Descendant Dark Ale - Mystic Brewery

jondeelee

Massachusetts

3.63/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Descendant Dark Ale opens with a spicy, peppery, malty nose. The aromas here bear witness to the “dark” part of the beer’s name, focusing heavily on chocolate, whole wheat toast crust, molasses and brown sugar, fig, anise, and dark caramels. Smatterings of peppery spice punctuate the nose, joined by kola nut. There’s also a lighter layer here, though, with candi sugar-like notes and touches of vanilla, lending the beer a sweet-shop like undertone, which provides strange, but lovely interplay with the darker tones. Hops are present in just enough quantity to add a grapefruit and light pine edge to the aromas. As a whole, the nose is quite interesting, being varied and nuanced, and is very inviting. My only qualm is that the nose is lighter than expected, likely a side effect of the lower 7% ABV, and I wanted a greater sugary malt presence.

On the tongue, the beer opens with dark ashy notes, bringing coffee and tobacco, but these are quickly joined by an excellent series of fruity esters, bringing fig, orange, apricot, berry, and touches of banana. Hops add a smidgen of citrusy grapefruit and lemon. The sugars die off after a little while, and the ashy notes rise again, with black malt and tobacco present in good quantity. The aftertaste is almost entirely ashy notes, and fades with moderate quickness. Mouthfeel is medium-light to medium, and carbonation is very high, almost champagne-like, and burns the tongue and soft palate.

Overall, there are excellent flavors in this brew, and the combination of ash and lovely fruit esters was delightful. However, the flavors ultimately come across as quite light and airy in presence, fading quickly and never quite reaching a decent strength even at their zenith, giving the brew a watery feel. And the high levels of carbonation add a strange mouthfeel, and quickly fill the stomach with air. Tone down the bubbly and boost the amount of ingredients by a few notches—say, make it 10% ABV—and this will be great beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2012 18:08:39 | More by jondeelee

Maxwell

Massachusetts

4.01/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 4.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

The beer pours a molasses color and sits in the glass as mahogany brown with a massive head of light khaki-colored bubbles of all shapes and sizes, which takes its time in dissipating. The head leaves a ringed lacing of fat soapy bubbles on the glass. In body, the beer appears too dark for light to penetrate it, though it did seem clean as the beer was being poured. That being said, the folks at Mystic are the wizards of yeast, and they don’t filter their beers, so I’m willing to bet there are a few floaties hanging out in this beer. On the nose, the beer smells initially like a metallic pear, but not in a bad way. As you shove your nose in this beer it opens up into soft cocoa scents with touches of earthy espresso and dark fruity notes. The smell is soft and subtle on the nose, much like an Irish dry stout is, but this smell is also deeply complex and interesting with yeast esters. On the tongue, the beer tastes sweet and then tart, and then slightly bitter with roast. In flavor it begins like a classic stout with dry roasty chocolate and coffee flavors and even a touch of coffee, but this is then blanketed as the taste moves forward and yeast esters plunge onto the tongue to suggest funky dark fruit flavors with a slightly metallic twinge. Pear and even slight peach flavors can also be tasted in the esters. The beer finishes closer to a dry stout with bitter roast, but with a nice tart dark fruit kick that adds complexity to the finish. The aftertaste is fairly soft and sweet with light fruit flavors and a faint reminder of dried roast malt with a touch of smoke. In the mouth the beer feels fluffy with medium carbonation and a slight pucker from the acid. In body the beer feels just about medium, and after the beer leaves the mouth is left slightly dry but puckering. Overall, this is a fantastically bizarre beer. It’s not an Irish dry stout at all, though it does show some qualities of a dry stout. It has amazing funky esters, and could quite well be the start of a new style. A New England Dark Ale! Or a Suffolk Dark Ale if we must call it that… Whatever it is, it is super drinkable and tasty, with amazing and flavorful yeast character. Try this beer! It is bizarre and tasty!

Serving type: bottle

05-22-2013 23:01:54 | More by Maxwell

Mike

New Hampshire

3.75/5  rDev +0.5%

05-16-2013 19:33:54 | More by Mike

Kelp

New Hampshire

3.5/5  rDev -6.2%

05-15-2013 04:45:55 | More by Kelp

InspectorBob

New Jersey

3.5/5  rDev -6.2%

05-14-2013 21:27:45 | More by InspectorBob

SupremePie

Vermont

4/5  rDev +7.2%

05-14-2013 03:10:55 | More by SupremePie

TripelMark

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev +13.9%

05-08-2013 21:10:19 | More by TripelMark

dunix

Vermont

4/5  rDev +7.2%

05-07-2013 14:14:47 | More by dunix

JD4Cali

Rhode Island

4.75/5  rDev +27.3%

04-29-2013 11:36:22 | More by JD4Cali

In_Control_Mike

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +7.2%

04-20-2013 02:06:02 | More by In_Control_Mike

DelicateDelirium

Massachusetts

3.75/5  rDev +0.5%

03-31-2013 23:27:09 | More by DelicateDelirium

jaasen64

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +7.2%

02-18-2013 16:02:17 | More by jaasen64

Rutager

British Columbia (Canada)

3.63/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Thank you, Franklinn!!

