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

sweemzander

Illinois

3.33/5  rDev -11.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

750mL corked and caged bottle poured into a snifter. Thanks for sharing Chris!

(A)- Pours a near pitch black color. Some nice tan froth and lace.

(S)- Big/huge cherry and plum/raisin fruits. Some banana-like yeasts and biscuit notes. Even some creamy oats on the tail-end. Different, but good.

(T)- Heavy on the spices up front. More of those dark fruits from the smell. Yeasty, with a sweet/slick finish.

(M)- A nice mellow carbonation level. A decent balance, though definitely heavy on the spice and sweetness levels. Gets a bit thick as it warms up.

(D)- Not bad, definitely fits the style in some ways, but overall, a spicy, heavy, stout-like combination.

Serving type: bottle

10-29-2011 17:23:25 | More by sweemzander

superdedooperboy

Georgia

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

750-ml corked-and-caged brown glass bottle poured into a tulip glass. Served at cellar temperature, approximately 45-50 degrees F.

Pours with a billowing head of light cocoa foam that fizzles away fairly quickly, settling down to a half-finger cap that seems to stick around indefinitely. Fat, patchy lacing hangs on the walls of the glass as it empties. The body is black as night until held to the light, whereupon a few streaks of garnet gleam through the abyss.

The nose is an interesting melange of raspberry, clove, anise, a hint of vanilla; there's more to it, but things are difficult to pin down. It would be nice to know what type of oak was used to age this, as the aroma seems to suggest some sourness that may be attributable to wild yeast, bacteria, or perhaps wine character -- all of which could have been imparted by the oak used.

Surprisingly light in body, though this is only because I have come in expecting the character of a 9% ABV stout; this truly does seem to land more in the zone of a Belgian Strong Dark Ale, and so the good people at Boston Beer should consider a change in description. As stated, light-bodied, with a mild carbonation; up front, tart cherry and raspberry seem to take hold, with a bit of semi-sweet chocolate hiding underneath, somewhat reminiscent of a raspberry ganache-filled truffle. While some notes of lightly roasted coffee and subtle hints of pepper and allspice bounce along the middle, the tart character envelops it all and carries everything through into the finish. Roasted coffee, dark chocolate and a hint of tart cherry linger afterward.

Overall, this is a difficult brew to place. It is difficult to define stylistically, but beyond that it's difficult to say whether or not it's pleasant to drink or a chore -- it seems to fit in some strange middle ground of all these things, and therefore cannot be judged highly or lowly. It isn't a bad beer, for certain, but rather more of a questionable one. At $8.99, a bottle won't break the bank, and will make an interesting beer to share with a friend (it does, in fact, become more of a chore if drinking an entire bottle alone), but coming from a company with coffers much larger than many smaller breweries with similar offerings at equal or lesser cost, it could use a little price drop.

Serving type: bottle

10-07-2011 03:43:01 | More by superdedooperboy

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

donkeyrunner

Massachusetts

3.38/5  rDev -9.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Light brown pour that sits black in my glass. Fingerswidth tan head yields fair retention. Nifty shaped bottle.

13th hour, like most SA beers, smells good but weak. I pick out charred barrel, vanilla and cigar wrapper. Tastes like watery Chambord with lightly roasted edges.

Bottle says, "Boston Beer Co., Boston MA &...Hammondsport NY." WTF? I know Sam is far from a hometown brew but at least lie to me.

Serving type: bottle

11-10-2011 01:14:26 | More by donkeyrunner

Mebuzzard

Colorado

3.4/5  rDev -9.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Love these bottles from SA.

Pours a dark ruby, cola body. A very nice looking beer capped with a rich off-white head. Nice lacing.

Aroma is a touch weak. Some leather and plum. Cocoa and roasted grains. Some booze.

Flavors come and go. Red plum. Blackberries. A light cocoa and leather strap. Some candied Jolly Rancher in the back. Flavors are light, and I'm glad this one is listed as a BSDA instead of a quad, which is what the label suggests. It's strong, and has some good flavors, it just seems the carbonation lifts away the taste.

