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

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

mortarit

North Carolina

4.13/5  rDev +10.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I've haven't tried alot of SA stuff, Boston lager and their summer seasonal.
First, like the bottle design. Itreally caught my eyes at first glance.
Beware when trying to releashing the cork, I was stardel from the pressure it gave when the cork riocet around the room. That was a first for me.
Smell of raisins which is typical of the Belgian style dark ales.
Taste them too.
What I really like is the silky texture of the head, very fine layer.
Medium in strength but light in the body.
It true to it's Belgian class
I would like to explore more of these on price points.

Overall, a winner.

Serving type: bottle

09-12-2012 18:28:38 | More by mortarit

Wamesit

Massachusetts

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

A - Pours black with some ruby edging. Light brown head that gives way to minimal lacing, if any.

S - Cherries, coffee, dark chocolate. Roasted malts.

T - Candied fruits, bittersweet chocolate, roasted malts. Smooth, palate soothing flux of earthy peat (with a hint of milkiness beneath and between) combine with a mild hops finish.

M - Medium.

O - This is an interesting beer. Dark, stoutish, but with the fruit esters of a Belgian Ale. I'm not sure if the offbeat Sam Adam's "Belgian Stout" monikers fits best or if the BA "Belgian Strong Dark Ale" suits it better. Either way, it is worth checking out.

Serving type: bottle

07-02-2012 02:51:06 | More by Wamesit

BigBarley

Texas

4.1/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Pours a deep deep brown, almost pitch black, except for the highlights that are revealed in the light. Very deep brown. Almost impossible to see any light except through the edges. Head came to about a finger of a tan-brown froam that recedes over time to a thick ring of foam.

S - Dark, sweet coffee, very faint vanilla, with a nice, sharp, barrel-aged aroma of something like wood and spices, very thick smell, light black fruit presence, lots of raisin underneath, hint of cinammon, more vanilla, more wood. A great beer for smelling, very full of subtleties and variety.

T - Smoked malt, burnt plum notes, very mild hints of chocolate and vanilla battle it out, very charred wooden taste, spices come through on the swallow, left with a nice yeasty, dark flavor. Nothing like a stout or dark ale I've had before, lots of things happening here that I can't describe. Wild yeasty flavor, biscuit tastes, black, sweet burnt caramel. There's just so much going on here, it's a great experience sifting through all these flavors.

M - Pretty thick, but not unbelievably so. The carbonation is pretty active for the style, and creamy. All around thick but smooth.

O - An interesting beer to say the least. Samuel Adams hit-and-miss tendencies made me less than exuberant about putting down 12 dollars for a bottle, but I like to think I made a good choice. Very tasteful, very well-made, very rich. This beer is intense and warming. Great winter time early morning taster (but only if you've got the day to yourself, lots of alcohol here)

Serving type: bottle

11-24-2012 11:39:44 | More by BigBarley

Kbogac

Illinois

3.93/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours dark reddish brown with a thick mocha head. Slowly dissipates to a rich with minor lacing. Smell is fruity with some caramel and chocolate. The taste is sour dark fruit and molasses. There is a nice coffee/chocolate in the middle. Medium mouthfeel with good carbonation.

Overall an interesting beer. Great flavosr. Worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

11-29-2011 02:33:30 | More by Kbogac

BeerNutz324

Minnesota

3.93/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

24oz split with the brohas and poured into an oversized wine glass

Ap- pours a deep dark brownish black color with a great tan/beige head that lingers pretty well.

Ar- has that typical belgian smell with some chocolate, dark fruit and coffee notes

T- smooth and tasty. The dark fruit and the belgian yeast hit first and then the coffee and chocolate notes finish the taste.

M- medium bodied and quite bubbly for a stout, but I guess that is the belgian side coming through

O- A really good beer. Didn't know what to expect crossing a belgian and a stout but this beer is delicious.

Serving type: bottle

09-16-2012 03:20:45 | More by BeerNutz324

TownDunkel

Texas

4.25/5  rDev +13.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Thirteenth Hour - had to give it a shot after trying their new world beer, which rocked my socks off

Appearance - Dark and soul-less just the way it should be. Almost looks like a stout or a porter as dark as it is

Smell - Hops, Bourbon, Chocolate, and other dark earthy notes

Taste - Bam, now thats the stuff. Sour cherry with coffee after taste. Not really like anything I have had before but not so different its just plain wrong

Mouthfeel - Good carbonation and nice flavor of cherrys that hangs around for quite a while

Overall - So far I am really impressed by these specialty beers, hopefully the last one will be the best for last

Serving type: bottle

09-29-2012 04:22:42 | More by TownDunkel

Kranders

Massachusetts

3.95/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Big fan of the barrel aged series from Sam Adams in general. This one poured a nice deep rich black. It had some great oakyness in the nose that really popped through in the taste. I was a little surprised how oak-forward the beer was, and how slightly one dimensional the taste was. It finished a whole lot thinner than you'd expect. Not necessarily in a bad way, just an observation. Still, overall enjoyed it quite a bit.

