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

Blackshayde

New Jersey

2.35/5  rDev -37.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Not impressed with this one at all. Aroma consisted of plum, tobacco and vanilla oak. Taste was generally fruity with a small alcohol burn, nothing strong or very interesting. Became bored with this beer after first glass. Most prominent taste was plum and black licorice. Certainly not worth the hefty price tag and the barrel house Tripel is 100x better.

Serving type: bottle

12-28-2011 21:03:12 | More by Blackshayde

RichardMNixon

Delaware

2.53/5  rDev -32.5%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

A: very dark with nice tan head. Decent retention
S: Not much when cold. As it warmed up I got a very sour smell with lots of cherry and wood, not what I was expecting. A touch of unpleasant vomit aroma got in there too.
T: Palatable but nothing special. Advertised chocolate, coffee, and spice; I just got sour. 9% alcohol was very subdued though, no noticeable heat.
M: Again nothing remarkable.

Not worth the price tag.

Serving type: bottle

08-18-2012 03:49:14 | More by RichardMNixon

Bfarr

Washington

2.74/5  rDev -26.9%
look: 4 | smell: 2.25 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.75

Black with a tan, frothy head and great retention. Light oak, yeast and a metallic aroma. Strong Belgian sugar and yeast with oak, sweet chocolate, and earthy stone fruit notes. Earthy finish and linger. Semi-dry, thin, and neutral feel with a light fuzz.

Subtle and interesting flavor but metallic notes persist and linger. Ultimately, an okay but rather boring beer with no outstanding qualities and a few problems that would be okay to share small pours with a few people. Otherwise, I wouldn't bother.

Serving type: bottle

02-05-2013 19:59:34 | More by Bfarr

Etan

Illinois

2.78/5  rDev -25.9%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Poured from a 750ml bottle into a brandy snifter.

A: Black with tan head. The head isn't robust but it retains nicely. Leaves minor lacing.

S: Spicy, funky, lactic wild yeast dominates. Horseblanket, some subtle notes of chocolate.

T: Again, the funk dominates. George Clinton would be proud. Tangy and lactic, almost tart. Milk chocolate comes out but is washed out by the yeast. Noticeable oak notes as well.

M: Nice tingly carbonation. Medium to thick-bodied.

O: This was not very pleasant to drink. It seems that it was probably infected.

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2012 03:25:48 | More by Etan

mmapes

Colorado

2.78/5  rDev -25.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Hint of fruitiness (apple). Coffee and stout flavors in the toasted malt. Sour/tart apple. I don't like the blend of stout/Belgian in Thirteenth Hour nearly as well as Mikeller's Santa's Little Helper, which I tasted the same day. This one clashes with itself.

Serving type: bottle

10-06-2012 17:50:55 | More by mmapes

beerthulhu

New Jersey

2.95/5  rDev -21.3%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A: Cola with sherry highlights upon the pours exit which turns a pitch black in the chalice. A bready textured head is khaki in color with a towering size and good retainment. Carbonation is strong as evident of the beading of bubbles along the side of the glass.

S: Belgian yeast has a light damp muskiness to it, baryard quality but very manageable for those who offend easily. The accompanied tag claims an aroma of coffee, chocolate, dark fruit and oaky vanilla with a peppery spice, all of which I failed to pick up from a blind perspective.

T: Musky Belgian yeastiness for flavor with damp pale grains, and sweet dark fruit. The chocolate malt seems to take a back seat here, small, ineffective, to the yeast character. Fresh dough, sweet oaky vanailla extract, plums and a touch of briary rounds things out.

M: oily texture, turning fizzy and frothy on the hold. Feels a wee light when swirled around. Definitly lacks body and roast.

O: Overall a bit thin substance wise with a quiet complexity that is perhaps to gentle at times makes this a shoulder shrug from someone who loves Belgian style beers and dark roasty bases. The yeasty quality was one of the few bright points here, the spicing was not up to advertising. Expected so much more from this especially after just sampling their triple (New World) which I found very respectable. Average drinkability and may not be worth the price of admission except for the fancy packaging.

