Old Powderhouse - Mystic Brewery

JD4Cali

Rhode Island

4.6/5  rDev +17%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 5

I had this at a very very very nice Boston restaurant. Something like a champagne cork finish had me expecting a lot of froth but it poured with very little carbonation. Seriously cloudy with all kinds of chunkies! Not that chunkies are bad, I like the earthy, rusticality. This is my kind of aroma! Toffee and toasted walnuts with a mild hint of cocoa. Yay! Tastes like dark caramel and is really nice and sweet. I found myself just letting it all linger between sips. So much to enjoy!

Serving type: bottle

04-29-2013 19:34:20 | More by JD4Cali

jdhilt

New Hampshire

4.21/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Pours with a two-finger, khaki head that fades quickly leaving traces of lace. Hazy amber color. Good carbonation and medium bodied. Nose is dark fruit and malt and flavor is sweet dark fruit, mellow wheat. High ABV is hidden. Nice wheatwine. $14.99 for a 750ml bottle, from Giles Fine Wine Arlington, MA.

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2013 21:53:11 | More by jdhilt

BeerFMAndy

Wisconsin

4.63/5  rDev +17.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

750 ml cork and caged bottle poured into a snifter.
11% ABV, Batch 8, Serving 50°F (stange pictured)

I'm incredibly excited to open this one! Not only does it have a fantastic, sexy, elusive screened label, but I LOVE wheatwines. Thank you very much Rochefort10NH!

A - The easy cork release and waft of thick gunsmoke from the bottle prompt quick reflexes out of me, but thankfully this is no gusher. Pouring a dirty apricot golden color a tightly packed off white head floats briefly on the beer. It's no surprise with as much alcohol is in here it disappears leaving specks of lace on the glass.

S - Old Powderhouse has a soothing, smooth, intoxicating aroma that begs for whiff after whiff to explore it's intricacies. Loads of soft wheat and pale malt blend behind the mellow aroma of pineapple, passion fruit, herbal hops and spicy alcohol. By no means boozy, this high alcohol beer features quite a bit of caramel and fruit sweetness.

T - I was unsure about the notes of tropical fruit from the American hops but they manage to blend exceptionally well with the beer's sweet base and warm alcohol finish. A touch of graininess and Vienna toast pull through the sweet caramel body and outrageously smooth wheat to finish out with a reserved punch of tropical fruit and additional white grape before a lasting herbal hop and alcohol spice finishes on the tongue.

M - Incredibly smooth and soft in body, this medium-full bodied wheatwine has a nice carbonation level of small, tickling bubbles and a balancing, rounding touch of alcohol. The hops which blend so well into the beer otherwise give the sweet body the perfect amount of bitterness, balancing it out for a scary level of drinkability!

O - I can't say I've heard of Mystic before receiving this bottle in a trade without warning was terrific. They've masterfully blended a strong barleywine with an abundance of smooth wheat for a round feel and flavor that's accented by alcohol and hops, not overtaken by them. Ever crevice of this beer demands exploring and though my review is finished, my time contemplating it is not.

Serving type: bottle

12-21-2012 01:47:28 | More by BeerFMAndy

brewandbbq

New Hampshire

4.1/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

750ml bottle, batch #1.

Pours hazy, dark copper with a two inch head of white.

Candied apples, sugar-dusted cloves, pixie dust, and raisins lead off the nose. Hints of pine and cut grass follow through.

Medium bodied with a sticky, tacky mouthfeel.

Sweet malt, rum-soaked raisins, grape hard candies, and pine-rubbed fruit starts the palate. Red apples and bubblegum follow through.

Finishes with lingering candied fruit, grass-rubbed pine, and clove-studded apples.

Very nice Wheatwine. Tasting very fresh but a bit sweetish. Cellarworthy.

Serving type: bottle

10-06-2012 00:46:36 | More by brewandbbq

Jwale73

Rhode Island

3.6/5  rDev -8.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Batch 001. 750ml corked and caged bottle served in my ST tulip. Pours a dull golden-orange with a slightly hazy clarity. Head is dense, three inches and cream-colored and eventually settles into a fairly consistent frothy skim with residual spots and strands of lacing adhering to the walls of the glass during the tasting. Nose expresses citrus, pit fruit (slightly soured) and an earthy character. There's also a bit of ethanol towards the finish. Taste follows nose; however, there's a slight peppery/spicy character in the flavor profile. Malt is definitely present, but not overly forward. Mouthfeel is medium-light in body with an even carbonation the falls just shy of lively. I haven't had too many wheatwines; however, I found this one to be decent, albeit not mindblowing. I don't see age doing too much with this beer either. I do have to say that the alcohol is very well-hidden.