Finishes a bit hollow for me. But isn't bad by any means

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2012 08:08:12 | More by Mebuzzard

Gmann

New York

3.43/5  rDev -8.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours a deep brown color with ruby edges, a smallish off-white head that settles into a very light ring.

The aroma is fairly faint. I pick up some light raisin and subtle metallic notes. Perhaps some Belgian spice from the yeast. Disappointing for a Belgian style. Don't really pick up any stout notes.

The taste is of a light raisin and cola. Some light oaky notes. Some chalky coffee flavor and dark chocolate. Nothing really pops. It has more of a dubbel type flavor with subtle chocolate and coffee notes to go along with a light plum and clovey belgian yeast.

The feel is light with very fizzy carbonation. The active carbonation may mask some of the flavor. Nice balance between sweet and roasty bitterness. Drinks light and fairly refreshing.

A decent Belgian style brew. Could use more flavor from the chocolate and coffee and less carbonation. I like that it keeps itself in check.

Serving type: bottle

10-15-2011 01:03:24 | More by Gmann

ferrari29

Illinois

3.43/5  rDev -8.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Beer poured from bottle into a Snifter shaped glass

A - Dark colored beer pours with a espresso brown colored head; one finger in size and held well; not much lacing formed around the glass; body has a slightly reddish hue around the edges; beer has a very liquid body

S - Spicy nose; touch of coffee roasted malt; hint of oak and whiskey; dry scents of allspice or grains of paradise

T - Licorice is followed up with a nice spice blast of nutmeg and allspice; slight flavor of coffee over the middle of the tongue; dry oak flavor

M - Thin body; slightly bubbly; heavy spice bite

D - Good beer overall; would compliment a nice cheese

Serving type: bottle

10-16-2011 22:45:36 | More by ferrari29

BigPlay1824

New York

3.45/5  rDev -8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Enjoyed in a goblet

A: Pours a deep black with slight red notes that is completely thick, pours with a thin layer of very fine head that is mocha in color that dissipates almost immediately, leaves virtually no lacing on the glass
S: im sensing chocolate and cherries with a very slight amount of Belgian character
T: yup definitely can sense the Belgian character of wheat and funk, very odd taste, definitively has a sweet note of cherries, not what i was expecting from what they call a stout, very slight chocolate and smoked malt character, just not as much depth as i had expected
M: very thin on the palate, medium carbonation tingle, leaves a silky feeling on the palate that is very pleasant
O: a good brew, called a stout but categorized as a Belgian strong ale, fits the strong ale moniker better i think and is overall very smooth and nice to drink

Serving type: bottle

11-10-2011 00:05:39 | More by BigPlay1824

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

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

JustinAniello

Connecticut

3.5/5  rDev -6.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A - Pours black with a three finger foamy head. Dissipates over a couple minutes to a light cap and some nice sticky lacing.

S - Scents of sweet chocolate, soy sauce, grapes, and mustiness. The aroma is pretty subtle overall.

T - Light sweet chocolate at first turning to a heavy yeast and mild white grape flavor. Very slight bitterness in the aftertaste.

M - Medium body and carbonation, a little light in body for whta you would expect.

O - Decent, but nothing special. Off in what you would expect from a stout and the flavors don't flow well enough together to make up for it. Better options from the Sam Adams line.

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2012 01:08:35 | More by JustinAniello

SeamusDoyle

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -6.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Brown pour but black in the glass. Small tan head, no lace. Sour cherries, Belgian yeast, hint of coffee grounds, and faint roast in the aroma. Just a bit of oak comes off as it warms. The flavor has sweet, tart cherries and yeast, with a bit of toasty malts.Alcohol and the slightest bit of oak on the finish. Medium body at best, with light carbonation

Serving type: bottle

11-18-2012 18:43:40 | More by SeamusDoyle

ummswimmin

New Jersey

3.51/5  rDev -6.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I poured this into my snifter to enjoy during the Super Bowl. There wasn't any metaphorical resason... just thought it looked good to sip during the game.

