Super Brew 15 - S. C. Martens S. A.

Tragyahn

1.35/5  rDev -30.4%
look: 3 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1.5

Unfortunately I sampled this brew in its native pint bottle and wasn't able to appraise its appearance, but I digress.

I'm a person who judges beer by its flavor. If you want flashy adverts which tell you what the beer you're drinking tastes like then my review can't help you. I'm a person who judges the beer he drinks by the flavors he tastes.

This beer was the roughest I've ever consumed. I don't say this as hyperbole, but as literal fact. I've drank Steel Reserve, Four Loko, and Joose, but this brew from Romania was the worst tasting slag I have ever had the misfortune of wrapping my lips around.

I drank this beer cold (32-37 degrees F) and it still was extremely rough. An initial punch of brandy was countered by a sudden rush of overpowering alcohol and almost savory bready-ness. The aftertaste is worse than Robitussin, and I was hesitant to take a third sip of this vile concoction.

This beer may attract you with its claims of being a Belian-Quad clone, but in all honesty it's worse than the United States equivalent of a cheap malt liquor.

I would rather drink several cans of Steel Reserve than this swill.

Serving type: bottle

02-08-2013 02:46:01 | More by Tragyahn

BubbleBobble

New York

1.55/5  rDev -20.1%
look: 2.25 | smell: 1 | taste: 1.75 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.25

A: Pours a dark, clear caramel. No head after ten seconds, sparse bubbles rising to the surface.

S: The most prevalent smell is of vegetal alcohol. More than anything else, it reminds me of cheap, plastic bottle tequila. It was enough to take my breath away initially (and not in a good way).

T: Not surprisingly, cheap alcohol is the strongest taste. After the initial blast, there is a somewhat pleasant lingering butterscotch aftertaste.

M: Carbonation is small. Coats the tongue like a $10 bottle of brandy.

O: Couldn't make it through an entire bottle. With that said, it does offer a great value for those wanting to get hammered, as I was able to pick up the 500 mL bottle for $2.49.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2013 22:01:15 | More by BubbleBobble

MaxOhle

Illinois

1.25/5  rDev -35.6%

05-14-2013 18:52:19 | More by MaxOhle

ajzy

Wisconsin

1/5  rDev -48.5%

05-11-2013 14:38:24 | More by ajzy

tclang

Wisconsin

1/5  rDev -48.5%

05-11-2013 14:38:19 | More by tclang

azdback

Arizona

2.5/5  rDev +28.9%

05-06-2013 03:46:36 | More by azdback

davey101

Connecticut

2.45/5  rDev +26.3%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 2.5

500 ml bottle into my appropriate Founders 15th anny barleywine glass. Thanks again to match1112 for delivering on my craziest wants. I've heard the reputation of this beer but I had no idea it was hovering around 15% abv....

A - Pours a crystal clear dark brown/orange body. White foam forms quickly but disappears within ten seconds. It looks like a glass of apple juice with rising carbonation. How deceiving it looks!

S - Werthers original mash up of toffee and caramel, burnt malts, and an almost vegetal like fruitiness. Apples? Some cheap fusel booze on the end. Despite coming off as a bit candy like and artificial its not terrible I suppose.

T - Toffee and caramel, fermented apples, and a rough but manageable alcohol bite. It's certainly not appealing or what I would describe as "good" but it is drinkable. Therein lies the problem. It does feel boozy but not 14.9% boozy, its just the richness and sweetness which will slow you down. This is a headache in a bottle.

O - An odd treat from Romania. It wasn't as bad as I was expecting, however the booze will creep up on you when you least expect it. A rather unassuming beer with a dark side. The dark side being that it will totally fuck you up. I feel like I could survive the cold war now.

