Summer 2010 Vintage - Blackberry - Almanac Beer Co.

nickd717

California

4.13/5  rDev +6.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

22oz bottle.

Hazy orangish-golden color with a small white head that leaves some lacing on the glass.

The aroma is of blackberries, pepper, honey, oak, red wine, and some farmyard notes.

The flavor is very nice, with a touch of sweetness and a mild tartness. The yeast profile is distinctively Belgian with maybe even a touch of brett, and there is a peppery/spicy character to it. Blackberries are somewhat assertive and there’s just a hint of red wine. Decent oakiness.

Great mouthfeel with lively carbonation and not too much heft to it given the ABV.

This is a nice beer that has evolved in the bottle in the few months since it was released. If you didn’t care for it when it first came out, I recommend giving it a second try. Jesse and Damian are doing great things with this brewery and they’re definitely one to watch.

Serving type: bottle

10-04-2011 23:56:10 | More by nickd717

vfgccp

New York

4.16/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottled May 2011, opened May 2013.

A – Bright, opaque, dusty honey body. Fine, bone-white head has ok retention and lace.

S – Sweet honey, banana pudding, mixed berries, vanilla, sweet rice.

T – Sharp acidity. Lemon-lime Gatorade, fermented berries, honey, wheat, touch of oak.

M – Big carbonation on a smooth, medium frame.

O – A few years did this bottle well. Great integration on an excellent flavor profile. Another great beer from Almanac.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2013 02:14:07 | More by vfgccp

pperez38

California

3.75/5  rDev -3.6%

05-02-2013 10:39:29 | More by pperez38

brentk56

North Carolina

3.76/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Bottle No. 344

Appearance: Pours a hazy honey golden color with a modest head that leaves some splashy lace

Smell: Blackberries and wine barrels, with Belgian yeast undertones and a grassy character

Taste: The Belgian yeast character overwhelms the front end (I read somewhere that this was the Duvel strain) with the tart blackberry aspect developing in the middle; after the swallow, the wine barrels add a tannic dryness, with the tartness of the berries bringing up the rear

Mouthfeel: Medium body with moderate carbonation

Overall: There is a lot going on with this beer, almost too much; the yeast strain is a bit too strong for the rest of the flavors and the blackberries might be just a bit too tart without adding enough of their fruit; having tasted some other Almanac beers lately, I think this brewery is coming along from some of the elements that are distracting in this beer

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2013 22:40:53 | More by brentk56

DJButters

California

4.25/5  rDev +9.3%

03-21-2013 20:07:16 | More by DJButters

GRG1313

California

3.75/5  rDev -3.6%

03-02-2013 18:22:53 | More by GRG1313

UCLABrewN84

California

3.93/5  rDev +1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to drewone for sharing this one at jmgrub's birthday tasting.

Bottled 5/29/11. Bottle # 1152.

Pours a murky honey orange with a foamy bone colored head that settles to a film on top of the beer. Small dots of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of malt, honey, berries, wine, and wood. Taste is much the same with a slightly sour berry flavor on the finish. There is a mild amount of woody bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a good level of carbonation with a crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a good beer that is tasty and light.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2013 02:53:11 | More by UCLABrewN84

drewone

California

4/5  rDev +2.8%

02-25-2013 00:30:54 | More by drewone

spycow

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev -3.6%

01-17-2013 05:43:43 | More by spycow

CheapBeerBuzz

California

4.25/5  rDev +9.3%

12-17-2012 23:12:20 | More by CheapBeerBuzz

Pinche_Oso

California

4/5  rDev +2.8%

09-12-2012 15:33:14 | More by Pinche_Oso

trxxpaxxs

New York

3.95/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Big thanks to stupac2 for this one...
Bottled 5/29/11, Bottle # 79

A: Pours a cloudy yellowish gold/peach/grapefruit with a massive amount of pure white head. The foam takes a bit to settle, and leaves a nice bubbly layer along the surface of the beer. There is a solid amount of lacing to this brew as it drinks.

S The nose is straight up funky and sour. I get a definite hit from the wine barrel aging, as well as a good helping of funky yeast. I also pick up notes of mild grain, big citrus, and some serious alcohol.

T: It's sweet to start with the funk coming on strong right after. The sweetness carries through in the middle, where it mixes with some citrus. The finish is bittersweet, funky, and a bit dry. I really don't get any blackberry at all.

M: Medium bodied beer. It looks light, but there is a good amount of heft to this one. It starts out sweet and cloying, but gets really yeast and funk-i-fied in the middle. The finish is a mix of all of those, and in the end it is a bit dry.

O: Solid beer. I remembered it more fondly the last time I tried it, but it's still a good beer. Now that I have had the opportunity to write down my thoughts, I don't think I'd seek this beer out again.