Serving type: bottle

03-06-2012 03:03:07 | More by beerthulhu

ThickNStout

Georgia

2.95/5  rDev -21.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

750mL bottle from Lucky's Bottle  Shop (Woodstock, GA). 8.99. Served in a snifter. 

Pours dark near black brown with about 1 finger light tan head. 

Whew. There's some big funk in the smell. Almost more sour wine than beer. The chocolate and roasty stout notes are almost completely hidden by the yeasty Belgian sour funk. 

Taste is still heavy on the sour fruit but the stout comes through better than the nose indicated. Roasted coffee, dry bakers chocolate and strange sour Belgian funk. Interesting mix with subtle woodsy vanilla barrel rounding out the flavors. Alcohol is only moderaty dicernable. 

Thin feel for a stout. Medium light body with faint carnonation. Creamy but not at all heavy. 

I had higher hopes for this. I wanted the stout flavors to be much more pronounced. Not awful but not worth buying a second time. Mediocre. 

Serving type: bottle

05-07-2012 02:26:17 | More by ThickNStout

DoubleSimcoe

New York

2.98/5  rDev -20.5%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Thirteenth Hour Stout, bottle bought for $10.95 at Leary's in Newburyport, Massachusetts. Beautiful design, and very curious I am about this "Barrel Room Collection".

Appearance: Poured into a cheap plastic cup in a hotel room in Provincetown, MA, Thirteenth Hour appears creamy and diligent. My first pour was almost all foam, but then I got a good, long-lasting cafe-con-leche head. Superb lacing and good retention.

Smell: A tad of cherry, some oxidation and brulee sugars. Raisins and a very faint touch of Belgian chocolate.

Taste: Reminds me of Mad Elf, only lesser. Tangy fruit punch, smashed grape left under the sun. Coffee? Maybe a cold Starbucks Frappuccino (trademark) bought at the local gas station. Spicy, slightly hoppy and roasty finish with some oxidation. No oak whatsoever.

Mouthfeel: Thin around the edges, but nicely creamy. Very yeasty, too filling.

Overall: Drinks pretty good, considering the 9%, but it is a blah beer. I've had better Belgian strong ales, and this is definitely NOT a stout. Nowhere near it. I got tired of it half-way through the bottle and regretted the purchase.

Mouthfeel

Serving type: bottle

10-31-2011 03:11:54 | More by DoubleSimcoe

justintcoons

Pennsylvania

3.03/5  rDev -19.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured into a snifter.

A: Pours black with ruby red highlights. You can ALMOST see through it but you get lost in the depth of it. Has 1 finger of tan head. Fine lacing coats the side of the glass.

N: Red wine, dark fruit, clove and some chai-like aromas.

T: Red grapes, sweet plum, raisin and candy sugar upfront. Mid-palate comes up with lots of candied dark fruits; definite cherry and plum. Finishes with some roastiness, earthy barnyard funk, clove and some faint notes of bitter chocolate and orange zest.

M: Light-medium bodied, creamy, smooth and warming.

O: This is not a bad beer by any means but it really misses the mark as far as Stouts go, "Belgian" or otherwise. Now that I see BA classifies it as a Belgian Strong Dark Ale I feel I can cut it some slack. Definitely tastes like a Belgian Dubbel. Barrel aging is nearly nonexistent; no oak, no vanilla. For 9% it is very easy drinking and nicely warming. It's worth a try but just don't expect a Stout.

Serving type: bottle

01-24-2012 01:52:33 | More by justintcoons

Samuel906

California

3.03/5  rDev -19.2%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Appearance:

Thin, not the epic, pitch black you expect from a heavy duty stout. Minimal white head diminishes to minor lacing.

