pleasant aroma of bready malt and a hint of toasted malt and nuts. Flavor of well integrated caramel, bready and light toasted malt, a little caramel and nuts. Very light holiday spicing and light hops. Finishes with dark malt and mild spices. Fairly understated, reminiscent of a British ale, but well balanced and interesting. Medium bodied with a hint of creaminess. I liked this as an alternate to some of the more boldly hopped and spiced winter ales. Well done.

Serving type: bottle

12-06-2012 04:22:58 | More by LiquidAmber

Murrhey

Montana

3.7/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a pint glass. Reviewed live in high altitude Libby, Mont.

A- One-finger light-tan colored head. Long linger for the high ABV. Dark, mahogany look. Looks vinous and cloudy as well. Not sure what to make of it.

S- Strong hops in the aroma which is a bit of a surprise. Red grapes, pineapple and a little bit of mustiness that must come from the live yeast. Not really sure. Attractive if subdued.

T- Very hoppy, grapefruit and pine hops. Strong and bitter. Overpowers the maltiness, but the malts are still there providing a stiff backbone. Some floral notes as well, but the hops are clearly the centerpiece of this beer. Not complex enough for me to warrant a truly great score. Above average.

M- Medium bodied, semi-vinous and small bubbles for carbonation. Finishes dry.

O- Tasty, but too harsh to make a sessionable beer and not complex enough for a game-changer. Slightly above average for the style. If you are a fan of hops, but not of Old Ales, this would be a good middle ground perhaps.

Serving type: bottle

11-07-2012 00:04:14 | More by Murrhey

brentk56

North Carolina

4.25/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Pours a hazy auburn hue with a finger's worth of foam on top; quite a few strips of streaky lace

Smell: The powerful caramel and fruit cake backbone buttresses the resinous hops; spruce tips redolent of the Pacific northwest waft above

Taste: The resin and the caramel play back and forth on the front end, with the spruce flavors building by mid-palate; after the swallow, the bitter flavors continue to build, though the fruit cake flavors emerge in the background to round out the profile

Mouthfeel: Medium body with moderate carbonation; a bit of warmth in the gullet

Overall: A complex and flavorful old ale with some winter warmer elements, to boot

Thanks, hannont (from the other site), for the opportunity

Serving type: bottle

08-11-2012 17:33:21 | More by brentk56

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

3.4/5  rDev -12.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured out a heady mix of brown and red color, with a decent 5/8" head on it. Aroma was winter warmer warmth, mild tinge of toffee, decent hopping along what I'd guess to be the 45 ibu variety.

Taste, pretty nice and chunky, more caramel, still some toffee, cocao powder, brought enough stuff to hold down some of the bitterness. Held the alcohol of the tongue nicely, the aroma had me wondering if that would be the case. A little bit of dark fruit raisin type of mouthfeel. Good degree of chewiness and viscosity to it, probably from the respectable amount of caramel and breadiness in the beer.

One of the better beers TG bottles. They're always the preeminent example of a good brewery that doesn't bottle their best stuff. This is better than their ipa or golden ale.

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2012 16:49:40 | More by Beerandraiderfan

tompearson

Oregon

3.55/5  rDev -8.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance - brown orangish tint. Some head but not retentive.

Smell - sweet, malty, subtle

Taste - got the alcohol first then again at the end. Like that. Got some toasty, coffee, caramel.

Mouthfeel - big mouth full of body. Again subtle feel but goes down well.

Overall - this is a keeper. Nice job. Will try again next season.

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2011 00:47:07 | More by tompearson

djbreezy

Washington

4.2/5  rDev +8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance - reddish brown, opaque, not much head or retention

Smell - caramel malt aroma

Taste - caramel and toffee notes in the malt with some light alcohol burn on the finish

Mouthfeel - full body but ever so slightly undercarbonated, not that noticeable however or could be something else

Overall - really enjoyed the flavor, great winter beer, better than I expected

Serving type: bottle

12-21-2011 04:41:21 | More by djbreezy

Arbitrator

California

3.18/5  rDev -18.3%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Chilled bottle into a glass, courtesy of ramnuts. Thanks, Frank!

A: Pours a murky, chestnut body topped with a pinky finger of off-white head. It retreats into a milky swirl of bubbles with a spotty, broken collar around the edges.

S: Caramel malts and bread are abundant. Without knowing the style, I find myself expecting a doppelbock, though the fruit aromas aren't quite there. Even as an old ale this is a bit simplistic, though not bad.

