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

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.73/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A Belgian (milk?) stout. Coffee and lactose. Good looks, dark, foamy head, and lacey. Prominent coffee nose. Sweet and sour flavours.Decent drinkability.Middle mouthfeel.Not bad but expected something better from the ingredients. Great looking bottle.

Serving type: bottle

12-28-2011 04:36:28 | More by northyorksammy

mikesgroove

South Carolina

4.22/5  rDev +12.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

dark pour, nearly totally black with nice hints of brown around the edges and a head of light tan that sat on top throughout the entire session really quite nicely. aroma of roasted malts and peat, campfire smoke and a rich chocolate note.nice mixed of flavors here with loads rich campfire smoke. lots of caramel and hints of dark notes as it warms. smooth and lightly sweet in the finish i was quite impressed

Serving type: bottle

11-15-2011 02:35:04 | More by mikesgroove

UCLABrewN84

California

3.9/5  rDev +4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle pour at the BevMo Holiday Beerfest held at Golden Road Brewing in Los Angeles, CA.

Pours a clear dark brown with a foamy khaki head that settles to a small cap on top of the beer. Small dots of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of dark roasted malt, dark fruits, and some cocoa aromas. Taste is much the same with a slight tartness in the flavor. There is a mild roasty 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 but I think it tastes better than it smells.

Serving type: bottle

12-02-2012 05:57:21 | More by UCLABrewN84

BEERchitect

Kentucky

3.55/5  rDev -5.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

With a simplified palate and cleaner (more yeast neutral) taste, Samuel Adams' Thirteenth Hour puts on a full out display of Belgain dark ale flavor. But with a series that celebrates wood aging, where's the wood character?

Pouring a dense dark brown color with garnet highlights, the beer seems to carry a bit more visual weight and darkness than is usual in the style. A semi-turbulent pour only amounts to a medium statured sandy tan head that's less demonstrative than Belgian comparables. Low lacing, fizzy recession, and medium-short retention keeps the beer a little lackluster.

Dark fruit, candied malts, and vine ripened grapes give a substantial malt scent with a wine-like backdrop. Fruit and spice mingle in an orgy of grapes, black pepper, blackberry, cumin, cherry, clove, currant and corriander that balance the nose with little evidence of hops. Mild wood notes carry a hearty oak note that blends in well with caramel malts and fruit and come to life as the beer warms.

Dry fruit taste is coupled with peppery spice that carries the balance of the beer from start to finish. This symbiotic relationship plays out on a substrate of syrups and candy coated malty taste. Developments of cola, coffee, light cocoa nibs, and dates rise at mid palate and carry over to a simply sweet and candied finish.

Sweet textures fill the mouth with a film of sugar that never dissolves. The tack of sugar invites early creaminess that fades quickly, leaving an extended middle palate of residual malt sweetness and cola-like coat. Finishing spicy, malty-dry, and lightly acidic; the beer refuses to conclude quietly.

The Thirteenth Hour is a fairly typical Belgian-style strong dark ale that's made by a U.S. brewery with U.S. ingredients and techniques. These usually result in a sticky sweet taste with simple fruit and simple spice with little of the rustic intangibles that make authentic versions so great. A higher wood aged presence would have given a much needed complexity to make me forget about the one-dimensional sweet taste.

Serving type: bottle

11-30-2012 06:38:14 | More by BEERchitect

oberon

North Carolina

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

Pours into a tulip glass a deep chocolate brown with ruby highlights,a creamy one finger light tan colored head atop.Aromas were a little light with some roast, molasses and fruity yeast esters.A little sharper than expected in the mouth,a lighter feel for the style.Not as roasted on the palate as the nose suggests,black licorice is big along with dark fruit and more yeasty fruitiness.Not bad but not worth the price tag in my opinion,still it's nice to see the Barrel Room Collection here in NC now.

Serving type: bottle

12-13-2012 22:10:51 | More by oberon

TMoney2591

Illinois

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

Served in a tumbler.

