Vol. XIV - Real Ale Brewing Company

bisonkron

Texas

3.8/5  rDev +28.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Dark gold in color. Cloudy. Little head with low carbonation. A bit of lacing left behind.

Smells of whiskey oak. Extremely pleasant. Sweet and woody throughout. Very Malty.

Tastes of sweet honey malts. Fruit mix, citrus, and woody.

Mouth-feel - very dry, silky, very drinkable but missing a little something to make me want to grab a second.

Very nice beer, it did not stack up to the vol. 14, perhaps it had a bit too much age on it, seemed faded out, other than that it was great.

Serving type: on-tap

06-26-2011 03:19:01 | More by bisonkron

drummermattie02

Texas

4/5  rDev +35.1%

12-07-2011 23:19:53 | More by drummermattie02

MEsquandoles

Texas

3.78/5  rDev +27.7%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

$8 for a half pint at Billys on Burnet. Improved significantly when transferred into Duvel glass.

Dark golden to light brown. Hazy as Hell. Looks like it got some color from the wood.

The aroma might be the best aspect of this beer. Smells like brandy with a lil oaky Bourbon. Some honey and cantaloupe. Slight funk from the wood aging. Smells of a toffee and aged hoppy barleywine.

Bitterness is there but hop presence is mostly faded. Honey dipped pineapple. Some molasses and fig too.

Alcohol is well hidden. Surprisingly dry. Very drinkable, but the price makes me savour it and sip slowly. Surprisingly, lack of lingering sweetness or flavor.

I was skeptical, but better than I thought it'd be. Other reviews must have been different releases.

Serving type: on-tap

02-17-2011 05:04:55 | More by MEsquandoles

champ103

Texas

2.45/5  rDev -17.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

A: Pours a a light hazy golden orange color. A one finger bubbly white head forms at first pour, but recedes to nothing in a second. After the foam recedes, this looks pretty dead.
S: Full oak and vanilla in the nose. Lots of white grapes as well.
T: Follows the nose, but much more of a moldy wood like flavor. Like others have said strong buttery notes as well. Not a full on diacetyl, but close. Very sweet with white grapes. There is a lot going on, but it just does not mesh at all.
M/D: Full body, very low carbonation. I wish this was much more crisp and dry. Very hot as well. It took me a long time to get though the half pint.

Unfortunately, I have to agree with the other reviewers here. I love Real Ale's barrel aged beers that they have released so far, but this is not good.

Serving type: on-tap

02-04-2011 21:58:18 | More by champ103

womencantsail

California

1.85/5  rDev -37.5%
look: 3 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 1

Thanks for sharing this one, Bobby.

A: The beer pours an amber color with minimal off-white head forming.

S: A very rough nose. Lots and lots of butter and butterscotch with tons of vanilla and oak. There's a big grape aroma to it as well as a lot of alcohol and a cheap wine/2-buck-chuck type smell.

T: The intensity of the oak is there on the palate as well. There's a very harsh alcohol flavor and lots of cheap wine notes again. Quite a bit of grape skin flavor with trace amount of diacetyl.

M: The body is medium and the carbonation is on the low end of medium.

D: This was bad. You'd probably be better off getting a jug of Carlo Rossi.

Serving type: growler

01-27-2011 17:43:52 | More by womencantsail

t0rin0

California

1.9/5  rDev -35.8%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 1

Sampled 1/25/2011 at home.

Pours clear yellow with a reddish tint, not a whole lot of retention or lacing.

Aroma is intensely of butter, vanilla, and grape juice. Fatpeoplecantsail likened it to cheap wine, which I agree with.

Flavor is heavy on the fresh medium/heavy toast oak, cheap redwine, vanilla, sugar, pain, bitterness, and unfermented red grapes.

Body is medium and severely lacks drinkability.

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Serving type: growler

01-26-2011 05:45:59 | More by t0rin0