T: Caramel, with a touch of toffee. A small raisin flavor. Grainy flavors are noticeable, along with leaves and pine hops that pull into the finish. They leave a small bitterness that offsets the initial sweeter flavors.

M: Mild bitterness in the finish along with some very light spice exhalations (can't place it). It's medium-plus bodied, with very light heat.

O: It's hard to have an old ale from the land of my favorite old ale (Adam) and not make a comparison. This isn't in the same league -- at all -- but it's enjoyable enough.

Serving type: bottle

12-10-2011 20:08:34 | More by Arbitrator

Docer

Washington

3.85/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Appearance: (4.0)
- A nice mostly clear dark ruby brown brew. Big fingers of fluffy off-white head which slowly settled to a very spotty thin blanket with lace up and down the sides. Not bad.

Smell: (3.5)
- Certainly a healthy dose of caramel malts here. Perhaps other sweet grainy and bready malts like Munich or Marris Otter perhaps. A sweet English aroma to the malt. Little brown sugar, perhaps a touch of spice, fig, clove, and cinnamon. Surprisingly little hop presence. Maybe some floral and earthy hops in the finish.

Taste: (4.0)
- Certainly a flavorful beer. Sweet brown sugar, light molasses, caramel malts, bready grain, and some bitter pine hops in the flavor. The aroma of the beer hid a bit of what the flavor is packing. Light spice which I can dig. Heavily spiced winter beers make me want to vomit. Not this one. Very well rounded.

Mouth Feel: (3.5)
- Overall a medium bodied brew, plenty carbonated, and certainly chewy and drying. Overall it's balance keeps the mouth watering though. Still just seems a touch thin for what it boasts.

Overall: (4.0)
- Not a bad winter beer at all, and not too spicy. Overall it is a heavy hitter, warms you up, and drinks well. Certainly worth having a few of these kicking around in the fridge this year.

Serving type: bottle

11-23-2011 04:48:45 | More by Docer

harrymel

Washington

2.9/5  rDev -25.4%
look: 2 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Bottled: unk

A: ruddy dark clay brown. single finger of taupe foam falls to a sheet of the same. No lace. murky.
S: Hops, cardboard, toffee, darker malts. Nice, almost well-aged barley wine nose.
T: Sweet malts have tones of caramel, spicy hops and some alcohol.
M: thin with hi carb. Initially feels creamy, then gets really carbed, weird. slick finish.
O: decent enough.

Serving type: bottle

11-17-2011 04:47:33 | More by harrymel

Reidrover

Oregon

4.22/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 oz single from "Lifesource". S.Salem. $1.75 Dark murky brown/amber ale with a lovelly thick light tan head. Pretty hoppy aromas..resiny,spruce like type...a little caramel malt. Despite the hoppy nose the flavour is full on chewy,toffee,caramel maltiness..hops you can feel them underneath..stopping this from being over sweet. Nice palate..strong and smooth..very chewy. Overall a very very nice malty winter ale.

Serving type: bottle

11-04-2011 03:14:24 | More by Reidrover

drabmuh

Maryland

3.55/5  rDev -8.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Served in a Bruery tulip. Beer is dark amber / red and hazy (served with sediment) form a big off white head of small and medium bubbles, tons of lacing on this one, looks pretty nice.

Beer smells a little like spice but overall the aroma is quite weak.

Beer is medium to big in body and has some odd dryness at the back that brings forward some spiciness to the whole thing. It's OK overall but not my favorite old ale / spiced ale. Just an average experience overall.

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2010 00:34:26 | More by drabmuh

Spikester

Oregon

4.22/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

First time I have seen this beer from Terminal Gravity. Picked up a six pack at Market of Choice in West Linn. Dark hazy red with a good three fingers of tan head. Good amount of lacing and the foam cap lasts all the way to the bottom of the glass. Aroma of floral hops and sugary malts. Taste is big bitter fruity hops with plentiful malts to lend support. Mouthfeel is good with just enough carbonation and a medium body. Alcohol is obvious but not bothersome on the palate. Drinkability is perhaps too good given the 8.4% abv. A couple of these could really give you an attitude adjustment. A powerfull Old Ale that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Serving type: bottle

12-23-2010 07:23:28 | More by Spikester

ElGordo

Oregon

3.65/5  rDev -6.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours an orange-amber brown color with a slightly cloudy body and a small tan head. Malt-forward aroma with a good dose of citrusy hops - notes of some dark fruit, maple, a touch of brown sugar, and a good whiff of booze. Palate is again rather malty up front, with a decent balance of citrusy hops to balance things out before the swallow. The sweetness of the malt lingers for a while, with a trailing hoppy bitterness that sticks around after the swallow. More than a little alcohol heat on the finish. Maltier than most TG beers, but still with a decidedly hoppy kick.