Serving type: bottle

12-23-2011 01:16:09 | More by Kranders

KKB

Massachusetts

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

A – Oak and ruby body with a wheat toast head that has solid retention, though limited lacing. Looks pretty good.

S – Toasted malt that gives it a slight milk-chocolate scent, cherries and dark fruit, a slight wine-esque background, black pepper and clove, vanilla and oak.

T – Not terrible. Honestly though the first sip I took tasted like cherry flavored cough syrup. Gets better as you keep going. Has a cherry-cola like flavor to it that is smoothed over with all the malt, definitely has a dried fruit taste to it, somewhat raisiny, peppery spice element. Towards the end it tastes like dates and figs, with a slight cocoa element to it. I’d go so far as to say it’s good. Not great mind you, but downright good.

M – This is probably the best part of the beer. It has a silky, velvety, mouthfeel to it that keep the flavor on the palate for a lengthy amount of time. It’s very nice.

O – I would not recommend this beer. If it was offered to me I might drink it, but I definitely wouldn’t buy it again. It has some positive elements to it, but the flavors clash more than they build upon one another.

Serving type: bottle

12-06-2012 02:23:20 | More by KKB

theBubba

New York

3.75/5  rDev 0%
look: 1 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured a deep, dark, almost black, burnt umber into my 10 oz. stem glass. A huge head (i like to pour way high for the head test) which sadly crapped out in about 45 seconds. Zero lace.

Smell was of raisins, a little wood and Balsamic vinegar.

Taste was, in a word, unique. A little bit of sour cherry, some toasty malt, and the slightest touch of hop bitterness. The taste gets even better when paired with a nice Stilton or Gorgonzola.

Mouthfeel was crisp and satisfying even after the beer looked kind of flat in my glass.

So overall, I have to say this was a pretty nice endeavor for Sam Adams. Would I buy it again? At ten bucks a bottle, absolutely not. But the experience was worth the ten bucks.

Now lose the cork, cage, and fancy bottle. Then drop the price to 7 bucks and you may have something to get us through the winter. My marketing instincts say that will never happen.

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2012 02:30:56 | More by theBubba

jb413

Massachusetts

3.85/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - Pours black with ruby edges apparent when held in the light. 1 1/2 fingers of light khaki/coffee head consisting of tightly packed bubbles. Good retention on the head, yet minimal lacing.

S - Sweet maltiness, some caramel, dark fruit specifically raisins and cherries. Some milk chocolate interspersed. Touch of alcohol. Faint spice in background.

T - Wave of sweetness from the malt profile with sangria-like qualities with raisins and dark fruit. Spice and milk chcolate are vague and transient. Wine-like finish with a bit of residual sweetness and alcohol warmth that lingers. No real hop/bitter balance to speak of.

MF - Medium-full in body with good carbonation. Sweetness. Very wine-like on the finish with a wave of alcohol body and some warmth. Moderately drinkable and more so than its 9% would have you believe.

O - Not very familiar with the Belgian style here, but this is good not great. Complaints are no real coffee notes and lack of hop balance in my opinion. Enjoyed, but unlikely to purchase again at this price tag.

Serving type: bottle

01-11-2012 01:49:57 | More by jb413

smalenberg

Michigan

3.8/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - Dark with a small head, slight hints of red near the edges

S - Sweet candied fruits and malt

T - Candied fruit (raisin and plum) and strong caramel with hints of the alcohol strength and subtle peppery notes.

M - Smooth but with slight bite from the alcohol.

O - Very nice. Not the best among these special barrel editions, but very enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

11-10-2012 01:02:20 | More by smalenberg

ESPNman

California

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

Served into a tulip glass.

A - Pours a thin, deep purple. Almost black, but not quite. Kind of like a really deep Cabernet red. Very little head, and even less lacing... although what head is generated does have a surprising retention to it.

S - Lots of rich fruit flavors, as well as a bit of roasty malt and oak. Not much alcohol present on the nose, despite the 9% ABV here.

T - Woah, it's like there's a party in my mouth and everyone's invited. There's a lot going on in this big complex beer, and it works for the most part. Belgian-yeast fruit esters, deep roasted caramel malts, sweet fruit, peppery spice, and a bit of imperial stout-esque chocolate. Very little hop bitterness. It could have used a bit more barrel aging to tame the Belgian yeast fruit.

