Samuel Adams Thirteenth Hour Stout (Barrel Room Collection) - Boston Beer Company (Samuel Adams)

Mavajo

Georgia

3.63/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Black with large, tan head. Aroma is fantastic. Dark fruit, figs, oak. Really smells nice. Taste, however, isn't quite the treat. The dark fruit and figs show up again big here, but I also find the oak a little distracting. There's also a certain tartness here, which I think comes from the interplay between the dark fruit and the oak. It doesn't really seem to come together properly. The coffee I don't really pick up on, except for a bit of a lingering roast on the aftertaste.

The mouthfeel is nice and full, borderline chewy, with brisk, but not overpowering, carbonation.

All in all, glad to have tried it, but I won't be searching it out again. It's basically like a Belgian Stout / Belgian Dark / Fruit Beer hybrid, but the interplay of characteristics doesn't mesh IMO.

Serving type: bottle

02-09-2012 22:57:36 | More by Mavajo

chinchill

South Carolina

4.21/5  rDev +12.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Black in glass with only a touch of brown at the edges in bright light, but a thin layer is a deep reddish brown. The head is well proportioned, creamy dark tan in color, and has excellent retention with decent lacing.

Aroma: complex, fruity and spicy with some sweet malt evident too. Lots of raisins.

The rich and complex flavor reflects some toasted malts with coffee and a variety of spices. Hints of dark fruits and chocolate.

Full body with ample soft carbonation. Near perfect!

O: This cross-over ale serves as an excellent American version of a Belgian dark strong ale. Good even by that high standard although much of the spiciness comes from spices rather than the yeast.

Bought at the brewery just a few days ago and shared with me: thanks LJ.

Serving type: bottle

06-17-2013 00:33:47 | More by chinchill

zeff80

Missouri

4/5  rDev +6.7%

06-16-2013 19:41:34 | More by zeff80

DMarlinJ

Michigan

4/5  rDev +6.7%

06-15-2013 20:46:08 | More by DMarlinJ

InspectorBob

New Jersey

3.75/5  rDev 0%

06-12-2013 18:09:36 | More by InspectorBob

I_BYE_MI_BEER

Michigan

3.25/5  rDev -13.3%

06-11-2013 18:11:34 | More by I_BYE_MI_BEER

blastoderm55

Texas

3.25/5  rDev -13.3%

06-11-2013 02:29:07 | More by blastoderm55

jarrgal

North Dakota

4.25/5  rDev +13.3%

06-10-2013 11:58:32 | More by jarrgal

BingCrosby7

California

3.21/5  rDev -14.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

This is my first rating of a beer on this site, so here goes:

Picked it up from a coldcase at Bevmo since they didn't have any left on the shelf. Let it mellow and breath before serving in a goblet at 50 degrees.

Appearance: Deep black with a touch of dark brown. Light brown head, a litle less than a finger's length. Good head retention -- lasted for about a minute before shrinking down to a couple of milimeters thick.

Smell: Hints of coffee and spice. The alcohol has a minor presence. A deep bourbon note. Agitating the glass kicks up the bourbon and alcohol. Chocolate notes linger in the nose once imbibed.

Taste: Strong alcohol and bourbon notes upon first impression. The coffee is the secondary note, but it is hard to get past the heavy-handedness of the bourbon aging and the alcohol content. Time between sips reveals a vanilla and rum aftertaste on the back of the tongue, though it does take time to develop. Hints of stone fruit and raisin.

Mouthfeel: Surprisingly light and bubbly. This feels much lighter than I had expected going into the bottle. Perhaps a bit over-carbonated, but the beer is glossy underneath the carbonation.

Overal: This beer seems a bit unbalanced. It is a bit too carbonated and the taste of alcohol dwarfs the nuance of the overall experience. I would recommend a pint rather than a full bottle.

Serving type: bottle

06-08-2013 04:34:53 | More by BingCrosby7

TimoP

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +6.7%

06-03-2013 01:28:51 | More by TimoP

srhoadsy

Florida

3.6/5  rDev -4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

Served slightly chilled into a tulip.

Pours a deep sable color with an inch of dark tan head that quickly recedes leaving little to no surface layer or lacing.

Spicy and sour aromas remind me of chutney.

Flavors of sour cherries, bittersweet chocolate, clove and pepper.

Medium bodied with a sweet but crisp finish. Light carbonation with a mild aftertaste.

Hard for me to judge this one, as it's not one of my favorite styles. Overall a good beer, could use a little more body.

Serving type: bottle

06-02-2013 00:16:40 | More by srhoadsy

hilgart1

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev 0%

06-01-2013 22:53:41 | More by hilgart1

Cris4545

Indiana

5/5  rDev +33.3%

06-01-2013 22:44:04 | More by Cris4545

StaveHooks

Oklahoma

3.3/5  rDev -12%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25

750ml bottle served in a Chimay chalice.
2012 vintage.

