Happy Ending - Brandy Barrel Aged - San Diego Brewing Co.

charlzm

California

4.19/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Consumed July 29th, 2012 at the brewery.

Appearance: clear, deep amber with no head or sheeting of note.

Aroma is dark plums, dates, figs, brandy.

Flavor - as aroma, with some peppery notes. Very low bitterness. More like Alesmith's Grand Cru than any barleywine I have ever had.

Mouthfeel : smooth, thick.

This is an absolute joy to drink and should help put aside thoughts that San Diego brewers are only interested in Quintuple dry hopped triple IPAs. Or sours, or whatever is trendy.

Serving type: on-tap

07-31-2012 19:00:24 | More by charlzm

t0rin0

California

3.75/5  rDev -8.1%

12-27-2012 02:13:48 | More by t0rin0

pperez38

California

3.5/5  rDev -14.2%

12-09-2011 06:30:34 | More by pperez38

womencantsail

California

3.58/5  rDev -12.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

On-tap at Strong Ale 2011

Pours a sort of copper color with a fair amount of red to it. A very nice aroma, full of brandy, caramel, brown sugar, dark fruits, and vanilla. The flavor also has these same attributes, but is cloyingly sweet. Far too much caramel and tons of overripe fruit. Medium bodied with low to medium carbonation and a sticky feel on the tongue.

Serving type: on-tap

12-06-2011 18:03:44 | More by womencantsail

BigJK

California

5/5  rDev +22.5%

11-16-2011 01:25:04 | More by BigJK

HopHead84

California

4.47/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

11/13/2011

On tap at O'Brien's.

A: Crimson tinged amber with a finger of beige foam. Nice color.

S: Dried fig and date with a huge brandy profile. Toffee is rich and pronounced, with more subtle notes of caramel. Booze is well masked. Sweetness is candied in character. Oak is light.

T: Big toffee and caramel notes with a lot of brandy flavor. I get a little date and earth with a lot of candied sweetness. Alcohol is well hidden and oak is drying in the finish. Pretty awesome.

M: Upper medium body with upper moderate carbonation. The mouthfeel is sticky and smooth.

Overall: Great. I'm not sure of the style but it seems like an English Barleywine so I'll enter it as such.

Serving type: on-tap

11-14-2011 00:58:42 | More by HopHead84