Serving type: bottle

08-21-2012 21:00:58 | More by trxxpaxxs

t0rin0

California

3.75/5  rDev -3.6%

08-18-2012 12:59:15 | More by t0rin0

elNopalero

Texas

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

I purchased this bottle when it was released. A special occasion beer for a special occasion. And what could be more special than… Wednesday night?. Bottle #2015, bottled on 5/29/2011, poured in its proper glassware and shared on 4/25/2012.

This pours a cloudy golden-straw color with a billowy cap of foam topping it.

I pick up a traditional Belgian golden ale aroma, rounded yeasty esters—but no blackberries. To be honest the aroma isn’t spectacular, which is only to say that I had expected to be amazed by everything about this beer. Did the blackberries fade like hops over the course of a year? Where’d they go?

On the flavor I find an oak presence, almost like a chardonnay feels to me (coming from a non-wine person, admittedly). Only the most nuanced of berry notes remains, and that might be more from the power of suggestion than anything I actually can taste. Hops have faded as well. The beer is effervescent with a dry, gentle body and a finish just to the side of being resiny. No complaints regarding its body or its finish.

I found the beer grew on me as it opened up and devloped. The oak barrel ageing gave it a well-rounded character that I appreciated. While my tasting companion loved this absolutely I am not as enthusiastic about how it came out—but that doesn’t diminish my enthusiasm for the brewers or their process. A mixed review, to be sure.

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2012 21:50:12 | More by elNopalero

jpajpajeff

California

4/5  rDev +2.8%

04-15-2012 22:11:56 | More by jpajpajeff

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

4.13/5  rDev +6.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Bottle # 3,444

From the first time I saw the Almanac website, which was my introduction to the brewery, this beer was at the top of my list of ones I hoped and wished I would get to try.

Looks very interesting on the pour. Nose is soft. Flavor seems to have many things coming together and then hitting you at once. I want to say that the variety of berries in this beer creates a somewhat muddled delivery. There is no distinct character showing through over any other. There seems to be a mild funky thing going on so far in the back of this that you have to wonder if it's waiting to make a grander appearance. I will assume that this is from the barrels. Interestingly, I had this in a wine fridge which didn't chill it down to being cold, and after it warmed up it seemed to open a bit and get more interesting.

Overall, this is a pretty good belgian ale. I think that aging this one may produce some interesting characteristics; but who can guess what that may end up being.

Beautiful design on the label too, by the way.

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2012 08:17:19 | More by RblWthACoz

bigaltemple

Colorado

3.85/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

#3075 Bottled on 5/29/11

Thanks to leschkie for the LIF

A - Pours a hazy, pale straw color. Four-finger, fizzy white head slowly settles to one-finger width and remains throughout the drink. Some light patchy lacing.

S - Can't say anything is extraordinary about the nose. I do detect some oak from the barrels. Berries don't really come through, or are a little overpowered by the yeastiness.

T/M - I do enjoy it. Berries come through more and more as it warms. No sign of being 8%. Definite wine/chardonnay characteristics. Highly carbonated. Very prickly and delightful.

O - Has some very good things going for it. Liked it enough to be interested in Almanac's other "seasonals".

Serving type: bottle

04-12-2012 01:12:50 | More by bigaltemple

chugalug06

Colorado

4.15/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A - Huge white foamy/soapy head. Mild lacing remains on the glass. Medium viscosity.

S - Very dry and champagne scented. White grape and bitter berry. Berries open up when the beer comes to room temperature.

T/M - Very dry (think champagne). No heat whatsoever. Huge white grape from the oak barrels. You can tell Chardonnay barrels were used. The berries have fell apart by this point and are very bitter and hard pressed. Perfect carbonation.

O - This is definitely the champagne of beers...The closest i've ever had... A unique brew, not for all, but quite complex and enjoyable, in a weird way. I really wished this beer was tart and forward. All-in-all, a very enjoyable beer! Thank you dsgolovin!

Serving type: bottle

03-01-2012 03:46:52 | More by chugalug06

imperialking

Illinois

3.5/5  rDev -10%

01-08-2012 21:33:57 | More by imperialking

rob133

California

4/5  rDev +2.8%

12-27-2011 23:36:48 | More by rob133

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.88/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Interesting and complex creation.Dark coloured body. Yeasty initially, and then bold berry fruity flavour, finishing with abundant merlot tannin flavour, and somewhat drying. The smell did not give away the mystery of the berries. Tremendous range of flavour, best experienced at about room temperature. I could not knock this bomber off myself, but could easily do so with two or three people round a campfire.Thanks Tom.

Serving type: bottle

12-13-2011 03:25:14 | More by northyorksammy

ThePorterSorter

New York

4.5/5  rDev +15.7%

12-12-2011 04:38:10 | More by ThePorterSorter

dogfishandi

New York

4/5  rDev +2.8%

12-12-2011 03:51:56 | More by dogfishandi

sliverX

New York

4/5  rDev +2.8%

12-11-2011 21:32:42 | More by sliverX

JAHMUR

Connecticut

3.5/5  rDev -10%

12-09-2011 13:52:48 | More by JAHMUR