Ten Penny Ale Reserve - The Olde Burnside Brewing Company

Pahn

New York

3.83/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

1 pint swingtop blue glass growler/bottle into Duvel tulip. This year's release.

Appearance: Frantic pour (it gushed; carbonation) yields a 2 inch fizzy offwhite head that dissipates steadily and lacelessly. Pours a semi-opaque light maroon. Leaves no lacing, but I quite like the color.

Smell: Sweet, brown sugar. After a few seconds, it smells spot on like a freshly baked oatmeal raisin cookie. It's as if one took an oatmeal raisin cookie, melted it, and added it to a beer. Smells like cinnamon, sugar cookies, etc.

Maybe a bit too sweet tooth-oriented to really get me excited, but I have to admit that it smells great. I especially like how it has that sort of hard cookie bite to it... I wish I could describe that better. It doesn't just remind me of cookies, it has aromas so tell-tale of cookie that I would be fooled in a blind test ("sweet beer, or beer soaked cookie?").

Taste: Yikes, assaulted by this overwhelming malty tanginess. That's all I get from the first sip, and I hate it.

Second sip tastes like cinnamon up front, with some bready notes tempering the insipid tanginess. With time, the oatmeal cookie notes from the aroma come out, along with some toasted rye bread and butterscotch. After awhile, the trademark Ten Penny hard water profile emerges as well. The unforgivable tang disappears early on, thankfully.

The taste is good, but it could really use some hop bitterness, or roasted malt, or smoked / peated malt, or hot alcohol, or *something* to tame the sweetness. I'd hate to see the donut bills for whoever wrote the recipe of this beer.

Mouthfeel: Light side of medium bodied. Watery at times--which actually isn't as bad as it sounds; a sugary feel would be disgusting with this level of sweetness, so you're grateful for the juicy/wateriness.

Moderate carbonation. Boring finish (mildly underattenuated feel). Forgettable feel overall, but no outright flaws and not the worst vessel for the flavor.

Overall: I liked the version of this that came out last year and the year before better... can't say this beer speaks too highly of my hometown brewery's quality control (as in lack of batch variation). This bottle definitely solves some of the mystery of why this year's cognac barrel aged Amazing Grace (this beer, barrel aged) was so unbearable: like adding 5 sugar packets into a glass of Coca Cola.

That said, I actually do like the beer. It goes a little too far with the sweetness, but it provides some good, unique flavor.

Serving type: bottle

05-23-2012 23:20:14 | More by Pahn

Newbiebeer

Connecticut

4.25/5  rDev +11.8%

04-18-2013 22:14:20 | More by Newbiebeer

FutureOBrew

Connecticut

4/5  rDev +5.3%

02-02-2013 00:59:52 | More by FutureOBrew

neil2me

Connecticut

5/5  rDev +31.6%

01-03-2013 02:32:53 | More by neil2me

MJGTi

3.5/5  rDev -7.9%

07-15-2012 01:07:48 | More by MJGTi

drewburning25

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +5.3%

07-06-2012 01:55:04 | More by drewburning25

steph1974

Connecticut

2/5  rDev -47.4%

06-22-2012 23:37:51 | More by steph1974

rderedin

Maine

3/5  rDev -21.1%

04-24-2012 23:50:08 | More by rderedin

Durge

Connecticut

4.5/5  rDev +18.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Found at Pies & Pints in Middlebury, CT this brew has a hazy, dusty mahogany appearance with a strapping creamy oatmeal colored head and lots of sticky lacing. The aroma offers herbal hops and brown sugar malt, a bit yeasty and swampy with sourdough qualities. Very nice. Upon my first taste I get a nice blast of flavor that runs parallel to the aroma. Very malty, a little bit of herbal hop, brown sugar/brown bread and tangy butterscotch yeast. In the finish you can even detect an earthy chocolate idea. Very tasty stuff with little or no sign of any booze, just easy drinking. Body is medium but feel is silky with a hint of luxurious resin. Malt is definitely the theme but it’s presented in a beautiful blend of compatible nuances. All accompanied by a perfect, delicate carbonation. Even better here on tap than I recall from the bottle, but either way, another reason to get behind the folks at Burnside.