Serving type: bottle

09-29-2012 23:44:50 | More by Jwale73

tigg924

Massachusetts

4.1/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured into a tulip at New World Tavern--Plymouth

Appearance: orange-brown in color, cloudy, minimal head, moderate carbonation

Smell: toasted malt, honey, wheat, and alcohol

Taste: wheat, apple, cinnamon, caramel, a touch of pineapple, and alcohol

Mouthfeel: very sweet with alcohol burn, moderate carbonation, heavy bodied

Overall: About as fruity a wheatwine as I have had. An excellent beer that is meant to be drunk slow. I would get this again if I saw it on tap. Good for the style and great overall.

Serving type: on-tap

09-19-2012 13:34:02 | More by tigg924

ppoitras

Massachusetts

3.5/5  rDev -10.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

750ml bottle purchased as a single from somewhere localish. Corked and caged. Batch 001.

Poured into a DFH snifter, formed a 1 1/2" beige head over the cloudy coppery amber brew. Head lasts FOREVER, with tons of sticky lace. Aroma is cloves, fruit, sweetness, what you would expect from a wheat brew.

Taste is sweet and clovey to start, fruit and spices in the middle, and closes with a somewhat harsh alcohol and wheat character. Mouthfeel is a bit bumpy, harsh alcohol kind of upsetting the smoothness one would expect, and drinkability is okay as a result. Needs a bit more mellow.

Serving type: bottle

08-31-2012 01:16:06 | More by ppoitras

johnnnniee

New Hampshire

3.63/5  rDev -7.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a slightly hazy deep golden color with a steady carb stream feeding a huge bubbly tan head that persists forever. Smells of lightly spiced wheat, a bit of orange peel, and grainy bready and caramel malt. The flavor is sweet and a bit subtle. There's a light sweet honey like malt up front followed by some bready and caramel notes as well as a hint of dark berries and a solid dose of ethanol. Medium to thick body with a spirited level of carbonation and a sweet almost syrupy mouthfeel. Nice beer, I'm glad I got to try it, but it doesn't really excite me. Its definitely better as it warms, but its crying for a solid dose of hops in my opinion.

Serving type: bottle

08-04-2012 01:02:24 | More by johnnnniee

WanderingFool

Massachusetts

3.95/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Old Powderhouse pours a cloudy amber with a medium sized, creamy white head on top. The foam dissolves very slowly leaving behind a coating of whiteness on the glass.

The aroma isn't very strong. Notes of orange and lemon citrus, dark bread, caramel and alcohol.

Each sip of this medium to full bodied beer is very creamy, smooth with mild carbonation. The flavor is malty. Bread and wheat, ripe fruit and caramel. It finishes dry with mild earthy grass bitterness. Once gone the caramel and bread notes linger.

For 11% this is an easy drinking beer. Very smooth with well balanced flavor.

Serving type: bottle

07-29-2012 21:51:32 | More by WanderingFool

axeman9182

New Jersey

4/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

750 mL bottle courtesy of jaasen64. It was allowed to warm before being poured into my Duvel tulip.

Old Powderhouse pours a very hazy burnt orange. The off white foam that billows up to crown the beer hits four fingers in height. Head retention is very good, but the lacing left behind is pretty minimal. The nose has plenty of caramel and fruity esters. There's also a little bit of diacetyl present. Flavor wise, dicetyl is a bit more present when the beer's cold, and it's a bit overbearing. It retreats with time though, allowing caramel and apple led fruity esters to shine through. There's also a bit of a warming booziness to the beer. The body is full and creamy, with a carbonation that's just a hair too bubbly and active. It's definitely a minor issue though. I don't know if some more time would let Old Powderhouse finish cleaning up and rounding into form, but it's definitely not drinking badly right now.

Serving type: bottle

07-19-2012 07:27:43 | More by axeman9182

jlindros

Massachusetts

3.95/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a nice fluffy fizzy 1.5 finger head that fades at a decent rate, some lacing, over hazy opaque reddish peach orange color, a pretty decent head for 11% wheatwine.

Nose has sweet malts galore, sweet additions, candy, caramel, toffee, hint of molasses like. Then fruits, juicy fruits that are more berry like, with a like raspberry or blackberry like aroma, with hint of apricot, etc. Light booze and esters, and hints of floral fruity hops, finish off the nose.

Taste starts sweet, quite sweet but not diabetes sweet... with plenty of sweeteners. Booze comes through early as well, with some warming and tingly booze tastes. Sweet additions bring lots of caramel, bit of toffee, molasses, candy, etc. and reddish toasty malts. Also a bit of wheat like flavors and hint of banana I think. Fruits again but not that much, light berry and fruity esters, hint of apricot and apple pear fruits, etc, but all very light. The taste really differentiates the aroma with the big spicy hops, chewy slight earthy spicy hops really dominate, with some bitterness that doesn't get too strong. Then little creamy and plenty of carb keep it from overpowering in any direction. Finish is fairly bitter with a long spicy and chewy hop bitterness, a long tingly slight burning booze like I took a shot of bourbon, and some sweeteners lingering, toffee and caramel, etc.