M - A little overcarbonated for my tastes. A little dry on the finish. Solid, but unspectacular and with some flaws.

O - This was an ambitious beer that hit most of the right notes. I'd definitely drink it again if I get the opportunity, but it's not something that I'm going to be seeking out.

Serving type: bottle

11-14-2012 05:52:47 | More by ESPNman

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

Vancoubeer

Washington

4.45/5  rDev +18.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Don't let the low reviews of this beer deter you. This is a very very good beer. The Appearance of the beer is quite impressive. Its dark like root beer with similar dark red tones in the black substance. It is quite carbonated but unlike many Belgians, the head fades away quick, much like a sour...the KMF, their yeast strand really has carbonated this beer in a dry direction. A very thin layer has stuck around. Alcohol legs on the glass and nice lacing, despite the dryness. I can hear the bubbles pop while the head disappears. This looks quite attractive.

The smell of this is just as interesting. At first whiff you get that sour funk, but its subtle. Its there so if you are a fan of sours you can totally tell its there. Once you cut through that there are a ton of items found. I get apple peal, chocolate, licorice, cherry liquor (must have been brandy from the barrels), oak and malt sweetness. Not too much coffee but I bet it will when it warms up a bit more.

The taste is where this made me do a double take. You first get the sourness it then quickly fades into sweet chocolate and at the end of the drink you get that apple/pear like peel you get in a good Belgian blonde. There is the roastyness from a stout there. Its barely there and you have to let it warm up a bit. Its not coffee but its like the roast you get in a stout. This is very good. Sam Adams has done an amazing job here in quality control with the flavor. The KMF totally is the major player in the flavor. You can tell that it totally is the variable that made the blend of the stout and belgian possible and by making that sour note not too strong and having the flavor from the booze and barrel blend is unreal.

The mouthfeel is what I expected. Its dry. Its carbonated. Just what you would expect from a beer with wild yeast. The fact that the head is not thick and creamy is proof of how dry this is. It cleans off all aspects of your mouth totally making you want more to look for more flavors.

This is a phenomenal beer. People dissing on it either were unaware of what they were getting or had their heart set on one beer over another. Sam Adams claims that there are not to many Belgian stouts...well that is true but they do exist but none of them are like this. Most have that fruity like flavor but not this dry. Not this sour. I have has sour stouts and this is the best. New Belgiums for example was good but not sour enough. Fort George out of Astoria, Oregon was too sour. Other brewers in the USA interested in Belgian stouts have made very good versions, but this is on a totally different level. Could this improve? Yes. They could find a way to get the stout like flavors to be a bit more forward. Maybe not so dry but in its age at the moment, there is not bottling date provided (they need to start doing this), this is superb. Get this if you see it. Drink it fresh or age it...will I get this again. Yup and I will be pushing all my friends to give it a go.

Serving type: bottle

12-22-2012 06:17:47 | More by Vancoubeer

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

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

outdoorbrewer

New Jersey

3.6/5  rDev -4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Cage and cork bottle poured into 6 sampler glasses for all at the table to taste. Creates a nice creamy head that lasts over opaque black beer that does coat to lace. Nice moderate malt aroma of cookie, chocolate, banana bread, toffee, vanilla balanced with some floral perfume like hops. Initial flavor says choco-malto- sweetness showing a bitter/sour presence with esters to fit the Belgium category. Finish sour of long duration medium to full body, dry texture, fizzy carbonation that actually creates a nice feel.

Serving type: bottle

09-25-2011 23:54:54 | More by outdoorbrewer

artdob

California

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

Couldn't pass up this bottle as it just simply proclaimed, "Buy me" as I caught a glance whe perusing the beer aisles at Toyal Wine.

Frnstarters, the bottle is sealed with a cork and a champagne like cork cage. The fun begins with the popping off the cork followed immediately with a light smoke rising out of the bottle.

This beer pours a dark black and a tan head that is modest but acceptable for the style.

The nose offers a spiciness, stewed plums, espresso, brown sugar, and chocolate notes.

Initial taste is somewhat light. First notes offer roastiness, followed by coffee and raisin characteristics. Mild oakiness too and a wild mushroom base offers additional complexity.

Mouthfeel has moderate carbonation - initially crisp and quickly presenting nice warmth.

Sweetness, fruitiness, cocoa and roasty tones take hold as the beer evolves.

A nice belgian-style stout. Doesn't knock my favorites off the mantle, but a decent excursion on the Stout journey.

Serving type: bottle

12-10-2012 04:36:01 | More by artdob

The_1084

3.93/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: Pours a dark transparent color with ruby/amber hues; has a decent head that sticks around throughout the duration of the beer; nice lacing.