For a stout, this beer should have been darker. You could get a decent amount of light through this one. The smell is interesting. I would say that the bouquet is like a mix of stout and saison. There is the coffee, as you would expect. I also get some spices, sweetness, and a decent amount of sour. It is an original smell, but the balance is a little off.

The flavor is complicated and challenging. You get a lot more of the sour. There is a lot less coffee at this point. I would say that this is more like a dark/black saison.

Overall this made for an interesting experience. It wasn't bad, but t doesn't rise to the point of being a "must find" beer.

Serving type: bottle

02-04-2013 03:18:31 | More by ummswimmin

ilikebeer03

Texas

3.51/5  rDev -6.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

750 ml poured into a snifter.

Pours a very dark, brown. Not quite black. You can tell it is highly carbonated right away. It produces a fair head which fades in a minute or two and leaves a tanish, bubbly ring around the edge.
S: dark fruits up front. big time. slight tartness. a bit of chocolate too.
T: The dark fruits are very strong, in my opinion, over powering the other flavors. Tartness covers the tongue. I pick up just a bit of oak. Not too much. Less than I would like. Alcohol is masked well.
M: highly carbonated. Too highly in my opinion to be considered a stout. I would compare it to a german hefe. (which make sense because it is supposed to be a "dark belgian style stout").
O: Not terrible. My biggest complaint is too much carbonation (personal preference). Probably would not buy again. Havent sampled many of the "sour" beers, which this is supposed to be(ish) (The tag says it is blended with "Cosmic Mother Funk") to be able to give a good judge of how accurate a representation it is of the style.

Serving type: bottle

04-08-2013 20:42:10 | More by ilikebeer03

DavidST

Texas

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

Poured from a 750 MLS bottle into a tulip glass, no bottled date. This pours a dark brown, almost back color with a massive head. The smells are very strongly of Belgian yeast esters, coco, alcohol, and sweet malts. The feel is medium. The taste is a little different full of malty Belgian strong ale malts, but with weird roasted malts.

Serving type: bottle

08-23-2012 03:44:41 | More by DavidST

NStLincoln

Nebraska

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

Poured out of a weird barrel shaped bottle which may or may not have contributed to a really foamy pour. Dark brown color to the point of being black with light brown around the edges. Head is a light brown with good retention.

Smells of raisins and sour Belgian style ale. Complex, probably needs to warm up a bit.

I pick up the Belgian attributes of this beer first. It's got a smooth sourness to it. The stout part of the beer comes through with raisins, figs, and some spicy cinnamon action. Really hard to put my finger on what's going on here because there's so much going on.

Not the oil spill of a barrel aged stout that I'm used to but lots of interesting flavors. A beer to ponder.

Serving type: bottle

08-24-2012 14:28:51 | More by NStLincoln

brewskifan55

Mississippi

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

Poured into a snifter

A: Black with amber highlights. A frothy tan half finger head that lingers. Great lacing.

S: Dark fruits (dates, plums, figs, raisins, cherries), malts, light chocolate.

T: Follows nose with a bit of coffee flavor tossed in. Don't know why they call it a stout. This definately drinks like a Belgian SDA. Sweet. Smooth, rich, robust. Even better as it warms. The oak starts to come through as does the 9% ABV.

M: Medium with creamy carbonation.

O: Decent, just not exciting. Glad I tried it, but not much bang for the bucks.

Serving type: bottle

10-01-2012 17:47:59 | More by brewskifan55

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

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

jsulko

Illinois

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

Bottle poured into a snifter glass

Pours a very darkish brown with reddish hints. Decent off white head.

Smell has dark fruits and some roasted maltyness.

Taste has the dark fruits and some coffee notes. Roasty flavor also comes through. Yeast makes itself known a bit on the finish.