Serving type: on-tap

04-13-2012 02:47:37 | More by Durge

halo913

Connecticut

3.5/5  rDev -7.9%

03-11-2012 01:49:34 | More by halo913

KevSal

California

4/5  rDev +5.3%

02-25-2012 03:18:45 | More by KevSal

chrispoint

Connecticut

2.5/5  rDev -34.2%

02-18-2012 09:02:57 | More by chrispoint

jfcaa193

Connecticut

2.5/5  rDev -34.2%

01-30-2012 02:09:54 | More by jfcaa193

OBIrish24

Connecticut

4.5/5  rDev +18.4%

12-27-2011 02:49:19 | More by OBIrish24

BranfordBound

Connecticut

3.58/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a brown swing-top bottle into a tulip glass.

Pours a clear amber color with a small white head that doesn't really leave any lacing.

Very mild aroma of some sweet malts, fruit, and a touch of caramel.

The nose was a bit misleading as this beer has some flavor. Intertwined notes of sweet fruit, caramel malts, brown sugar, peat, and a slight wood in the back.

Very light body for the ABV, wet mouthfeel.

Surprisingly light body keeps this one an easy drinker. I expected a more potent and less sweet flavor, although I won't complain. Overall a good beer to try and a world apart from the regular ten penny.

Serving type: bottle

12-18-2011 17:14:09 | More by BranfordBound

nickfl

Florida

3.68/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A - Poured with half a finger of off-white foam on top of a clear, amber-brown body. The head dissipates quickly and leaves light lace.

S - Fruity notes of dark malt with black cherry and plum. Some toffee in the background.

T - Sweet malt and dark sugar up front with lots of brown sugar and red apple character. Some more subtle plum and raisin character in the middle that gives way to red apple and caramel in the finish.

M - Medium-thick body, moderately low carbonation, and a sweet finish.

D - This beer is complex, with a nice aroma, but the alcohol is just a bit too much for my taste. It comes across as a bit of spicy character in the finish, but it also adds some harshness to the fruity malt character that hurts the drinkability.

Serving type: bottle

12-16-2011 23:32:17 | More by nickfl

Rochefort10nh

New Hampshire

4/5  rDev +5.3%

12-02-2011 18:18:33 | More by Rochefort10nh

HopStoopid120

Connecticut

4/5  rDev +5.3%

11-15-2011 23:35:07 | More by HopStoopid120

ElGallo

New Hampshire

5/5  rDev +31.6%

11-15-2011 19:37:19 | More by ElGallo

Naugros

New Jersey

3.43/5  rDev -9.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

This comes in an attractive cobalt blue swing top bottle that will be saved for the collection.

It pours with evident carbonation and raises a very short-lived, sizzling head, kind of like the one you get when you pour a cola. The beer is amber with some orange tones in the glow. Carbonation remains evident despite the absence of any appreciable head.

The nose and the flavor are both pretty sweet. The nose has a very distinct odor of burnt sugar, as if someone were making caramel and had to walk away for a minute or two and got back too late. I've done this making caramel sauce and this is exactly what it smelled like. The taste is similar, burnt caramel, but there is an added bitterness that does not seem to come from hops. What hops presence there is comes off as floral...honeysuckle maybe. The expected peaty smoke of a wee heavy is barely there and shows up as more of a sweetened tobacco, but before being burned in the pipe. There are also hints of vanilla and rum...presumably from the barrel.

It's a little light in body for my taste, but that is not inappropriate to the style, so no points lost there. What IS bothering me is the stickiness left on my lips and trying to wrap my mind around a beer that is both thin-bodied and syrupy at the same time. It's got the consistency of generic brand light maple-flavored syrup.

The shame of this beer is that I think I would have liked it a ton if more of the sugars had been converted to alcohol. Okay yes, it still is a 9.3% beer so I am astonished that it remains this sweet after the yeast have done such a fine job on helping me get my revenge on my liver. And yes, wee heavys do have a sweetness to them, but not this much. The flavors are so complex and perhaps a 1 or 2% bump in ABV could have allowed more of the underlying flavors to break free of the cloying mass of sugars.

Serving type: bottle

08-29-2011 17:24:59 | More by Naugros

DirtyPenny

Massachusetts

4.15/5  rDev +9.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Poured into rather a large mug. I need more glassware.

A: Poured with over an inch of head which slowly departed over a few minutes. Mahogany colored with slight cherry and amber highlights.

S: Dark fruits and flowers. Malt dominates the nose.

T: Fruit, toffee and caramelt malts. Somewhat sweet and woody, with alcohol and brandy tones at the finish. Hops are present but subdued.