S: Strong aroma of dark fruit with a hint of coffee.

T: Follows the smell; powerful taste of dark fruit with a very mild aftertaste of bitter coffee becoming present roughly 20-30 seconds after swallowing; small resemblance to a sweet wine.

M: Easy drinkability for a 9.0% ABV; full-bodied with light-medium carbonation.

O: I was hoping for stronger stout characteristics, but overall this was a good beer.

Serving type: bottle

09-09-2012 02:29:03 | More by The_1084

WoogityBoogity

Florida

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

Poured from 750ml into an American stout glass and Belgian goblet.

Appearance - Dark brown body, thick tan collar of foam with average dissipation. Traditional Belgian lace.

Smell - Complex malty sweetness, low on the phenols. 'Stout' profile that Sam Adams suggests is akin to burnt notes and molasses profile. Charred biscuit. Almost no noticable hop aroma.

Taste - A roasty malt character, noticable malt complexity, with strong profile of grains. Balance is heavily toward the malt. Alcohol finish provides a slightly bitter finish to low hop flavor. Dry coffee-like finish.

Mouthfeel - High carbonation with medium-light body. Low alcohol warmth.

Overall - A dark Belgian style ale with hints of a more traditional stout profile. It's not really a beer for me (though I tried to be fair in rating what it was), as I'd rather have just a strong dark ale or just a stout, but the unique character is worth the try.

Serving type: bottle

09-04-2012 08:09:28 | More by WoogityBoogity

kaelingirl

Massachusetts

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

1 pint 9.4oz bottle into a tulip glass
dark brown as it pours from the bottle with a half inch tan head that fades quickly. Tiny bubbles rise constantly.
You can pick up some vanilla and pepper and dark fruits like figs or dates in the aroma.
Taste is mostly that dark fruit that you get from the smell. More dates or figs.
Very carbonated with a pretty light to medium body. Alcohol is very well hidden but does show up in the back of your throat at first. I can taste a bit of pepper on the sides of my tongue.
As it warms the flavors become more pronounced, an interesting beer indeed.

Serving type: bottle

02-06-2012 22:10:42 | More by kaelingirl

RichD

Rhode Island

4.14/5  rDev +10.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Poured from the cork and caged bottle into a snifter.

A: Poured a pale brown initially. As my snifter filled, the brown became more pronounced with a 1-2 finger tan head.

S: Chocolate covered raisins was the prominent scent that I picked up. Some oak came through afterwards, with some coffee and figs/plums also poking through.

T: The taste follows the nose pretty well. The figs/plums were more prominent in the taste than in the nose. The chocolate and raisins were pretty subdued with the oak and coffee coming through in the finish. There is a fruity taste that seems to taste like brettanomyces, but there was no indication that any brett is in here. Perhaps it's the cosmic mother funk, which would make sense. This brew is very deep. Perhaps the deepest Sam Adams brew I've had so far.

M: A medium to heavy body. There is a moderate to heavy level of carbonation. Overall nothing that blows my mind.

Overall: This is a solid brew. The depth of this makes it extremely tasty and interesting. I'm glad I picked this up to try. As I said earlier in this review, this may be the deepest brew from Sam Adams. I really like this one and I can see myself buying the rest of these Sam Adams barrell room collection beers. Great job, guys!

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2013 01:00:07 | More by RichD

SABERG

Massachusetts

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

Poured into modified tulip glass. Initially chilled but allowed to warm.

A - Deep dark, a bit of ruby coloring. Head was prolific, lacing was very good.
S - Currants, cocoa, leather, subtle spice notes, quite pleasant.
T - Vexing, some sweetnes, a little spice, dried fruit, alcohol hidden in the mix.
Spiciness as the glass warmed. This is a hard brew to pin down.
M - Medium across the palete, nice carbonation level. A moderate linger where some of the alcohol warms.
O - I waited to try this and am glad I did. This is a challenging beer to review. The brewery keeps up the fine work, while challenging our palates.

Cheers

Serving type: bottle

11-09-2012 01:09:28 | More by SABERG

FlemingVSKing

Florida

4.83/5  rDev +28.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75

Just a wonderful collaboration.

Compared to other dark beers, say Sublimely Self Righteous Ale, this isn't the balls to the wall flavorfest, but a more subtle yet equally complex flavor combination. It is comprised of a collection of fruit notes over a well rounded stout background. Vs the other brew I mentioned, the hop tones are more subtle, which is very likely the primary difference and it provides what could be considered an overall more drinkable beer. A very very enjoyable brew.

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2013 07:45:08 | More by FlemingVSKing