A - Pours opaque with 1 finger of sandy head dying down to a wispy cap.

S - Woody Belgian yeast, bananas, dates soaked in rum, plums, currants, chocolate syrup, pears, juicy fruit gum.

T - Roasted malts, more acidic than the nose let on. Some toasted cocoa powder, toasted coconut, tart candy flavors, tangy fruit, currants, plums, green figs, pears, bananas, cola, allspice, finishes fruity and sweet with some acidity.

M - Moderate carbonation, prickly upfront but then smooths out.

An interesting mix of flavors. The aroma is very inviting. It's a mix of sweet and acidic fruit. The oak is very subtle and stays in the background, almost unnoticeable.

Serving type: bottle

06-01-2013 02:23:49 | More by StaveHooks

Johnnyv310

New York

4/5  rDev +6.7%

05-30-2013 05:18:29 | More by Johnnyv310

rrski198

Georgia

4.3/5  rDev +14.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.5

A: Slightly off white head. Dissipated fairly quickly. Deep black color with some dark reds around the edges of the glass when held up to a bright light. Appearance is of a thin stout.

S: So this is where I got the slap in the face. I was expecting the traditional funky, spicy Belgian yeast scent and maybe some dark roasted malts. Right up front is the traditional bacteria "sour" scent. Brett, Lacto, Pedio. Not sure what was apart of the "Kosmic Mother Funk" yeast mix, but I was pleasantly surprised. It totally dominates the nose for me.

T: Sweet and Sour right up front with toasted caramel and chocolate notes on the back end. Dark roasted fruit flavors linger in a great way for quite some time. The flavor profile is of a flanders red, with a touch of darker roasted malt.

M: Full carbonation. It coats the mouth and leaves an alcohol spice on the palate. Sweetness lingers and coats the mouth.

O: So super surprised here. I was expecting something like, "dark truth" from boulevard. What I got was a surprising mix of a Belgian strong and a Flanders red. I was absolutely surprised and quite pleasantly. This is a great beer if you dig the "sour" flavor profiles, if not, stay away. For me, this is a no brainer. I already bought 5 bottles. Hopefully one will make it till next year.

Serving type: bottle

05-30-2013 01:41:48 | More by rrski198

Liondiscs

California

4.25/5  rDev +13.3%

05-29-2013 22:37:19 | More by Liondiscs

thedapperhacker

Illinois

3.25/5  rDev -13.3%

05-27-2013 19:54:03 | More by thedapperhacker

scratch69

Missouri

3.74/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

I poured a bottle into a tulip glass.

Appearance- Very dark brown color with ruby highlights and two fingers of a lingering tan head. Moderate amount of lacing.

Smell- Strong raisin aroma with some notes of chocolate and oak.

Taste- Sweet dark fruit flavor with a light funky twang. Occasionally getting a light hint of chocolate and coffee.

Mouthfeel- Medium bodied with a high level of carbonation.

Overall- This is not what I expected. It is more like a sour ale than a stout, but it is still very interesting and enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

05-26-2013 21:26:26 | More by scratch69

fank2788

Connecticut

3.53/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Served in a tulip glass
One shade lighter than black with some reddish highlights when held up to a light, the head is pretty rocky with a mix of medium and fine bubbles. Smell is of dark fruit, dark roasted malts, a bit of funky yeast character and some coffee. The taste has a lot of the dark fruit and malt but I'm also getting this funky or vinous thing as well. Not much alcohol and no wood character in their either. The bitterness is very low to nonexistent as this beer remains quite sweet and syrupy throughout. There is a bit of a pepper tingle in the mouthfeel combined with medium to low levels of carbonation the finish is sweet and then dry, rather unusual actually. Overall this is a bit of a miss to me. I'm just not getting enough of the classic belgian yeast character that I would expect for a beer of this style, it is missing the wood that should be notable in a barrel aged beer and the funky flavor is a bit strange.

Serving type: bottle

05-25-2013 01:35:56 | More by fank2788

oakaged88

New York

4/5  rDev +6.7%

05-25-2013 01:23:01 | More by oakaged88

Tertullian007

Missouri

3.75/5  rDev 0%

05-22-2013 23:37:01 | More by Tertullian007

WizzardOfHops

California

3.5/5  rDev -6.7%

05-21-2013 23:14:17 | More by WizzardOfHops

warnerry

Michigan

3.75/5  rDev 0%

05-18-2013 03:05:02 | More by warnerry

JohnnieNepal

Michigan

2.75/5  rDev -26.7%

05-16-2013 12:11:55 | More by JohnnieNepal