Randomly got to try some of this stuff this afternoon. I'm not gonna argue. It pours a very dark black-brown topped by a finger of cream-tan foam. The nose comprises cocoa powder, cinnamon, brown sugar, nutmeg, clove, very light roasted malts, and light oak. The taste brings in more of the same, though the roast is rather muted, and some vanilla and a touch of oak-based sourness come through as well. The body is a svelte medium, with a light moderate carbonation and a silky smooth feel. Overall, a solid brew, though the "stout" billing doesn't really seem to hold true. Still, it is quite good, a nice oak-aged bit of Belgian-y goodness.

Serving type: bottle

08-31-2011 23:53:19 | More by TMoney2591

metter98

New York

3.68/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: The beer is very dark black in color (close to being opaque). It poured with a quarter finger high dark beige head that died down and left a ring of bubbles on the surface around the edge of the glass.
S: There are aromas of chocolate and dark fruits in the nose along with notes of vanilla from the oak aging.
T: The overall taste is very similar to the smell and has both flavors of chocolate and dark fruits.
M: It feels medium-bodied on the palate and has a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: The alcohol is somewhat noticeable in this beer so this makes it harder to drink compared to other beers in the style.

Serving type: bottle

11-20-2011 03:31:08 | More by metter98

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

3.9/5  rDev +4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Grabbed a bottle of this at the brewery a few months ago. This poured out as a nice deep brownish black color with a brown colored head on top. The smell of the beer has some hints of chocolate, coffee and roasted malts. I wasn't able to get much of the barrel aging from the nose on this one though. The taste of the beer is slightly sweet, with a little bit of bitterness from the dark malts, there are some creamy flavors in there and some dry roasted malts also. Again there isn't much from the barrel ageing filling in on the taste either. The mouthfeel of this beer is medium bodied with a smooth silkiness to it. Overall I think this beer is really quite good, I would probably buy it again over the others in the series if I end up at the brewery again.

Serving type: bottle

03-27-2012 03:29:52 | More by Knapp85

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

Gavage

New Jersey

3.73/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Appearance: pours a dark brown almost black color with a 1/4" head that breaks apart quicky. Large bubbles hug the sides of the glass.

Smell: loads of fruit sweetness and some alcohol are most detectable.

Taste: big sweet malt profile. Black cherries, prunes, some dark bitter chocolate, and a hint of espresso comes through late. Alcohol is mildly noticable here. Bitterness is moderate.

Mouthfeel: medium-heavy in body. Very crisp to start, less crisp at the finish.

Overall: a decent slow sipping big beer, but it was a bit too crisp. Nice flavors, just wish it was a bit smoother.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2012 17:40:13 | More by Gavage

jwc215

New Jersey

4.03/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into tulip glass, as recommended:

Pours opaque black with a thick light brown head that has great retention until a few sips in. It doesn't leave much lacing, but leaves a wine or brandy-like film that has a deep reddish hue.

The smell is sweet and spicy with earthy and herbal tones. It has some peat smoke with a well-blended touch of coffee and chocolate. It has a "Belgian"character meshed with a traditional strong stout.

The taste is of peat smoke with sweet, sour and spice. The base is of vanilla/oak with coffee and chocolate. The sour character is strong, almost too strong, but tamed enough to let bittersweet notes in to give it complexity and balance. Chocolate, coffee and herbal spiciness come through. Alcohol, while noticeable, is dangerously well-covered. The finish is reasonably long.

It is full-bodied with a silky/creamy feel that is not thick.

This is a complex stout with quite a bit of character. The sour aspect is prominent. The oak/vanilla adds a positive dimension to the stout character. This is a nice "sipping" brew that is reasonably priced, well-made and certainly worth drinking!

Serving type: bottle

12-27-2011 18:36:19 | More by jwc215

smcolw

Massachusetts

3.48/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Advertised as a Belgian Stout, but the BA style of Belgian Strong Dark Ale is more apt.

The head starts nicely but it settles very quickly and leaves no head. The broth is dark brown where light shines through along the edge.

Strong sour cherry and moist raisin aroma. The sourness is quite similar to a Geueze or Lambic. Not much of the darker malts present in the nose.

