Threes - Eagle Rock Brewery

UCLABrewN84

California

3.56/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 3.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

Pours a murky honey orange with a foamy beige head that settles to wisps of film on top of the beer. Small dots of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of malt, rye, peaches, and vanilla. Taste is much the same with an alcohol kick on the finish. There is a medium amount of hop bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp and medium bodied mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty good beer with some good smells but unfortunately the taste doesn't match up.

Serving type: bottle

02-16-2013 23:42:43 | More by UCLABrewN84

drgonzo2k2

California

3.75/5  rDev +0.8%

04-21-2013 15:02:51 | More by drgonzo2k2

drewone

California

3.75/5  rDev +0.8%

03-16-2013 05:23:25 | More by drewone

zestar

California

3.75/5  rDev +0.8%

03-09-2013 08:55:20 | More by zestar

GRG1313

California

4.04/5  rDev +8.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

This is Eaglerock's third year anniversary strong ale.

Pours a dark clear mahogany with orange/red tint and a nice rich off white head.

Nose is a sweet lightly burned carmel toffee with rye spice undertones. It IS a rye American Strong Ale so it's very nice to actually get the assertive rye character in the nose.

Mouthfeel is rich and full with nice carbonation. Big and bold in the mouth.

Flavor profile is big, bold and assertive rye bread, toast, lightly burned carmel and toffee. Light burnt coffee notes and big black bitter chocolate tones.

Finish is all grapefruit skin oil, oily espresso and bitter roasted grains. Big beer with a rye whiskey note throughout.

Serving type: bottle

03-08-2013 05:25:41 | More by GRG1313

leodarko

California

4/5  rDev +7.5%

03-06-2013 03:13:31 | More by leodarko

ngeunit1

California

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

A - Fairly clear copper-orange with a finger of frothy off-white head. Fades fairly slowly.

S - Sweet caramel and bready malts, spicy rye, grapefruit, citrus, pine, and grassy hops, hint of booze.

T - Sweet caramel and bready malts, grapefruit, orange, citrus, pine, and floral hops, some bitterness, spicy rye, a hint of booze.

M - Medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Smooth with a sweet, spicy, and warming finish.

D - Nice rye strong ale. Good overall balance.

Serving type: bottle

02-25-2013 06:28:44 | More by ngeunit1

kornkid8600

California

2.5/5  rDev -32.8%

02-18-2013 23:09:25 | More by kornkid8600

MrVonzipper

California

4/5  rDev +7.5%

02-14-2013 09:58:57 | More by MrVonzipper

kojevergas

California

3.88/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

22 fl oz brown glass bottle with waxed over pressure cap acquired at an egregious price at Eagle Rock. Third anniversary beer. American Strong Ale brewed with rye. Expectations are above average; this brewery has delivered a lot of disappointment but every so often they'll surprise me. I haven't had a beer in this style for a long time so I'm looking forward to it. Plus the rye sounds interesting. Reviewed live. Label is orange and brown.

Served after a substantial warming period following its removal from the fridge. Side-poured with standard vigor as no carbonation issues are anticipated. Served into a New Belgium stem-goblet.

Hot damn it took me a while to chew through that wax with a knife in order to open the damn thing. I respect that; if you're gonna wax a beer, do it right. Good show, lads.

A: Pours a 2.5 finger milky beige colour head of lovely cream and thickness, and great retention (~6 minutes) for the high ABV. Body colour is a clear translucent copper. Quite vibrant and appealing. No yeast particles are visible. No bubble show. It's looking quite appealing. I'm excited to try it.

Sm: Rich evocative amber malts are complemented fantastically by the subtly executed rye. Butterscotch, toffee, cream. All subtle and light. Fresh and appealing. Little yeast character if any. Hopping is moderate but faded, with generic floral character dominating. Firm malty sweetness gives it a guiding backbone. It smells delightful. Eagle Rock brewed this? Gorgeous. Shaping up to be really enjoyable. One of the most pleasant aromas in the style I've ever experienced.

T: Rich well layered buttery malts with accompanying pleasant sweetness. Floral hopping is a bit high for the style but complements the malts well, lending pleasant light flowery character to balance the subtle rye. Speaking of rye, I love that character here. It really integrates well into the flavour profile and is subtly executed. I can see traces of a rye whiskey influence there. Delicious. Biscuity malts are prominent. The butterscotch and light toffee lend needed complexity and work well together, playing off the simple yet effective malty core. The balance is wondrous. Complex enough, with some interesting subtlety. A hint of bitterness does poke out just before the finish, but combined with the grainy rough rye it feels like it belongs. It's certainly bready. The malts have a distinct English character to them; many are reminiscent of what you'd expect from a fine English barleywine or a more experimental wee heavy. I don't have the expertise to pick out what causes this, but I imagine it lies in the malt selection. In any case, it really works here.

Mf: Chewy, bready, and just thick enough. A bit buttery. Smooth and wet. Somewhat refreshing. Delightfully soft - a rare feature for an American Strong Ale. A bit scratchy from the rye, but it helps coax out the finer notes and keeps things interesting. Carbonation is high but forgivable. A bit creamy. All around, it's well executed and complements the flavour profile rather well. Bravo.

Dr: It's a sipper, but a pleasant and drinkable one. Hides its ABV well. I wouldn't want more than one bottle in a night, but I'll enjoy the hell out of the one I'm having. I wouldn't buy this again at its unfairly high price point, but it may well be the best beer I've had from Eagle Rock (though that isn't saying much). Sometimes I wonder if they bring in someone who actually knows what they're doing to brew these special releases; their other offerings just don't stack up. In any case, I'd definitely recommend giving this one a go if your wallet can take the hit and you're in the mood for the style. A surprising success from Eagle Rock.

B+

Serving type: bottle

02-10-2013 20:36:20 | More by kojevergas