Serving type: bottle

12-22-2010 05:40:22 | More by ElGordo

djeucalyptus

Oregon

3.6/5  rDev -7.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

pours a cloudy golden ruby hue with a thick, light tan meringue-like head has amazing retention and leaves stunning cloud-like lacing.

aroma is surprisingly fruity. orange, grapefruit, candied hops. sugary. light malts, a touch of vanilla. peat. and more hops. Really fruity hop-forward.

Taste, not surprisingly, follows the aroma in it's fruit-forward, hoppy profile. lemon, grapefruit and orange. Strong bitterness overpowers most of the flavors except for the lingering sweetness. Seems somewhat unbalanced... maybe needs a bit of time? maybe a bit young?

Mouth is really creamy yet a bit thin for the style. a clean dryness finishes nicely leaving a lingering bitterness. I'm wanting a bit more thickness to help the flavors along.

All in all, this is one interesting beast. Somewhere between an old ale and a strong IPA. Way hoppier without the intense malt backbone I've come to know and love from old ales. Not quite strong enough to be a sipper, but a bit intense for anything less. An interesting beast... hopefully with the hops mellowing a bit over time, this may turn into something beautiful. it seems like all the elements are already there.

Serving type: bottle

12-09-2010 06:42:29 | More by djeucalyptus

cbarrett4

Oregon

4.18/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from tap into pint glass at Nano-brew festival PDX.

I love the brews from Terminal Gravity and have seen it in 6 packs, but couldn't pull the trigger for a $12 six pack of a seasonal I haven't tried.

This batch claims to be from the last keg and aged 16 months.

Pours with a darkly amber hue, short head and light lace. The nose assails you like a jackhammer, but a jackhammer that is fun and hammers little bursts of joy into your head. I was getting raisin and toffee at first, then earth, some malt, roasted meat, cigar tobacco, and English bread pudding. Soooo complex!

The palate was disappointing after the amazing aromatics. Mainly malts and dark fruit with lingering sweetness. Very good, but not as complex as I had hoped. Imminently drinkable though, despite the 8.4% abv.

Texture was nice, big but not over the top with balance of alcohol, tannins, and acids. Finished nice though a little sweet.

Very good. I wonder if this was a batch aged longer than most? I don't know if I am to be disappointed when I buy it from the store next time!

Serving type: on-tap

08-21-2011 22:13:58 | More by cbarrett4

jdense

Oregon

4.1/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On-tap at EOU Faculty Lounge in The Big, OR, poured into frosted pint glass (arghh), $5, 12.27.10. Had this many, many times before, review based on 2010 version.

Light tan one-finger head over fairly dark brown clear body, significant amount of lacing after fairly slow dissipation. Really surprised at the nose, the traditional Festivale aroma, huge maltiness, bready, sweet, some raisins, balance by big hop noble hop infusion. Taste mirrors nose, quite a bit of roast, not overly sweet and nice hop bitterness on back end. Mouthfeel halfway between medium and full, sticky finish. Really drinkable. IMHO, upon significant reflection, this doesn't taste anything like the bottled version. I like the tap version much better, more of a full boutique, and esp. a fuller mouthfeel. One of Eastern Oregon's better beers. Check it out.

Serving type: on-tap

12-28-2010 05:04:05 | More by jdense

Bfarr

Washington

3.48/5  rDev -10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Deep red hued amber with a thin tan head with excellent lacing. Huge herbal hop aroma. Strong hop taste with a thin malt backbone to add a little substance more than taste. A thick alcohol finish. High carbonation creates quite a tickle going down.

One word to describe this beer: Big. Big hops, big alcohol, big carbonation. It's not exactly a good sit down and sip beer but it's probably great to start a festival out on!

Serving type: on-tap

04-20-2010 00:24:25 | More by Bfarr

beertunes

Washington

3.7/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

The brewery classifies this beer as an Old Ale, not a Barleywine, my review is based on the breweries description.

Served in straight pint glass. Poured a lovely mahogany-brown color with a thick deep tan head that had medium retention and lacing.