Appearance. Pours a very deep dark brown with only a little reddish light coming through at the edges, topped with a massive, 3+ fingers of tan head.

Smell. Molasses, dark grainy malts and some dark fruits with just a little bit of herby spices.

Taste. Dark grainy malts again, some fruity yeast, some dark chocolate, maybe a little dark fruit. Fairly dry and a little bit of booze.

Mouthfeel. Medium+ body with strong, but smooth and soft carbonation.

Overall. Interesting beer that seems to border on a belgian strong ale. Glad to have tried it, thanks again Franklinn!

Serving type: bottle

02-01-2013 03:27:11 | More by Rutager

Anker13

District of Columbia

3.16/5  rDev -15.3%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25

1/26/13- Mystic Brewery| Descendant | Suffolk Dark Ale 750mL 7%ABV

Appearance- in a chalice glass, off white cream colored lacy head that persists for about 1-2 minutes, deep deep mahogany brown, very opaque, little light getting through, slight haze

Aroma- malty upfront, roasted and toasty, bittersweet chocolate with a hint of coffee, yeasty and earthy, mocha, slight dark fruitiness… raisin? Plum? Molasses. Reminds me of a dunkel.

Mouthfeel- Interesting mouthfeel. Not really astringent, but not coating. Juicy is a good way to put it. Very light CO2, really lets the flavor take the lead. Slight puckering?

Taste- Almost like Raisinets (candy), the chocholate and mocha smells really take a backseat to the fruity profile of the beer. The alcohol is definitely a component- any more and this beer would be ruined. Definite molasses, slight cherry, also has winey characteristics

Residual- Weird aftertaste, lingers like a wine. Semi-sweet aftertaste

Overall- An acceptable beer. It’s not bad, probably wouldn’t get it again, but I’m not disappointed at all. Still a tasty beer, different from a lot of beers out there. There’s a lot going on and the flavors continue to get stronger as it warms

Serving type: bottle

01-28-2013 19:19:50 | More by Anker13

b2hogan

Massachusetts

3.75/5  rDev +0.5%

01-28-2013 14:02:14 | More by b2hogan

danmcg62

Massachusetts

3.75/5  rDev +0.5%

01-14-2013 02:07:04 | More by danmcg62

Devi0us

California

3/5  rDev -19.6%

01-12-2013 13:27:30 | More by Devi0us

mdfb79

New York

3.03/5  rDev -18.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

From 12/29/12 notes. Bottle shared by jslot38; thanks Justin.

a - Pours a dark mahogany brown color with a reddish tint, one inch of light tan head and moderate carbonation evident.

s - Smells of dark fruits, spice, yeast, roasted malts, toasted malts, earthy notes, raisins, and plums. Nice nose full of malts and dark fruits.

t - Tastes of dark fruits, raisins, plums, figs, Belgian style yeast, spices, roasted malts, earthy notes, burnt malts, and sugar. Something seems a little off or weird; reminds me slight of the smell of wet dog. Not the biggest fan of the taste.

m - Medium body and moderate carbonation. Smooth and pretty easy to drink; no heat.

o - Overall an interesting beer and hybrid of styles, though I wasn't a huge fan of it. The nose was nice, but I didn't like the taste. Considering I like some of their other saisons, I'd rather grab those off the shelf than revisit this one.

Serving type: bottle

01-04-2013 16:28:00 | More by mdfb79

t0rin0

California

3.5/5  rDev -6.2%

11-22-2012 23:01:28 | More by t0rin0

cfh64

Texas

3.5/5  rDev -6.2%

11-21-2012 21:29:44 | More by cfh64

snowmaggedon

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev +13.9%

11-09-2012 23:20:12 | More by snowmaggedon

gshackles

New York

4.25/5  rDev +13.9%

10-22-2012 02:21:20 | More by gshackles

rab53

Massachusetts

3.5/5  rDev -6.2%

10-02-2012 02:21:27 | More by rab53

ppoitras

Massachusetts

4.03/5  rDev +8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

750ml bottle purchased as a single from somewhere localish. Corked and caged.

Poured into a Harpoon LE tulip, formed a 2" light brown head over the almost opaque dark brown/burgundy brew. Head lasts and lasts, with thick lasting lace. Aroma is tart cherries and coffee.

Taste is chocolate sweetness to start, light fruitiness in the center, and closes with a soft bitterness that leaves with a tart aftertaste. Mouthfeel is smooth, and drinkability is pretty good. Interesting brew.

Serving type: bottle

08-06-2012 02:01:16 | More by ppoitras

markeyri

Massachusetts

3/5  rDev -19.6%

06-18-2012 22:53:38 | More by markeyri