M: Medium-bodied with a slight liquerlike viscosity. Moderate carbonation. Evaporating spirits haunt the tongue. (boo)

O: Damn fine beer, though I feel like it has almost nothing in common with its common cousin. I wouldn't call something with a 9.3 ABV sessionable but it is eminently drinkable. If availability weren't an issue it'd be easy to throw back two or three of these in a sitting, then just relax and let the happy feelings in.

Serving type: bottle

07-23-2011 23:49:06 | More by DirtyPenny

ryan1788a5

Massachusetts

4.3/5  rDev +13.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Smart looking 16.9oz blue swing top bottle poured into a snifter.

A: Pours a clear, dark reddish brown. Thin white head. retention leaves a bit to be desired, though the beer is of decent strength.

S: Bread, sweet caramel, toffee. Moderate tea-like herbal hops. Earthy yeast. fresh coffee beans.

T: Sweet caramel, bread, bread crust, toffee. Maybe some light fig-like esters. Earthy yeast. a bit of coffee. Slight hints of smoke and cocoa. Even, low herbal bitterness. Finishes with caramel and earthy tastes.

M: On the lighter side of medium bodied. Very creamy and smooth. just a bit chewy. Moderate carbonation. Good.

O: Very good, accurate representation of the style.

Notes: An excellent Scotch ale. A perfect beer to reach for when a malt craving strikes. Glad it's local and fairly accessible. Probably my favorite Olde Burnside beer to date.

Serving type: bottle

05-30-2011 18:13:40 | More by ryan1788a5

DirtybeerguyRI

Rhode Island

4.13/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

APPEARANCE: Deep golden amber with a fizzy tan head that dissipates quickly. Attractive, warm looking beer.

SMELL: Spicy and bready. Lots of roasted malts hit the nose immediately. Also, at a 9.2% ABV this is a pretty boozy smelling brew.

MOUTHFEEL: Full-bodied and sticky. There's a moderate amount of carbonation that keeps this Scotch ale from being oily.

TASTE: This brew starts with dark fruits followed by a boozy warmth and a mix of coffee and toffee. The finish hints at a nice, smooth whiskey. It's a complex beer but not overwhelming in any particular regard.

DRINKABILITY: Considering the high ABV, this beer is so drinkable it's a bit dangerous. While complex, it's also well balanced and smooth.

VERDICT: I'd love to try this beer with a thick cut of steak or duck. I've liked several other Old Burnside beers, but this one is one of their best. It's a very warm, luxurious ale.

Cheers,
John Harvey
Dirtybeerguy.com

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2011 23:16:02 | More by DirtybeerguyRI

Gambrinus1184

Connecticut

4.33/5  rDev +13.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served on-tap in a brandy snifter at Backstage in Torrington, Conn.

A: Rich, golden amber with a two-finger head of beige foam which settles to a fine lace. Nice, bright clarity to the brew which looks like a glass of scotch after while.

S: Vanilla, oak, peppery and fruity malt aromas swirl in the boozy aroma of this brew. Evokes thoughts of a liquor, warming and sweet.

T: Sweet, slightly hot and boozy malt flavors up front rush caramel and brown sugars to the forefront. An herbal, mellow hop resin creeps towards mid-palate with a deep, sweetened earth and peat flavor which washes down bittersweet and buttery. There's a hint of fruitiness to the brew, but its mostly like a oaked and sweetened scotch.

M: Full-bodied and a bit syrupy with enough balance to cut it short of being too sweet and boozy.

D: A very nice after dinner drink to go with any red meat or duck meal. The 9.3% ABV and rich malt flavors really warrant this brew be chosen for it's liquor like qualities as opposed to a bee to knock back at a gathering. Grab 4 oversized wine glasses or snifters, pour and distribute among your lucky guests.

Serving type: on-tap

03-20-2011 21:51:22 | More by Gambrinus1184

chefelf

New York

4.33/5  rDev +13.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

This is like the Olde Burnside Ten Penny Ale but much stronger at nearly double the alcohol content. One pint was enough for me at ABV 9.2%.

It has a nice caramel and malty taste to it and if the bottle was any bigger it would be dangerous because I would feel compelled to finish it.

Also it has one of those Grolsch-style growler-hinge tops and that is just fun. I am easily distracted.

Serving type: bottle

03-03-2011 12:35:40 | More by chefelf