Super Kitty - Keegan Ales

ksimons

New York

3.84/5  rDev -5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A-a hazy brown amber with a fingers worth of very light tan head that leaves a bit of lace around the top

S-caramel malt, light honey sweetness, and light bitter hops. Smell improves as the beer warms.

T-caramel malts, honey sweetness along with a bit of fruitiness, light oakiness, and ends with a fair amount of bitter hops. Alcohol is fairly well hidden.

M-medium body, moderate carbonation, bitter aftertaste left in the mouth

Overall it's an interesting beer, nice malt/honey mix with the bitter hops. Worth a try if you find it and its not too much $$.

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2013 22:16:25 | More by ksimons

dar482

New York

3.29/5  rDev -18.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25

For a beer made with oak chips, I would expect more smokey and wood notes from the aroma. The color is a lovely warm amber color.
Going into it, it's a decent sipper. The alcohol dissipates around the mouth and the tip of your tongue gets a little of the bitterness. Taking a bigger sip, the caramel initial note is nice, but then it turns into an acrid combination of bitterness and alcohol. I wish the wooden flavor was more well rounded and sweeter, as currently, it leaves your mouth stuck with the taste of something like soil.

Serving type: bottle

02-09-2013 01:34:11 | More by dar482

onix1agr

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to Baloss for opening this bottle at a ecent gathering. 2006 vintage

Super Kitty has a nice dark looking brown bark colored look with some dark mahagony popping through. Cant really see through the beer, not entirely black. Some faint bubbles pop up and pop down when in the snifter, they had a beige tint to them, no spots on the glass going down. At this point the hops have all but faded. There is a big caramel toffee vibe here with some underlining dark fruit mixture. Brown sugar and toasted malt. Super Kitty Kat tastes like it smells. Rich caramel, drk fruit, chocolate, semi vanilla tones, Toast. The alcohol pops out in just the slightest fashion. Feel is a step down from full bodied with a small amount of car bubbles on the tounge. Swift easy drinking, while not being overly complex, even at 6 years old. A great beer to share though with the size of the bottle and everything.

Serving type: bottle

11-16-2012 03:36:51 | More by onix1agr

DrinkSlurm

Connecticut

3.78/5  rDev -6.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

On tap at the brewery.
Poured into pint.
Pours a hazy golden amber. Sweet malty aroma.
Taste is of sweet malts and hops; slight dried fruit way in the haze.
Overall...ok Strong Ale...not overly done, but ok with flavor. I am so glad i didne spend the $35 bottle on this....its worth the $5 pint at the brewery but I wouldnt spend a dollar more on this.
Deff not worth it...
Since i spent $5...nice brew, worth a try.
If i spent $35...waste of money...
Be careful here.

Serving type: on-tap

02-22-2012 04:25:10 | More by DrinkSlurm

koopa

New Jersey

4.33/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

2007 Vintage bottle # 281 of 500 bottled on 12/07

Appearance: Pours a honey tinged auburn with a 1/2 finger off white crown that displays moderate retention and lace.

Smell: Strong oak presence dances divinely with stale hops and a touch of honey.

Taste: Same as the nose. Really well balanced at this point in time (4 years of age on it).

Mouthfeel: Thick side of thin bodied with moderate carbonation.

Drinkability: Goes down fairly easily. A bit more heft to the mouthfeel and I would have given it a 4.5 in both the mouthfeel and the overall categories.

Serving type: on-tap

11-26-2011 20:41:01 | More by koopa

alalvarez75

New York

4.45/5  rDev +10.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

S - I could really distinctly smell the honey. I can't think of any beer in which it was quite so noticeable.

T - Again not only could I smell the honey, I could taste it. This beer was surprisingly smooth. Give the ABV I remember thinking that was a little bit frightening that something 12% could be so smooth.

A - The appearance was really intriguing. The color wasn't quite what I had seen before

M -- Very good, smooth, tasted like honey but didn't affect mouth feel

O - It was very good, I don't know if I would want to drink this a lot. But it was good.