Didn't wow me. Not enough going on to go out of the way for.

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2013 03:22:42 | More by jsulko

cjacobsen

Illinois

3.55/5  rDev -5.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Classified as a Stout from the brewery, but Belgian Strong Dark Ale on BA. Reviewed as a Stout.

(A) Pours black, but it's not opaque. When held up to the light, ruby hues are seen throughout the beer. There is a slight head that diminishes rather quickly.

(S) Very sweet, well spiced. Has a bouquet of dark fruits and sugars. Dark cherry and yeast. Almost has a sour stout smell to it like NB Clutch or Tart of Darkness. Has a lot and very promising.

(T) Promising gone. What is this? The dark fruits, especially dark cherry, are very prominent. The fruits are paired with a bit of raisin and a hefty bout of spice.

(M) Medium body and rather oily. It's too carbonated, especially for a stout. Ends thin and dry.

(O) Not what I would have expected out of a stout. This beer is over spiced and over carbonated. I liked the idea and the aroma was very pleasant, quite awesome if I do say, but it was all downhill from there.

Serving type: bottle

10-19-2011 20:33:02 | More by cjacobsen

rfgetz

New Jersey

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

Pours a dark, cola brown color with quick rush of bubbles, gone quickly. Taste leads with an intriguing blend of dark malt, splash of fruit and some tart funkiness. First things noted on the tongue were the very cola like carbonation and sour/tart funkiness, beyond those notes, fruit and chocolate peek through the solid malts. Medium bodied, very highly carbonated. Some odd components including the carbonation and funkiness did not work well with the base beer.

Serving type: bottle

11-07-2011 14:28:07 | More by rfgetz

jondeelee

Massachusetts

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

Thirteenth Hour opens with a dark, spicy, fruity, complex aroma, featuring Belgian-like bananas and cloves, chocolate, vanilla, fig, Candi sugar, berries, and raisin wine. The combination makes this one of the more unique aromas in the beer world, and in fact makes this smell almost, but not entirely, quite unlike beer. Instead, it comes across more like a fine aged bottle of sherry or cognac, sat next to a steaming cup of spiced berry tea and a wedge of chocolate. The effect is intriguing, if not intoxicating, but is definitely finely nuanced and evidence of a well-crafted brew.

On the tongue, the beer opens with a Flemish-like bout of sourness, quickly joined by a blast of citrus-bright lemon-lime hops. Some vanillas and touches of oak lie beneath, as well as a continuation of the banana and clove flavors from the nose. Small chocolate and fig juice notes drift lazily about, and the whole flavor profile is overhung by a vodka-like alcohol whang. Late in the mouthful the hops add extra levels of lemon and citrus, and the aftertaste is dominated both by these and by a fresh wheat stalk grain flavor, and lasts for a long time. Mouthfeel is a strangely watery medium-light to medium, and carbonation is medium to medium-high.

Overall, the beer is oddly non-stout-like for a stout, having few strong coffee, ash, tobacco, or chocolate/black malt notes. Instead, it comes across as a slightly spiced and lightly soured Belgian, into which just a touch of coffee and chocolate malt had been added. Perhaps if this had been labelled as such, it would have been less strange on the tongue--but the stout label threw me off greatly, as did the watery mouthfeel.

Serving type: bottle

01-10-2012 17:29:00 | More by jondeelee

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

Vonerichs

Illinois

3.58/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Dark brown color with glimpses of mohagany around the edges.

Smells of raisins and brown sugar.

Tastes like dark fruits, allspice, and brown sugar. I'm not picking up much of the advertised chocolate or coffee.

Mouthfeel is heavy with medium carbonation.

I have no idea where they get off calling this a stout. It's a belgian dark ale, for sure. It's actually not a bad dark ale, but as a stout it lacks the typical characteristics.

Serving type: bottle

10-30-2011 02:56:12 | More by Vonerichs