The darker malts appear in the taste but not nearly as strong as an English Porter or an Irish Stout. Really closer to a dark ale on the malt side. The sour flavor shows up in the swallow, but it doesn't last long. I note some vanilla (from the oak?) and stone fruit as well. The body is pretty typical for the style.

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2012 19:15:42 | More by smcolw

jdhilt

New Hampshire

4.38/5  rDev +16.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a three fingered light brown head that fades slowly to a ring, leaving some lace. Good carbonation and medium bodied. Color is black, no highlights. Spicy chocolate nose and flavor is sweet, spicy chocolate and coffee. Good stout - second only to their Imperial White. $9.99 for a caged and corked, black, 750ml bottle from Market Basket Concord, NH.

Serving type: bottle

04-15-2012 22:32:54 | More by jdhilt

rhoadsrage

Illinois

3.48/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

(Served in a glass tankard)

A- This beer has a black dense body with a fizzy light tan head that last a bit and is supported by a few random bubbles that glide to the surface.

S- The smell of cola and dark raisins blend with some wet wood notes and a dark malt hint. The finish has notes of green raisins, spice and rubber bands.

T- The bright dark fruit flavor is well blended with not much depth but some toffee and prune notes come though wit a slight tang quality in the finish.

M- The light mouthfeel is crisp with a scrubbing fizz in the finish and an alcohol heat that hangs on the tongue as a warmth after each sip.

O- The flavors are well blended or perhaps it just doesn't have any depth and it is pretty light aswell. It has none of the flavors described on the bottle and I wouldn't guess this to be a stout if it wasn't printed on the bottle.

Serving type: bottle

01-31-2012 21:34:41 | More by rhoadsrage

Zorro

California

3.35/5  rDev -10.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Clear dark brown colored beer with a small brown colored head. This is a change from the light-proofed stouts that are so popular today.

Smell is fruity like a Foreign Export Stout. Fruit with chocolate and coffee. Catching some pepper from the alcohol fumes. Over all it isn't a strongly scented beer.

Starts out fruity and light in the mouth much more like wine than beer. Lightly sweet with the spicy taste of a Belgian yeast used. Chocolate, coffee and coriander tasted. Only problem is that the flavors are a bit on the light side. Tastes something like a Belgian Blond Ale with some patent malt added.

Mouthfeel is light.

Overall a disappointment Not saying it tastes bad, just saying I expected more flavor..

Serving type: bottle

08-26-2012 00:24:56 | More by Zorro

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

plaid75

New York

3.78/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured a deep black hue with a one finger foamy off white head. There was good retention and lacing.

The smell featured lively esters, burnt sugar and dry cocoa.

The taste was likewise full of esters, earthy sweet malts, dark fruit and dark chocolate.

The mouthfeel was typical of the style.

Overall a tasty offering from Sam Adams. Billed as a stout however, despite the esters.

Serving type: bottle

09-20-2011 14:22:32 | More by plaid75

kojevergas

California

4.03/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

1 pint 9.4 fl oz brown glass bottle (interestingly shapen) with hood and wire cap over a cork served into a Brown Palace mini-hefeweissbier glass in high altitude Castle Rock, Colorado. Reviewed live.

A: Pours a two finger head of pretty nice cream lacing, good thickness, and above average retention (especially considering the relatively high ABV). Colour is a solid black.

Sm: Sourness, bacteria, funkiness, and some spice. A moderately strong aroma. It grabs me.

T: The Belgian wild yeasts and bacteria funkiness go a long way in supplementing its complexity. Some light chocolate and hints of light oak. It's certainly complex, with subtle hints of caramelized malt and pleasant yeast buried beneath the enjoyable foundation. It's quite nicely balanced considering the menagerie of flavours. Built with care and inspiration.

Mf: Smooth and wet, with adequate coarseness and thickness to coax out the flavours. Near perfect considering how complementary it is to the complexity.

Dr: Quite drinkable, hiding its ABV extraordinarily well. I'd have this again on draught for definite. I don't think it would age well, but it might pair decently with chocolate. All around, one of (if not the) best Samuel Adams beers I've tried. Worth a try for any Samuel Adams fan.