Serving type: bottle

07-17-2011 04:49:52 | More by alalvarez75

pmlondrigan

New York

3.88/5  rDev -4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

2009 vintage 32oz. growler
Yup, pours a very reddish amber color with a one and a half finger off white bubbly head. Sheets of lacing on down the my Allagash chalice. Faint aroma, sweet crystal malts, sticky hops, yes honey, and if a I imagine hard enough oak too. An aggressive malty and hoppy flavor. Kind of a piney resinous hop flavor presents itself. Very sweet, yes I can detect honey, some light notes of vanilla and brown sugar too. As the beer warms some of that oak actually shows up. For such a strong beer the alcohol is super well hidden. Pretty rich and somewhat cloying. I typically like my American Strong Ales pretty brash and oaky/malty and this falls shy.

Serving type: growler

07-08-2011 03:07:43 | More by pmlondrigan

ktrillionaire

Florida

3/5  rDev -25.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

First off, what terrible packaging; it looks like King Cobra's little sister.

The brew pours a mahogany brown and is capped with a fizzy root beer type of head. This beer sort of reminds of Imperial Turbodog. It is a bit sweet and dark-bready with molasses and UK ale yeast fruitiness. There is also a bit of an herbal lemongrass note taking hold, especially on the finish. I am not terribly impressed with this beer, I had never heard of it, and don't know what the big deal was supposed to be in the first place. It's not bad, but it's not particularly good either.

Serving type: bottle

06-08-2011 03:45:02 | More by ktrillionaire

MasterSki

Illinois

3.6/5  rDev -10.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to cavedave for the 2009 vintage, and to imperialking for sharing the 2010 vintage at DLD this year.

A - Pours with a generous light tan foam that has good retention and settles to a solid cap, leaving a few spots of lace. Transparent caramel brown color, although later pours had some suspended sediment.

S - First observation - the 2009 vintage is way oakier than 2010. That being said, both have a barleywine flavor profile. Bread, brown sugar, honey, and some lemony hops as well.

T - Reminds me of a heavier, more intense of the Why Winter consumed immediately beforehand. The '09 is a bit sweeter and more oxidized, but in a complementary manner. Alcohol is well-hidden.

M - Medium-full body, medium-low carbonation. Viscous, with some mild alcohol warmth in the back end - although 12% was a bit of a surprise. Some oaky tannic dryness as well.

D - Not sure why they felt the need to put this in 1L bottles - 12oz would be an appropriate bottle size. The 2009 was too heavily oaked and was less enjoyable. I'm averaging the scores of both vintages for the most part here.

Serving type: bottle

05-02-2011 17:50:58 | More by MasterSki

mdfb79

New York

3.35/5  rDev -17.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

From 03/27/11 notes. Growler of this from NY shared by nimbleprop; thanks Mac, I've wanted to try this one for a while.

a - Pours a dark amber color with a reddish tiny, one inch of off white head, and light carbonation evident.

s - Smells of fruity malts, caramel malts, light citrus, and alcohol. Decent, but the alcohol comes through a bit and not a ton going on.

t - Tastes of caramel malts, bready malts, and very light fruity malts. Also some alcohol again, maybe a tiny more than in the smell. A step down from the nose and a bit average.

m - Medium body and low carbonation, a little bit of alcohol warmth.

o Overall this is not a bad beer at all, but a little bit of a disappointment. It's a bit bland and boozey, with caramel and bready malts leading the way. Would give it another not, but wouldn't seek it out again.

Serving type: growler

04-07-2011 16:53:59 | More by mdfb79

Thorpe429

Illinois

3.03/5  rDev -25%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Growler consumed at a recent DC area tasting. Served in a SAVOR snifter.

Pours an amber-brown color with some dark crimson highlights. There is a thin head, but it fades away quickly. The nose has a bit of caramel sweetness and molasses. Light hop character and maybe some honey. Really quite bland and boring. Nothing stands out and the notes that are there are just singular and don't truly interact. The flavor is equally disappointing. There is malt sweetness and brown sugar plus some caramel and light earthy hops. Maybe a touch of citrus. Medium body with some booze. This was just an average beer, which was quite disappointing after I had sought this one out a few times.

Serving type: growler

03-31-2011 11:23:27 | More by Thorpe429

Gfunk720

Connecticut

3.53/5  rDev -12.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Fresh bottom filled growler from DeCicco's. Out of my Long Trail Brewmasters glass.

A- A very warm amber/brown color. Hues of red as well. The head is slightly off white, and light. It retains pretty well, with light lacing.

S- Smells of honey, caramel, piney hops, and spice. The hops really aren't very prevalent, mostly the sweet maltiness.

T- It's a smooth malty taste, with hints of hops and honey. The flavor is actually a lot less intense than I thought it would be. I get some slight hops in the aftertaste, but it really isn't very prevalent.