Aroma:

Dark fruits, raisins, etc., take center stage with very minor hints of chocolate. Doesn't really smell like a stout to me, but more along the lines of a Belgian: very yeasty

Palate:

Light mouthfeel, medium-high carbonation, a little sticky from the sugar

Taste:

If you like the smell you'll like the taste. One of the better continuities between aroma and flavor I've had in a beer. Only problem for me is, I ain't into it. I wanted a dark, deep, heavy stout, and I got a Belgian that happens to be slightly dark. Lots of dark fruit and fermented Belgian yeast.

Overall:

This is NOT your normal stout. This beer tries to combine some of the qualities of a Belgian and a Stout, but in my opinion falls a little short. Not a bad beer by any stretch, but I expect a bit more out o special runs from Samuel Adams.

Serving type: bottle

12-08-2012 09:31:57 | More by Samuel906

MetalandBeer

New York

3.08/5  rDev -17.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured into tulip glass

black with a thick light brown head that has good retention, bery little lacing.

The smell is sweet,spicy.

The taste is sweet,sour and spice. vanilla/oak,coffee and chocolate. some sourness, alcohol barely detectale.

It is full-bodied andcreamy, but notoberly tick or syrupy.

complex flavors, enjoyable in small quantities.

Serving type: bottle

04-08-2012 20:32:23 | More by MetalandBeer

irs

New Jersey

3.1/5  rDev -17.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

BA is rating this a Belgian Strong Dark. That makes sense to me. Why did SA call this a Stout? As a belgian dark its a nice beer i'd drink again next time I'm in the mood for a belgian dark. It actually tastes alot like last years Trader Joe's Vintage Ale (Unibroue). And if I'd known that, I wouldn't have opened so quickly. The TJ's Vintage was a nice cheap buy in 2010, but I would have paid more for it if it tasted like it does now, after a year in my cellar. This is an expensive imperial stout that tastes like an underaged $5 belgian dark ale. Thanks again SA, you never cease to disappoint me. Why do I keep trying your stuff?

Serving type: bottle

10-29-2011 07:44:49 | More by irs

maleman

Mississippi

3.1/5  rDev -17.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

A - poured from a pint bottle, thick and dark with an tan-colored, creamy head. Good amount of lacing.
S - heavy malt, caramel and coffee.
T - not nearly as much bite as I would have expected. more phenol than malt.
M - kind of weak considering the characteristics. Oily, with only a bit of aftertaste.
O - had high expectations, but they were not met. just not indicative of the genre, IMO.

Serving type: bottle

01-26-2013 23:28:54 | More by maleman

gford217

Georgia

3.13/5  rDev -16.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Funky 750ml bottle, cork and caged.

Pour is much lighter than I was expecting from a stout (I know the classification on BA is BSDA) - a clear dark brown out of the bottle that settles in short of black in the glass with a light beige head.

Aroma is certainly on the fruity side of things for a stout, with the Belgian yeast yielding lots of fruity esters. However, there is a some light spices and hints of dark roasted malts.

The taste is even sweeter than the aroma with tons of Belgian yeast, raisins and candi sugar. The stout character is extremely tough to pick out as there is little roastiness, coffee or chocolate that I can sense. There is a bit of spices in the finish.

The mouthfeel is light and fizzy even for a BSDA which makes it even less representative if you consider this a stout.

As I'm sure you can guess, this certainly wouldn't grade out as a very good imperial stout (or any kind of stout for that matter). It's much more representative of a BSDA though it's not a great version in my opinion. Meh.

Serving type: bottle

10-23-2011 02:27:08 | More by gford217

rangerred

Tennessee

3.14/5  rDev -16.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3

Poured into a tulip out of a 750ml bottle.

Pours an extremely dark brown, nearly pitch black, with a decent one finger dark tan head. Pretty good head retention and lacing taking the abv into consideration.

The aroma threw me off a little bit. Instead of a chocolatey, roasty, stout aroma I get hit with some perfumy, funky, Belgian notes. Almost reminds me of a Flanders red or something. Quite floral with a little bit of dark fruit. Not bad but just a little odd.