Serving type: bottle

05-06-2013 03:38:28 | More by davey101

wrightst

Maryland

3/5  rDev +54.6%

04-30-2013 02:40:56 | More by wrightst

Roberto11232

New York

1.5/5  rDev -22.7%

04-17-2013 04:03:19 | More by Roberto11232

michijo

2.21/5  rDev +13.9%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 1.75 | feel: 1.75 | overall: 3

Pure Romanian moonshine. I drank a whole pint of it, and though I didn't get incredibly drunk, that time period has a hazy dark quality. I didn't enjoy it. I imagine 2 pints of this would have produced a strong stumbling gait and perhaps even black-out. Luckily I only had one.

I am convinced that they added pure Vodka into this beer. It has a strong Slavic nature of Eastern Europe vodka drinking. I would avoid this one in the future, unless you like the smell/flavor of pure Denatured Alcohol. I am not convinced that this was not brewed in a mountain still by gypsies.

Serving type: bottle

02-22-2013 02:08:57 | More by michijo

LiquidAmber

Washington

2.6/5  rDev +34%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Poured into a Caracole small snifter. Slight trepidation here….. Pours a medium coppery amber. A rush of carbonation similar to a soda, that hisses and foams very pleasantly for about 15 seconds forming a very brief (about equal to the life of the Higgs boson) head that completely disappears; nice active carbonation in the glass. Aroma of English barleywine elements, bready malt, dark dried fruit, but with an odd light solvent component. Flavor starts out similar to aroma, dark dried fruit and bready malt, alcohol, similar to a cheap brandy. Finishes with malt, alcohol and a similar hint of solvent. Points off for the soda like head formation, but gets some for very nice carbonation; similarly the carbonation gives it an adequate mouth feel. Similar enough to a barleywine flavor to finish the bottle, but this was a one and done for the oddity and to tick Romania (never one of my expected top beer destinations and still holding that title). Try this if you are adventurous, but don't get your hopes up.
This bottle labeled "Old Superior Ale / Beer With Me", but talks about being a classic barleywine and obviously the same beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-12-2013 05:31:23 | More by LiquidAmber

t0rin0

California

1.75/5  rDev -9.8%

12-27-2012 01:13:20 | More by t0rin0

afrokaze

California

1.8/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 1.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Had to grab this when I saw it on sale for $3 - how can I pass up the infamous Romanian barleywine that's 15%? FosterJM, I hope you're happy! Tickers gotta tick.

Pours a dark clear gold with barely any carbonation. Doesn't look much like a barleywine - but at least the head dies after 10 seconds and it looks like piss after a night of drinking too much barleywine.

The smell is pretty much just lots of fusels, but it adds to that whole shady eastern European appeal and lives up to my nightmares. Some vanilla and tobacco come out after it warms, but so does jet fuel.

Cheap oxidized brandy and a crapload of stale pale/amber malt, which technically makes it a barleywine I guess. Or maybe bum-leywine is a more apt description. It's hot as hell but in that manly self-destructive way like cheap whiskey, and the finish is all grain and corn syrup.

The mouthfeel is thick enough to keep it from scorching your taste buds, but it feels more like a DIPA than a barleywine. Also, diabeetus.

I'm not gonna lie, I couldn't get even half way through the bottle before a pre-hangover headache started to come on strong and I had to dump the rest because no one could get past the smell. That being said, if I didn't have work tomorrow I'd just have said fuck it and polished it off because it's that kind of awesomely terrible. Plus, in retrospect, I've had American barleywines that were just as bad that spent time in barrels and cost 10 times as much. And it puts radioactive hair on your chest.

Serving type: bottle

10-23-2012 05:11:00 | More by afrokaze

Travisnin

Idaho

1/5  rDev -48.5%

09-14-2012 06:49:49 | More by Travisnin

DangerDawg

Ohio

1/5  rDev -48.5%

08-31-2012 01:34:36 | More by DangerDawg

Lemke10

Wisconsin

2.45/5  rDev +26.3%
look: 2 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

I bought a 16.9oz bottle of this at Binny's in Plainfield, Il in late 2011 for $3.69.