Mouth is fuller bodied but not heavy, slightly syrupy, good fluffy carb, and lots of booze.

Overall not bad, the booze gets a bit too much, but the malts are nice, sweet flavors are nice, hops add a good touch as well that also doesn't overpower, and good carb, etc, just a bit too boozy.

Serving type: bottle

06-09-2012 01:20:57 | More by jlindros

YouSkeete

Massachusetts

3.63/5  rDev -7.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Cloudy pale orange/brown color with a very bubbly light yellow head. Whole wheat, rye, caramel, fermented fruit, citrus and roasted malts on the forefront of the aroma. Bubbly and bitter punch of sour apples, rye spices, alcohol, nutmeg, and caramel on the first sip. Body remains bitter while the bubbly carbonation and booze lingers on the palate. Dry, syrupy finish.

Serving type: bottle

06-05-2012 03:27:18 | More by YouSkeete

PeterIngemi

Massachusetts

3.98/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Split a 750... Poured into a duvel tulip

A: pour looks syrupy, pours a murky slightly brown orange with a finger and a half of slightly tan creamy head.... Dissapates nicley leaving a touch of lacing. Deffinatly expected a bit more lacing out of this.

S: earthy wheaty Citrus, alcohol, caramel, hint of vanilla. Touch of sweetness. Very nice nose that smells better and better as the brew warms.

T: much like the nose.... Citrusy caramel, with a hint of vanilla over a dry wheat base a with a bot of bitterness on the finish, I feel like the alcohol is well hidden in the taste... Although present, it is not overwhelimg.

M: body on the heavy side of medium, with tight blighting medium carbonation bubbles keeping the brew from getting syrupy.... Dry on the finish.... Grainy in the body.... Very nice mouthfeel.

O: very well rounded wheat wine, a great balance between sweet an dry... Carmel and citrus.... Smooth and grainy.... Really enjoyed this.

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2012 00:16:12 | More by PeterIngemi

SawDog505

New Hampshire

3.43/5  rDev -12.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a 20 oz Duvel tulip. Pours a very murky brownish orange, with a massive 4 inch off white head, with plenty of lacing. Smell is lots of grape, clove, carmel, figs, hard candy, and bread. Taste is less sweet than the nose would lead on, but everything from the nose with fermented grapes being most dominant. A hint of brown sugar, but I have only had one other wheat wine from Smuttynose and that drinks closet to a barleywine then this. Body is thinner than you would expect with it's hefty ABV, plenty of life, not that dry considering the flavors, and surprisingly drinkable. This isn't my favorite type of flavors, but am enjoying anyway.

Serving type: bottle

05-01-2012 01:44:11 | More by SawDog505

MoreThanWine

Massachusetts

3.98/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured a 2.5" caramel colored head with long life. The body is a deep cloudy sienna tan color. It smells of malt, tropical juices, and sweetness. The taste is quite rich with sugar, butterscotch, some malt, a little of the tropical fruit. Quite a long finish. I've got to say it's a little alcoholic, quite a burn to it, and I'm not averse to high alcohol beers I'm just commenting it's quite noticeable.

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2012 15:13:16 | More by MoreThanWine

neophilus

Massachusetts

4.13/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Deep copper colored body with crown of white foam. Smells like red berries with some sweetness behind them, then some spicy/fruity esters behind the berry aroma.

A thick, luscious body greets me with the first sip. Velvety, smooth body with low bitterness. The red berries are in the flavor as well making the beer sweet but light.

Deceptively drinkable, light and mildly sweet with some tartness from the berry flavor to counteract. I wanted another after the first.

Serving type: on-tap

04-18-2012 14:55:30 | More by neophilus

Dope

Massachusetts

4.03/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Batch 1, very fresh.

A: A super cloudy, orange-amber pour. So cloudy it's opaque - like a darker, bigger witbier. Enormous frothy off-white head adorns it. Head retention is top-notch, it's faded about 10% after a minute. Never fully fades away. Making me impatient to drink it! Leaves a thick wall of lacing down the glass.

S: Well where, to start. There's wheat, followed by more wheat. Bread with some orange peel.

T: Huge wheaty malt up front and throughout. Bitter oranges in there and some spices that I can't quite figure out. Is it pepper and coriander? Honestly it tastes like the world's biggest witbier. No real indication as to the alcohol content. Just the slightest burn in the residual aftertaste.

M: Big but not syrupy. Carbonation is right on. A bit drying.

O: Well, an interesting wheatwine if there ever was one. Honestly it looks and tastes like the world's biggest witbier. Like someone took a witbier recipe and just doubled or tripled it. It's good, a bit simple - perhaps more complex when it's got some age on it. Plenty fine as is, nice and wheaty and fruity. Let this one warm up fully, it's much nicer that way.

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2012 04:32:04 | More by Dope