This carries over into the flavor. Lots of fig and cherries along with just the slightest bit of funk. About halfway through and towards the finish, a little bit of light chocolate tries to come through but it is very faint. There are also some banana and bubblegum yeasty esters. Mouthfeel is on the thin side but also quite sticky.

Overall, I really was expecting more stout characteristics with this beer. This screams Flanders red or Oud Brun more than Belgian ale. It is all just a bit rough around the edges and a bit weak.

Serving type: bottle

01-26-2013 02:55:08 | More by rangerred

ksimons

New York

3.15/5  rDev -16%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A-very dark brown with some ruby highlights with a fingers worth of light tan head that leaves a ring around the glass. Nice looking

S-rich malts, dark fruits, light vanilla and chocolate

T-taste is similar to the smell, dark fruits predominates, some malt, some spice, and a bit of tangy yeast. No coffee or roasted malt in this one. Kind of boring actually.

M-light to medium body, medium carbonation, thin

Overall I am disappointed, I was hoping with the name Stout this would be a richer drink but there is no roast, no coffee, no real body to speak of. Much more like a BSDA but is even lacking in that category. Will not be having again.

Serving type: bottle

02-04-2012 22:43:34 | More by ksimons

mothman

Saskatchewan (Canada)

3.16/5  rDev -15.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours a dark ruby brown. Tan fizzy head and lots of it.

This beer tastes more like a sour than a stout. A lot of sour/tart cherries. Roasted malts and chocolate. Belgian yeast flavors. Some oak and toffee.

Lighter bodied with a high amount of carbonation. Doesn't feel like 9%.

I thought this beer was fairly average. Just not really digging how sour it was. I probably won't drink this again.

Serving type: bottle

03-06-2013 01:08:49 | More by mothman

nassaubeercop

New York

3.18/5  rDev -15.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

A- Shiny onyx black with two fingers of golden
brown head which settles down quickly leaving a
thin golden brown head and a little lacing.

S- Bourbon (oak barrel), vanilla, coffee, Belgian
yeast and spice, a little fruity.

T- Yeasty with Belgian spice. Malt and hops well balanced,
somewhat subtle.

M- Light carbonation, slick and a little watery. A little bitter malt and fruit on the finish.

O- A nice beer but it's not a stout as advertised, it is
a Belgian strong dark ale reminiscent of Gulden Draak.
Not bad but not the style I was expecting. If I can get another
bottle, I'll put some age on it and taste again.

Serving type: bottle

10-01-2011 03:59:17 | More by nassaubeercop

Amalak

New York

3.18/5  rDev -15.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

This beer is black as black can be. But there's not much of a head at all and no lacing whatsoever. Extremely strong alcohol scent.

Tastes like licorice port wine. This is extremely strong. It's well done, but it's just not the kind of beer that I prefer. There's a hint of molasses. It's carbonated. Descent burnt flavor to it. It dries out the mouth. To much like a wine/beer. Not my style.

Serving type: bottle

11-20-2011 02:46:58 | More by Amalak

TheTrevor

New York

3.18/5  rDev -15.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Dark brown pour with a big tan head that isn't going anywhere anytime soon. The smell is fainter than I expected. A bit of breadiness and maybe a tiny bit of fruit. The taste starts off with some candy malt that gives way to dark fruit with a hit of vanilla in the aftertaste. Not a whole lot in the way of balance here, this tastes more like a desert than a beer. Mouthfeel is nice and thick, but the alcohol really starts to punch through as it warms up. This is like some sort of alcoholic fruit tart. Not really what I expected, but not unpleasant.

Serving type: bottle

03-08-2012 03:02:33 | More by TheTrevor

russpowell

Oklahoma

3.2/5  rDev -14.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Opens with a resounding pop! Pours mahogany with 3+ fingers of fluffy tan head. Good lacing & head retention

S: Dark fruit, faint fusel booze notes

T: Figs, raisins, dryness & a touch of woody hops up front, along with a bit of booze. Some cherry notes mix in with oakyness as this warms. Finishes boozey, dry & jammy

MF: Fairly chewy, low carbonation

An okay crack at the style at best, will probably do better some age on it. It is a little too dry & oaky to me, a little too hot still

Serving type: bottle

09-25-2012 00:58:05 | More by russpowell

beer2day

North Carolina

3.23/5  rDev -13.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Dark brown pour with 2-fingers of light brown head. Good retention. Not much lace.

