Beach Brewing Blackfin

My sister bought me a bottle of Beach Brewing Blackfin for my birthday, a whiskey barrel aged barleywine. The beer pours a dark brown color with a frothy cream colored head that leaves a bubbly lacing on the glass. The aroma consists of caramel, fig, apricot, dark fruits, whiskey, and oak. The taste is smooth with a light bite to it. There’s plenty of caramel, fig, raisin, and apricot. A transition into whiskey and oak takes place and lasts long into the after taste. The alcohol content is 12.0% ABV. The whiskey flavors worked so well with the dark fruit and caramel flavors. This was one of the better barrel aged barleywines that I’ve have ever had.

Grand Teton Black Cauldron

For the December shipment of the Michael Jackson Rare Beer of the Month Club, I received a bottle of Grand Teton Black Cauldron, a stout aged in bourbon barrels. The beer pours a black color with a lofty and frothy tan colored head. The aroma consists of bourbon, chocolate, vanilla, toasted malts, oak, and a hint of cherry. The aroma consists of sweet milk chocolate flavor with a strong bourbon presence on the front end. Vanilla and cherry appear before toasted malts and oak arrive and dry out the finish. The alcohol content is 7.85% ABV. The bourbon played very well with the stout and its chocolate and toasted malt flavors. My favorite part was the finish as the oak and toasted malts dried out the mouth a lot, but also provided the complexity needed to make it a wonderful beer.

Highland Brewing Company Cold Mountain Winter Ale

I picked up a bottle of Highland Brewing Company Cold Mountain Winter Ale while at Bruisin’ Ales in Asheville for my bachelor party. The beer pours a brown color with a frothy cream colored head that leaves some lacing on the glass. The aroma consists of caramel, grassy hops, nutmeg, and cinnamon. The taste is dry with grassy hops up front all built upon a caramel base. Cinnamon, raspberry, hazelnut, vanilla, and cranberry all provide accenting flavors, and dry out again on the finish. The alcohol content is 5.8% ABV. This beer was a great winter warmer, especially as it warmed and released more of the complementing flavors like hazelnut and vanilla. I thoroughly enjoyed it and recommend trying it if you have the chance.

Duclaw Sweet Baby Jesus!

I went to Al’s of Hampden to pick up a 6-pack of Duclaw Sweet Baby Jesus!, a chocolate peanut butter porter. The beer pours a black color with a frothy tan colored head that leaves some lacing on the glass. The aroma consists of peanuts, peanut butter, chocolate, coffee, and toasted malts. The taste is smooth with a robust chocolate and toasted malt flavor before a strong peanut butter taste comes in to play. It really balances well and tastes similar to a peanut butter cup. The finish is dry and full of roasted malts and peanuts. The alcohol content is 6.5% ABV. This had a great chocolate and peanut butter flavor, and I love me some peanut butter cups. I will absolutely be coming back to this beer and I recommend that you try it as well.