M- If you didn't tell me, I would think this beer is probably 7-8% based on the body. However, the booziness is well hidden. Almost a little watery would be my only complaint.

O- Pretty nice strong ale, but a lot of the flavors are a little muted for me. It is a smooth and good melding of flavors, however none really stand out to me too much.

-Gfunk

Serving type: growler

03-28-2011 00:53:55 | More by Gfunk720

cosmicevan

New York

4.28/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

big thanks to big z for having this up for growler fills at a killer price (got a 32oz fill for 1/3 of the price of the bottles!!!)

a - Through the growler has a muky brown look. Poured into unibroue tulip...deep plum with lively carbonation and a full finger of frothy head (this glass will always produce a thick head).

s - The vanilla tingle of oak is really nicely married to honey. The oak is really nice. A bit reminiscent of founder's backwoods bastard (less the bourbon). Vanilla caramel glazed hops. Pretty awesome.

t - Vanilla oak honey hops. Not much of a malt balance so the sweetness isn't there that you'd expect. The oaky flavor chills the hops without sweetening it up. Very nice.

m - bitter hopped aftertaste with a alcohol shine and tingle. The wood really mellows it out and smooths over the bitterness so the bitterness creeps up a bit and then retreats for the hills leaving a boozy tingle.

o - Overall it's a hop heavy IPA aged in nice tasting oak. The booze is there...making the mouth really nice. Once I got over the bittered flavor and the alc warmed me a bit I really got into it. If you dig oak aged brews this is a worthy one to try for sure since the wood really adds a great touch to the flavor, but the price tag is a bit hefty compared to other limited release brews that are out there. One for the tickers for sure...I was really glad to see it on tap so I could get my taste without having to shell out the dough for a bottle.

Serving type: growler

03-18-2011 00:39:34 | More by cosmicevan

woosterbill

Connecticut

3.53/5  rDev -12.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Waxed one-liter swingtop (wtf?) into a Weyerbacher tulip; bottle 13/500 of the 2010 vintage. Huge thanks to Hopstoopid120 for providing this profoundly bizarre brew.

A: Clear red-orange body with a finger of fine off-white head. Pretty.

S: It smells like I shoved my nose into a bag filled with a mixture of hops and raw, fresh oak chips. Subtle this beer is not, but it is interesting.

T: Smooth caramel malt, intense green oak, and bitter hops. Quite complex, but not terribly tasty.

M: Frothy medium body with very fine, everpresent carbonation. Fun, but a little over the top for the style.

D: The 12% is fairly well hidden, but that doesn't make it easy to drink.

Notes: I'll give this one tons of credit for being hugely aggressive flavor-wise without a concomitant blast of booze, but the intensity would have benefited greatly from even a tiny bit of elegance, balance, or integration. Just dumping an ass-load of ingredients into a beer doesn't automatically make it amazing. I'm really glad I got to try this one, even though I will definitely not be seeking it out in the future.

Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

03-08-2011 00:47:40 | More by woosterbill

vfgccp

New York

4.46/5  rDev +10.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

(First reviewed in Feb 2011, bottle #258 of 500. Current review, fresh on tap in May 2013)

A - Burgundy amber in color. Pours a tall bone-white head that sticks with a nice lace.

S - It's the smell of honey poured on fresh baked biscuits. Warm booze is definitely present in the background too.

T - Wild flour honey, scotch, oak, booze, and freshly buttered toast, with a firm backbone of bitter herbs. The flavors are huge, and the alcohol is warm and inviting.

M - Smooth, full bodied with a boozy warmth and a bitter-sweet finish.

O - Out standing flavor profile, with a much better balance on tap.

Serving type: on-tap

02-22-2011 00:25:30 | More by vfgccp

claspada

New Jersey

4.25/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Aromas begin with sweet candy-like caramel sweetness; almost berry-like. Grape, apple and some honey notes. The aroma is AMAZINGLY COMPLEX, over the course of 20 minutes I probably sniffed this bad boy 20 times.
The taste could not compare to the nose but was still excellent. The oakiness/woodiness mellows out the sweet/light biscuity maltiness. Some earthy qualities as well presumably from some light hop additions.
Mouthfeel is perfectly slick and sticky for this type of beer; perfect/average carbonation as well helps to balance out the high ABV on this brew. Ridiculous lacing as well by the way.
This was a great brew from Keegan ales, my first from them I believe, but will definitely not be my last after sipping and savoring this intense offering, which I recommend doing, this is not one to pound but really quaff and savor over a period of time. Highly recommended!