Pours a clear amber color with almost no head. Scent is floral with hibiscus tones. Taste is rather rough and harsh. It has that bite like a good bourbon barrel stout but is dry and really has a strong alcohol taste to it. Finishes with a slight citrus taste. Interesting style and taste but there is just way to much alcohol in this beer to taste the beer. Great for getting hammered but not very good if you are tasty brew.

Serving type: bottle

06-26-2012 04:46:38 | More by Lemke10

metter98

New York

1.93/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 1.5

A: The beer is clear golden yellow in color and has a light to moderate amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a very thin white head that instantly dissipated, leaving only a thin ring of bubbles around the edge of the glass.
S: There are moderately strong aromas of alcohol and apples in the nose; however these aren’t very pleasant smelling.
T: Similar to the smell, the beer tastes like high proof grain alcohol mixed in with some apple juice.
M: It feels medium-bodied on the palate and has a moderate amount of carbonation. A bit of alcohol warmth is noticeable.
O: I thought that this beer could be difficult to drink based on its high alcohol content, but the smell and taste seem to be what renders it rather undrinkable. I’ve had malt liquors that were easier to consume (and more palatable) than this beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2012 00:57:37 | More by metter98

Ueberales

Tennessee

1.95/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Poured into a hefe glass. Absolutely no head, but the carbonation display was spectacular. It generated a constant curtain of fine bubbles throughout the drinking experience, but a head never formed.

Aroma was very bready initially, but very quickly turned to an overwhelming alcoholic/DMS dominated smell. So alcoholic in fact, it burned a little when taking a deep inhalation.

Mouthfeel was decent. Not too watery, but not very thick. Probably the result of the 15% AVB composition.

Taste was similar to flavored moonshine. No hint of hops whatsoever. Entirely dominated by alcohol. But what would one expect for a 15 percenter? I'm not sure where they got the sugars for the high ABV, but it was probably B infusion of adjuncts. The "barley" in Barrleywine was decidedly absent. A decidedly harsh alcoholic aftertaste dominated the flavor.

Overall, this is probably a one-timer for me. For the price, I had to try one. Let's just hope it's not loaded with fusels for the sake of tomorrow morning. If someone bought one for me, I'd probablly take them up on ity, but I'm not shelling out any more of my money for a second.

It's a great beer if your inttention is to get a big buzz as quickly as possible. If you're lookijg for a quality Barleywine, stick to the proven standards. It is affecting my ability to review as I drink it.

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2012 03:07:59 | More by Ueberales

WillCarrera

Illinois

1.35/5  rDev -30.4%
look: 2 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.5

16.9 oz bottle, no bottle date, poured into a silver-rimmed Westvleteren chalice.

A- Pours a perfectly clear amber color, it actually has a color gradient, becoming more clear towards the edges, produces a thin fizzy white head that bubbles away to nothing in about 10 seconds. Leaves no lacing at all.

S- Smells oddly sour, aroma of acetic acid, some acidic sour grape smell, lots of fusel alcohol and acetone and a boiled wilted-vegetable smell.

T- Weird is all I can say, besides disgusting. Instantaneous blast of hot, harsh alcohol, lots of acetone, again lots of weird sour grape and apple flavor and more skunky cooked vegetables as well as a weird sharp sugary sweetness. This is probably the most offensive tasting beer I've ever come across. The sour flavor lingers for a long time, at some point I burped and could just taste more sour nastiness, at which point I almost gagged.

M- Medium to light body, very high carbonation, hot alcohol burn.

O- An impressively terrible beer, there's really nothing positive I can say about this. At the same time, give this a try, it's definitely an unforgettable experience.