A slightly sweet malt aroma is the first thing you notice, behind the sweetness is a hint of spice. I couldn't quite tell if it was from or spices, but I liked that scent. The flavors followed closely to the lead of aroma, with malty goodness upfront and a tickle of hop on the finish.

The body was nicely rounded without being heavy. Drinkabilty was very good for this style, which is generally not a style you have more than a couple of at a time.

Overall a very nice beer, worth your time.

Serving type: on-tap

01-02-2010 23:30:46 | More by beertunes

PDXHops

South Carolina

3.75/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

According to the brewer this is an English Strong Ale or Old Ale, not an American Barleywine. No argument from me after tasting it, and that's how I'm reviewing it. On tap for "Christmas in May" at the Green Dragon.

Deep reddish brown yet see-thru body. Generous cream colored head with decent retention and lacing.

Definitely smells like it's gonna be good. Strong port aroma with plentiful dark fruit and a bit boozy (9.1%, says the description in front of me).

Pretty nice tasting stuff here.. Again, port is very present, with lots of fruitiness and smooth sweetness. Figs, raisins, a hint of cherry and some oranges. A hint of mulled cider. Medium bodied, lightish carbonation with some lingering bitterness in the warm boozy finish.

Overall impression: Complex, enjoyable and warming brew. Recommended for sure.

Serving type: on-tap

05-14-2009 22:35:02 | More by PDXHops

olmatty

Oregon

4.3/5  rDev +10.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance- Dark brown liquid with a low light tan head

Smell- Creamy, Earthy and a bit sour maltiness

Taste-A touch roasty, chocolatey, caramel and biscuit. Dark and lightly spicy. Complex with a slight sourness to the malts, pleasantly smooth yeast presence and very nicely balanced. Probably one of the best beers I've had.

Mouthfeel- Smooth carbonation and a silky warming sensation

Drinkability- Very easy drinking, especially for a beer with this much flavor. A testament to balance. May be the smoothest beer at this level of ABV.

Now available in bottles.

Serving type: on-tap

01-13-2009 07:42:10 | More by olmatty

cswhitehorse

Oregon

3.53/5  rDev -9.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

The Festive ale was poured downtown at the Pilsner room in Portland. It was nice to get to taste something other than their money IPA which I love. The Festive was dark reddish brown and had a tiny foam head with little retention.

The aroma was definitely spicy which should be the case and I smelled some deep caramel and nutmeg.

The taste was smooth but didn't have a complete depth to it.

The mouth feel was semi carbonated with a nice touch in the back of the throat.

Overall I would try it again if I could find it in someplace other than an obscure place near downtown.

Serving type: on-tap

12-18-2007 07:13:12 | More by cswhitehorse

ccrida

Oregon

3.6/5  rDev -7.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

4oz. snifter at Lucky Lab fest, the appearance is light burnt gold/amber with a thick, 1 finger white head. Looks like an IPA.

The aroma is sweet and rich malt, nice but not very complex.

The taste is pleasant, rich but not to malty, tart, with a dry, fuselly bite on the finish.

Mouthfeel was creamy.

Drinkablity was nothing special, a bit sour and not notable enough to warrant seeking out again, but good nevertheless.

Serving type: on-tap

05-24-2007 20:48:46 | More by ccrida

Dubbercody

Washington

3.9/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Mmmm...this amber American Winter Warmer is darn tasty....sweet with a softly hoppy nose and body. really easy to drink so I had another pint.

Very nice and I liked it a lot. Nicely caramel with the hops keeping the malt from going overboard. Doesn't coat the mouth so it's tasty in that good way without being smackingly overwhelming.

Serving type: on-tap

12-30-2006 02:17:34 | More by Dubbercody

HiroProtagonist

Maryland

4.08/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Served at Horse Brass in Portland in a 10 oz mini-imperial pint glass. Color was a hazy orange-brown/copper with a low fine tan head. FestiveAle smelled of mild sweet malts with an assertive resiny hop profile, typical of a barleywine. The taste was lightly sweet but crisp followed by an extremely hoppy bitterness; probably 100 BU's. The flavors were well balanced and tasty. The brew was a bit thinner than I thought it should be, but it still was adequately smooth and full. The drinkability was similar to any barleywine...a glass or pint is the right amount for a sitting. Overall a good barley wine that is comparable to Fish Tale's 10th anniversary.

Serving type: on-tap

01-04-2004 19:35:49 | More by HiroProtagonist