Lots of Belgian in the nose. Bananas and apples. Light cherries. Lots of fruit. Lighter chocolate and coffee underneath.

Stronger fruit flavors. More cherries, plums, lighter apple with banana in the finish. Grows a little tart in the finish as well. While there's a lot going on here, doesn't really come together for me and stays unbalanced.

Fizzy feel that stays a bit thin.

Overall, hoping for a lot more at this price point.

Serving type: bottle

10-09-2012 01:08:56 | More by beer2day

warriorsoul

Pennsylvania

3.25/5  rDev -13.3%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3.25

Grabbed a bottle a few months back at Wegman's. Reasonably priced at $10.99 or so.
Pours like a coca cola, dark brown with some fizzy head with no spotty lacing.
Aroma is decent. Dark figs, brown sugar, sweet malt, and sadly, grapes.
Taste is where this one goes down hill for me personally. It's not a bad beer at all, but chocolate....? Nope. Coffee? Negatory. Oak? Not finding it.
Description is very misleading.
Fairly high carbonation, but not distracting....just a bit higher than I would have appreciated.
Finishes fairly clean.
Not a bad beer, but falls short based on my expectations after reading the label.

Serving type: bottle

03-31-2013 23:21:16 | More by warriorsoul

drumminbrewer

Illinois

3.28/5  rDev -12.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Wow - so these Sam 750's are around the Midwest now huh? I had the New World Triple at the brewery...thoroughly enjoyed it (probably the best thing I've ever had from BBC), let's see what this guy is all about. Poured into my Duvel glass...

Black pour, a slight crimson ring at the top of the glass. Stout? Or dark barleywine? Head is thick, but not "creamy", and dissipates after about 30 seconds leaving behind a minimal amount of lacing on the glass & a small bit of froth a the top.

Nose - Figs & some vanilla. Present, but not overwhelming. As it warms I smell some apricots too...

First sip is...hmmm...meh. The 9.0 ABV is hidden well - must be the malt, but to be honest I was expecting quite a bit more flavor, especially considering the nose. Mostly vanilla, wish I could say more, but it's rather one dimensional.

Body is medium to medium heavy...profile of dragons's milk from New Holland. Present, but not "chewy"...as big as this beer is it could be dangerous - quite easy to take down.

Underwhelming finish. I'm left with Vanilla on my cheeks.

Jim - you're a pioneer, and I respect the hell out of BBC...but the New World was light years ahead of this in terms of your "reserve" stuff. I don't know how many Belgian style stouts are aged in oak barrels either...so this doesn't seem to fit the category very well. No problems, and for $9.99 a bottle it's solid, but you're competing in a flooded market of thick barrel aged beers with this one, and to be frank I think it comes up a bit short.

Serving type: bottle

10-05-2011 04:24:48 | More by drumminbrewer

ATPete

New Jersey

3.3/5  rDev -12%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 4.5

750ml bottle, corked and caged

Let me start by saying that Sam Adams has done a great job in designing these bottles, lets hope the beer inside is as good as the presentation.

13th Hour pours a deep brown color, almost black, but allowing light to penetrate ever so slightly. A decent nose of coffee, plum and roasted chocolate malts. The sour twang is pretty damn foul when this beer is cold, as it warms, the funk becomes less offensive and does a good job in adding subtle complexities to this Belgian stout. With that said, this beer never screamed STOUT except for the nose. It was ok, not something I would buy for myself. I gave a great mark to the "Overall" score because of the custom bottle, great packaging.

Serving type: bottle

10-25-2011 00:26:20 | More by ATPete