Serving type: bottle

04-08-2012 05:31:07 | More by WillCarrera

Duff27

Illinois

1.25/5  rDev -35.6%

04-02-2012 18:38:59 | More by Duff27

Cyberkedi

Georgia

3.33/5  rDev +71.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours a pretty, if typical, clear amber with a respectable off-white head that does not stick around too long. Strong, fruity aroma is more like apple brandy than beer, and packs a punch. Flavor is - HOLY GUACAMOLE, is this beer, or brandy? Alcohol bite is quite fierce, overpowering the fruity and yeasty components. A fine beer if you like brandy, but it packs quite a wallop - this will knock you on your ***. Texture is smooth and fairly fizzy, but the alcohol bite is as fierce as an angry Rottweiler. Fine for barleywine and brandy lovers - this beer is not for the faint of heart!

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2012 20:14:00 | More by Cyberkedi

AleWatcher

Illinois

1.25/5  rDev -35.6%
look: 2 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1 | feel: 1 | overall: 1.5

Oh my.
How could I resist this thing after I heard about it?!

It pours very light in color and I expected the body would be really clear golden, but it is actually really clear orangey amber colored. Whatever head there was fizzled away virtually instantly.

Smells and tastes of boiled corn syrup, grain alcohol, gasoline, and flowery perfume. A really strange candy-like malt note underneath it all too... Man this is fucking odd. I'm not going to lie-- it is pretty terrible, but it is such a FUN kind of terrible. The nail polish remover really shines as this warms up.

Feels syrupy and oily, lots of residual sugar coating my teeth here. A big heat warms my throat.

Overall-- there is a something about this beer that makes me think of creamed corn and moonshine.
This entirely undrinkable, and yet it was so much fun actually trying this!

Serving type: bottle

03-26-2012 02:22:36 | More by AleWatcher

andrewinski1

Maine

1.85/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Thanks to Joe for bringing this one by. Pours clear and golden, with lots of bubbles racing to the top of the glass, but no head.

The aroma has a lot of honey to go along with bread and alcohol. This smells very sweet.

This tastes like sweet bread. There is some heat in the finish. The taste isn't quite as offensive as I feared, but the lack of balance or much of any beer flavor is disappointing in a beer.

I suppose one could plug the nose and choke this down. Maybe even enjoy it on some masochistic level, but it doesn't deserve high marks.

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2012 04:46:07 | More by andrewinski1

Bendurgin

Maine

1.05/5  rDev -45.9%
look: 2 | smell: 1 | taste: 1 | feel: 1 | overall: 1

Joe, thank you SO much for bringing this gem and spending your hard earned money on this. Poured into a chalice. Light golden honey color with no head and lots of visible carbonation. This is the clearest barelywine I have ever seen.

I can't really articulate what I am smelling in a linear manner so I'm just going to list of some stuff.

Honey
Cat pee
Gas
Rubbing alcohol

I shudder to think what this tastes like.
I just tasted this and my fears were realized. Crap. This tastes like crap. Crap mixed with honey, cat pee, gas and rubbing alcohol. With a touch of sweetness to boot.

The mouthfeel is bad, but mostly because this is in your mouth. It's hot and boozey and the carbonation is sharp. Seriously pick this one up. You haven't experienced bad until you've experienced this one. It will change your life.

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2012 04:45:58 | More by Bendurgin

rhoadsrage

Illinois

2/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

(Served in a snifter)

A- This beer pours a crystal clear body that has a slight hue of deep orange and a fizzy head that boils away before I can set the glass down. There is a racing carbonation of big bubbles that pop at the surface.

S- The aroma of white wine and butterscotch take on an artificial diacetyl aroma

T- The caramel flavoring reminds me of butterscotch pudding then on to the big fusel heat in the finish that has a bit of a permanent marker taste that grows in the finish.

M- The light crisp mouthfeel has a huge burn that makes it hard to take another sip.

O- The artificial flavor mixed with the big alcohol burn really makes this beer undrinkable. It is otherwise very clean and I don't get any other flavors it is rather like a clean adjunct lager with a monster alcohol heat and some caramel syrup added.

Serving type: bottle

01-30-2012 22:26:38 | More by rhoadsrage