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2012 04:17:51 | More by kojevergas

Brad007

Vermont

3.75/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a dark brown/garnet with a thin head. For some reason, this isn't actually classified as a stout, despite the label description. Who to trust? I missed the belgian part. D'oh!

Oak, spice and coffee are the three primary aromas upfront. Maybe, just maybe, there's a trace of chocolate. I won't make any promises.

Starts out with oak and then finishes with toffee and cocoa notes. Neither here nor there. A bit weak in spots too.

As for weak? The body, for starters, feels dull and insipid. At least the oak is subdued enough to where it's bearable.

If the legend about Triple Bock is correct, then this beer is still a few notches above it. I would prefer more body and more prominent flavors all-around. Good try but I wouldn't buy it again.

Serving type: bottle

10-17-2012 02:11:02 | More by Brad007

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

mactrail

California

3.8/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Deep ruby-tinted brown in the Saint Martin tall tulip. A nice foam with a brown tint. Faultless carbonation with a nice spritz on the tongue.

The first taste is something like licorice. Very dark malt flavors dominate with a sweet, roasted chestnut flavor. Barely a hint of burnt sugar. Lots of dark caramel. Fig jam fruitiness. Tastes like Christmas candy with a hint of cinnamon. Really intriguing flavors. The Belgian flavors are fairly under cover, with just a little of the dry aftertaste showing up.

Rich and more of a dessert drink, but another intriguing and well-made beer from Sam Adams. From the 750 ml bottle bought at Liticker's in San Diego.

Serving type: bottle

11-07-2012 06:22:10 | More by mactrail

Cyberkedi

Georgia

4.22/5  rDev +12.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Although it pops like champagne when you open it (watch for flying corks!) it doesn’t fizz like nobody’s business. It pours a deep, warm, opaque sable with a rather typical tan head that doesn’t stick around too long. Smoky aroma has a strong fruity overtone, mainly apple and pear with a hint of banana, and earthy and miso touches. Flavor has a malty core with subtle nutty, earthy, molasses, fruity, roast coffee and chocolate notes. It tastes like a good Belgian style ale blended with a stout, and the different aspects of these two styles marry well. Smooth, edgy texture has above-average body and leaves a nutty, earthy, smoky finish.

Serving type: bottle

02-11-2012 03:03:43 | More by Cyberkedi

Stinkypuss

Pennsylvania

4.18/5  rDev +11.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Samuel Adams Thirteenth Hour Stout
Boston Beer Company (Samuel Adams)
Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale
ABV: 9.00 %

LOOK: Dark brown color, little to no sediment, creamy coating of head that leaves some lace down the glass.

SMELL: Aroma of toasted malts, coffee, fruit, must, old oak. Has some dark fruits going on, with raisin, plum and fig notes.

TASTE: Rich dark fruits, candied malts, vanilla, oak and coffee are all dancing over the palate. Pretty damn tasty, with lots of sweet and savory flavors, a small tang, smooth vanilla, bourbon and coffee. As other tasters have noted, this is more akin to a belgian strong dark ale than a stout, but it is an enjoyable brew nonetheless.

FEEL: Full bodied, silky smooth, low-medium carbonation, and very nice altogether.

OVERALL: A successful brew from Samuel Adams. Lots of good flavors going on, and mostly do compliment each other. Barrel aging has added a nice touch to this beer, and it is drinking just fine right now. Would pair nicely with chocolates.

Serving type: bottle

10-11-2012 19:06:00 | More by Stinkypuss

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

kylehay2004

Florida

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

A: single finger head with little/poor retention on a very dark bottle with red tints.

S: very interesting aroma. toffee, belgian yeast, floral notes, light tropical fruit

T: this beer is very strange. not much in the way of stout flavors. lots of belgian character, belgian yeast, tropical fruits, toffee and brown sugar. dark chocolate and raspberry are the dominant flavors thoug.

M: medium and oily body and moderate to high carbonation.

Overall: very belgian, not very stout-y. Not a bad beer. This is much more like a belgian dark strong as listed.

Serving type: bottle

12-21-2012 04:53:32 | More by kylehay2004