Thomas Jefferson Ale In French Oak - Taps Fish House & Brewery

MrVonzipper

California

4.47/5  rDev +20.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On tap @Stone 15th Anniversary VIP section (Very surprised by the other reviews because along with several others, I thought this was fantastic)
Hazy caramel-brown. Light tan head. Low retention and lacing.  A little syrupy and viscous.

Big sweet and rich nose. Deep dark maltiness and dark fruit. Distinct Prunes and a little Raisin.

Big flavor. Dark fruit up front, prunes/raisin. Nice transition of flavors. Big changes. Sweetness. Oaky. Nutty. 

Pretty viscous. Med creamy carb. very viscous. Great palate coating viscosity.

Overall it's a fantastic beer. Very bold and complex. My first Taps beer. Had a saison of theirs which was good after. I look forward to trying more of their stuff.

Serving type: on-tap

08-22-2011 05:01:19 | More by MrVonzipper

t0rin0

California

2.5/5  rDev -32.6%

02-26-2013 15:59:35 | More by t0rin0

drjman

4.5/5  rDev +21.3%

05-30-2012 15:27:13 | More by drjman

FosterJM

California

4/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

825th Review on BA
Bottle to tulip
12oz, no label/silver cap

Thanks to JazzPatel for giving this one to GuruDel

App- This was a medium caramel/amber brown with a one finger head. A little bit of scattered cling down the glass and a nice ripply layer of smooth foam on top

Smell- Rich aromatics with a lot of caramel and bready malts behind this one. Very oak forward with a touch of sweetness. Dominated by the richer malts.

Taste- Very smooth with a medium amount of bready malt flavors. The oak adds a good ripple to the taste with a rich lush taste with a creamy note as well. A little bit more of the caramel sweetness is on the taste versus the nose.

Mouth- A fairly balanced medium bodied beer with a balanced carbonation. Nice creamy, malty & sweet flavors.

Drink- This was very good. I wouldn't call it a strong ale, It really does retain a lot of its Barrel notes for a barley-wine. Light in comparison compared to say Abacus or MoaS but still very good.

Serving type: bottle

09-23-2011 19:30:54 | More by FosterJM

ehammond1

California

4.1/5  rDev +10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Bottle

Stone 15th Anniversary Celebration
CSU, San Marcos
San Marcos, CA

(Poured from a 22oz. brown glass bottle on ice)

Dark ruby and brown with a thin, light brown head. Spotted lacing down the glass.

Incredibly rich and complex aroma. There's a huge oak presence (truthfully, there's too much oak), though I also find sweet caramel, dark fruits like plums or dates, and an always present alcohol sting.

Rich flavors, nearly too much oak, though the dark fruits, caramel, and toffee sweetness are able to shine through, especially as the beer warms. Not nearly as much alcohol heat as I would have expected from a beer of this magnitude.

Medium to thick mouthfeel.

This beer was a true delight and one I was very happy to see on the list during the Stone event. It's like an oak-aged dubbel/quad/strong ale/barleywine hybrid...kudos to you, Mr. Thomas Jefferson (and Taps, of course).

Serving type: bottle

08-26-2011 22:50:23 | More by ehammond1

PeprSprYoFace

California

3.8/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

On tap at Bruery provisions. Taster in a flight. Poured into a wine raster glass. Pours a nice amber brown with redish hues. Nice tan head and lacing. Looks good.

Aroma is awesome. Caramel and dark fruits. Kinda oaky. Smells like an angels share type beer.

Taste falls short. It's has that awesome caramel dark fruit flavor but has a weird bitterness that doesn't do well with the beer. A bit too oaky too.

Mouthfeel is super smooth and creamy. Almost nitro tap.

I can see how this beer would be amazing if the bitterness was reduced and a but more caramel malt was added. It's ok as is though.

Serving type: on-tap

07-09-2011 02:53:15 | More by PeprSprYoFace

womencantsail

California

2.58/5  rDev -30.5%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2

On-tap at Oakquinox

A: The pour is a dark amber color with a finger of creamy tan head.

S: Intense vinegar and acetone aromas are present immediately. There is a strange fruitiness and tartness. Green apple, booze, and heat. Just quite harsh all around.

T: Hot booze and acetone flavor. Mild vinegar tartness along with green apples. Toasted malt and bread with a fairly strong oak flavor. Just as rough as the nose and difficult to drink.

M: Medium in body with the carbonation on the low end of medium.

O: Too bad this worked out so poorly because I quite liked some of their other barrel aged beers.

Serving type: on-tap

04-24-2011 04:35:32 | More by womencantsail