Serving type: on-tap

02-17-2011 18:51:39 | More by claspada

DoubleSimcoe

New York

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

Super Kitty on tap at The Ginger Man, New York.

Appearance: Served in a 12-oz small brandy snifter. Beautiful fluffy white head, one and one-half inches, Belgian style. Very dark/hazy/opaque in color, caramel-raisin puree appearance. Excellent lacing. Truly a gorgeous look.

Smell: Caramel, toffee, rum. Heavenly sweetness! Uncommon for an American Strong Ale. Some spiced bread and biscuity feel. Some chocolate. Smells like Christmas and/or Holidays to me!

Taste: More of the same, but less pronounced than the nose. Very sweet, biscuity, dessert-y. Malts too, and some hops. Some dairy at the end. Coconut.

Mouthfeel: Low carbonation, medium body, full flavor. Lingers in mouth after sipping. Could use more carbonation and fizz, though.

Drinkability: Not too boozy, but it does hit eventually. 12% can't be hidden for too long. Still, this is a delicious brew that should be sipped and savored and enjoyed at least once (I wish I could get a growler!)

Serving type: on-tap

02-16-2011 00:55:22 | More by DoubleSimcoe

metter98

New York

4.1/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: The beer is clear amber in color and poured with a thin film of bubbles covering the surface. A very slight amount of carbonation is visible from the rising bubbles.
S: There are moderate aromas of grapefruit along with some notes of alcohol and oak in the nose.
T: The taste is quite complex and has flavors of honey, malty sweetness, oak and spices.
M: It feels full-bodied and slightly viscous on the palate with a light amount of carbonation. The finish has some dryness.
D: This is a beer that definitely needs to be sipped given its high alcohol content, although this allows you to savor the complex taste.

Serving type: growler

01-01-2011 02:04:27 | More by metter98

Manoftyr

New York

4.58/5  rDev +13.4%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Bottle no. 261 of 500

Appearance-Pours a deep, deep crimson that shows resplendant ruby highlights when held to light, a crown of beige foam rises to about half a finger and lingers for a few sips before dwindling to a ring. Leaves nice dabs of lacing. Lovely, lovely looking beer.

Aroma-A nice oakey/buttery-honey smell comes forward first followed by a nice malty underlayer mingling with a final kick of hops and alcohol serving as something of an exclamation mark. Wonderful smelling.

Taste-A smattering of bitter oak and hops, and sweet honey rush forward all mingling together, at first the honey and malty sweetness is dominant but the withering assault of hops and oak breaks through mid-palette and it ends oaky-bittersweet. It's blunt, aggressive, straightforward and not terribly complex; but it's certainly tasty. Kick of alcohol but I like that in my strong ales, so I won't detract.

Mouthfeel-Medium to medium-high carbonation and a mouthfeel that falls juuuust short of syrupy put this right in strong ale territory, it could stand to be tweaked somewhat but it's by no means unsuitable.

Drinkability-It comes in a big quart-sized bottle and I'm already about half done with it; the whole package comes together very well and the drinkability is high.

Serving type: bottle

12-28-2010 01:54:21 | More by Manoftyr

LilBeerDoctor

New York

3.38/5  rDev -16.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Reviewed on 12/19/2009. Growler from St. James Beverage. Pours a clear deep amber/brown with a small white head. Aroma of caramel, vanilla, sweet malt, toffee, light fruits (apple, pear). Flavor of alcohol upfront with oak, vanilla, and citrus hops in the finish. Sticky and heavy palate, 12% abv is clearly evident. Tough to plow through even a glass.

Serving type: growler

12-23-2010 16:24:42 | More by LilBeerDoctor

Torps

New York

4.1/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Growler fill from DeCicco's 8/24/10.. poured into DFH snifter.

Pours a deep, dark amber with reddish highlights. Not much head to speak of, with minimal lacing. Carbonation tickling the sides of the glass as it rises to a fine ring around the circumference. The aroma is supremely sweet and almost creamy with an inkling of floral hops. Caramel candies, spices, apple cider, honey and a subtle smoky-ness from the oak chips. Definite malt character. The taste isn't surprisingly in your face even though there is a lot here as far as aroma. The sweetness overall shines along with the oak and ABV. This is definitely a "strong ale." Finishes with a touch of bitterness which prevents it from being too cloying. The alcohol is fairly apparent, but I still think this is rather drinkable.

ps. American strong ales aren't exactly my favorite style of beer, but this was surely enjoyable!

