CB's Oak Aged Wee Heavy Winter Ale - CB's Brewing Company

wisrarebeer

Wisconsin

3.6/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: deep copper color, clear, some head but not much
S: mild nose but definite bret noticeable
T: intriguing and very different beer, smooth, mellow, definite malty backbone, but bret throughout, don't know how to rate this beer because it has wee heavy qualities but bret throws everything off-kilter -- in a good way
M: very, very drinkable, smooth, mellow with silky bret undertones, surprisingly a bit thin for abv

Serving type: bottle

12-21-2012 01:57:20 | More by wisrarebeer

TheBrewo

Michigan

3.2/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

We serve this beer into our CB’s Signature Series chalices. We pour a brew of rich medium brown. It shows golden-maroon flecks when held to light. The head stands two fingers tall, and is comprised of light brown bubbles. This recedes at a medium pace, leaving only spots of lacing around the glass. There is a chill haze to the clarity, but no sediment is noted. Carbonation appears mild. The nose shows much of the oak aging, but it is drying and sour, very much like Brettanomyces. The fruitiness to cut is almost as sour, taking the form of fresh cranberries, red cherries, and green grapes. Malts are lighter, but definitely show a darker, more roasty caramel side. With warmth comes a “fried food” greasiness, and some light musky booziness. Our first impression is that the wood imparts an odd bitterness. As we sip, souring oak sap bittering comes in strong with charcoal smoke. There is mild sweetness from caramel, fig, and cherry sweetness. The middle peaks with bittering wood, char, and biting yeast that, again, borders on Brett sourness. The finish milds out quite a bit, with all sourness dissolving into a fat malty backing of caramel, pale malts, light grassy hops, and sweeter BBQ charcoal. The aftertaste breathes bitterly of wood, sour yeast, light smoke, pear out of nowhere, hot plastics, and mild whiskey air. The body is medium, and the carbonation is lighter. There is soft, syrupy smack to each sip, with wet astringent coating. The mouth is dried down the tongue and hard palate. Cream and froth are minimal but contributory. The abv is appropriate, and the beer drinks slowly.

Overall, what we enjoyed most about this brew was the big woodiness through the nose and flavoring. This, however, bordered on Brett sourness. While we adore wild ales and goofy yeast strains, we couldn’t find anywhere on the bottle, or the brewery’s website that this was brewed with such, so it brought into light the idea that this may have been an infected batch (1/11). Regardless, the flavoring was nice throughout, with fairly deep complexity. We just wished that it had more “Wee Heavy” notes. The malts were a bit muddled, and lack the sweetness and earthiness we have come to love from the style.

Serving type: bottle

09-05-2012 01:13:28 | More by TheBrewo