Serving type: growler

08-25-2010 02:08:29 | More by Torps

steve8robin

Massachusetts

4.45/5  rDev +10.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Cavedave is awesome for the hookup on this brew! Thanks so much for the trade bud. Bottled 11/08, bottle 215 of 275. Drinking this in honor of our sick kitty...

A: Beautiful ruby red with hints of copper highlights. Thick 1 inch head that fades at a decent rate. Looks very good!

S: Sweet citrus oakiness upfront blended with creamy malt and dark fruits. Hints of booze in the middle with a slight earthiness on the backend. Fricken beautiful!

T: Sweet citrus booziness upfront with hints of honey and vanilla blended in. This one definitely has a lot going on in it. I get some port wine flavors in the middle. I also get a slight bitter earthy grape blended in. The more I drink, the more the wine flavor tries to take over the brew. Reminds me slightly of an old ale blended with a wine. Very good brew!

M: The carbonation on this is a little heavy. Medium style body that leaves some nice, very sticky flavors on the palate. Good.

D: Surprisingly, this starts off going down amazingly easy depsite the 12% ABV. The longer this sits though, the more the bitter boozy flavors shine through. Very good.

All in all, this is phenomenal! I am so glad I got to try this brew. Standing ovation for cavedave for the hookup, most definitely. Many flavors bounce around in this brew and it seems like it would be a very mass appealing brew. Hop heads and malt monsters will enjoy this alike. Even wine drinkers would appreciate this brew. All around great beer!! A must try.

Serving type: bottle

06-19-2010 02:12:51 | More by steve8robin

ffejherb

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -13.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to LIVEFAST for sharing this bottle at Capone's during the Cigar City event on 6/5/10.

A - Poured a copper-tined reddish liquid with deep amber hues and a frothy beige cap that quickly receded, leaving behind a bit of spotty lace.

S - Aroma blends bourbon-soaked fruit, wood and vanilla with a healthy dose of alcohol. Caramel and toffee notes provide a mild sweetness, but if the alcohol presence is any indicator, I anticipate that this is going to be a pretty potent brew.

T - Yep, the flavor kicks off with a pretty intense boozy presence with a hint of oaky astringency. Flavor isn't as fruity as the aroma suggested, though. Finishes with earthy, herbal hop tones amid more alcohol notes.

M - Slightly syrupy texture and bristly mouthfeel with quite a bit of sharp alcohol heat.

D - Definitely in the upper reaches of the Strong Ale category, at least as far as ABV% goes. The label says 12% and you can definitely taste the 12%, which hindered the overall drinkability just a bit. Otherwise, pretty good but not great.

Serving type: bottle

06-10-2010 13:27:52 | More by ffejherb

rfgetz

New Jersey

4/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a coppery orange color, crisp and clear with a decent puff of stiff foamy white head. Big whiffs of piney, floral and citrus hops with a sweet, big malty backbone - reminds me of 90 Minute from DFH. Taste is hoppy and bitter with a very interesting balance of floral, piney and citrus hops and a sweet toffee and carmel like malt backbone. Lighter side of full bodied, borders on syrupy, very dry. A decent beer, reminicent of DFHs aggressive IPAs.

Serving type: bottle

06-05-2010 23:37:58 | More by rfgetz

corby112

Pennsylvania

3.05/5  rDev -24.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Bottle shared by LIVEFAST at Capone's.

Pours a dark golden copper orange color with golden burnt orange hues when held to a light source and a small onefinger off-white frothy head that quickly settles into a lasting ring. Minimal spots of lacing.

Sweet malty aroma with subtle citrus and piney hops along with a prominent alcohol presence. Not as hoppy as I expected with hints of Graham cracker and biscuit. Floral/perfume notes and lots of alcohol.

Medium bodied and slightly hoppier than the aroma suggests. Still a lot of sweetness and heat from the alcohol complimenting the sweet caramel malt. Also hints of Graham cracker and biscuit along with sweet citrus and dry piney hop notes. Long dry finish with more alcohol heat and warmth.

Serving type: bottle

06-05-2010 16:19:19 | More by corby112