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Cable Car - The Lost Abbey

Not Rated.
Cable CarCable Car

Educational use only; do not reuse.

208 Reviews
no score

(Send Samples)
Reviews: 208
Hads: 813
rAvg: 4.45
pDev: 7.87%
Wants: 2,591
Gots: 88 | FT: 5
Brewed by:
The Lost Abbey visit their website
California, United States

Style | ABV
American Wild Ale |  7.00% ABV

Availability: Rotating

Notes & Commercial Description:
Beer added by: stephendr on 08-12-2007

No notes at this time.
Beer: Reviews & Ratings
Sort by:  Recent | High | Low | Top Raters
Reviews: 208 | Hads: 813
Photo of badbeer
4.32/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

2007 Cable Car, batch 1

Clear golden yellow color with a slight orange hue with a quickly dissipating white head, leaving only a ring around the glass. Lactic acid and citrus in the nose. There's some funkiness to it, but I get more tropical fruit than anything else. Lightly spicy on the tongue with some barnyard funk and a little bit of tropical fruit. As it warmed in the glass, the tropical fruit remained, but more of a foot-like Brett character came through. Medium high carbonation with a dry finish. Drinkability is exceptional; easy to drink a bunch of this, though availability won't allow it. Flavors aren't all that intense, but they are refined and lead to a good drinking experience. (699 characters)

Photo of dvsbizzyb
4.32/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Shared a bottle at Toronado in San Francisco.

Appearance - Has a murky golden orange that almost glows with a white beautiful bubbly head.

Smell - Strong musty wild citrus smell.

Taste - Mild tart citrus fruits hits my palate as i sip on this. A slight sweet taste comes in the background as if a Jolly Rancher was dropped on the bottom of my glass.

Mouthfeel - Perfect carbonation with a medium body.

Overall - This was a delicious beer that challenges the taste buds with the exceptional balance of citrus sourness and superb fruit flavor. (547 characters)

Photo of BARFLYB
4.3/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Finally got around to trying this one. Into a mini Chimay Chalice.

Cable car has a very light appearance, the liquid appears thin and the color is a dull faded yellow with a smidgen of foam here and there, barely breaking the surface, mini streaks.

Smell is bold with a lot of fruit mixed in with horse blanket funk and hay. Lemon is by far the biggest scent I can sniff out, along with traces of pale malt. No sweetners to dull it down, nice. Not picking up any of that egg/sulfer scent that peeps were talking about.

Taste is up front with bold lemon and various similar fruit. The horseblanket/funk/wet hay is pronounced yet not over the top. Lactic sourness is there and I love it. Get some white grape taste in the end, with everything coming back together. To me, CC holds some similarities to an aged 750ML bottle of Cuvee De Castleton.

Feel is mad thin and dry which is what I look for in a great sour, so this is a winner in that arena. Bright carbonation with a lactic/lemon aftertaste and slight pale malt. I could drink a ton.

At the Alcohol level, a whole bottle of this would be a sinch to a sour lover, alas, thats never going to happen. Lost Abbey sure can brew some sours and CC is no slouch (1,213 characters)

Photo of ne0m00re
4.29/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

08/17/11- Shared a bottle of 2010 Cable Car at the San Francisco Toronado.
A: Very clear light golden with a white film and collar.
S: Nice granny smith apple, slightly solvent alcohol, floral and honey sweet with some banana. Well rounded.
T: Simple, but good. Sour sweeps into apple core earthiness. Interesting rustic bitterness... in general, it reminds me of Cantillon Gueuze without the overwhelming acidity. Good.
M: Thinner with a creamy froth.
O: Good. This is a solid gueuze, but not outlandishly good. (512 characters)

Photo of brystmar
4.29/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

2009 vintage split with Nate as part of an impromptu '09-'11 Cable Car vertical at Toronado in SF.

A: Cloudy, golden color with foamy white head and solid lace. Remains hazy as it warns, unlike the 2010.

S: Strong Brettt yeast character melds with sour fruit and bready notes. Among the best sour aromas I've had the pleasure of experiencing.

T: Fruits, oak, and Brett share the spotlight. Great blend of the three flavors. When cool, it leaves a lingering bitterness; however, after warming, its bone dry finish lingers with fruit and oak, bitterness be damned. Not sure quite why that is, but I like it.

M: Body is thin and weak, yet nicely oily. Hard to enjoy this brew's mouthfeel after the massive creaminess of the '11 Kriek.

D: Sessionable, even at $40/bottle. Although to be honest, I won't be ordering this again while there's still an available stock of '11 Kriek. Cheers! (887 characters)

Photo of gueuzedreg
4.29/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

'13 CC poured into a CS Snifter Black Friday '13

A- Deep golden color. Medium transparency, 1/4 finger lacing with medium retention.

S- Lemons, funk, yeasty goodness.

T- This is a really smooth sour. I have had better sours; perhaps I should have kept this one in the cellar for a couple years. This is also my first CC. I prefer DDG. Just preference. I get yeast>brett funk>lemon>then there is some starch product I get.

M- Very smooth. Great mouthfeel. Goes down smooth with bubbles following.

O- I think this is good, not great. I have the whole vert, so maybe if I popped open the '09 I would get a religious experience, but not yet from the '13. (668 characters)

Photo of Jwale73
4.28/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A huge thanks to jedwards for sharing this beer. 2009 vintage served in a Sinners tulip. The color of this beer is really quite eye-catching. Bright tangerine in color with a loose, bright white head and a semi-hazy clarity. The head is refreshed with a gentle swirl of the glass and sheets of lacing coat the sides of the glass, gradually yielding to some strands and spots of lacing encircling the bowl. Nose is fairly subdued - tart citrus and a trace of cork. Taste reveals tart and acidic citrus fruit, a slightly salty character and the flavor of cork. Mouthfeel is light in body with an effervescence akin to champagne. This beer is so tart that it puckers the cheeks before culminating in a very dry finish. This has to be, by far, the sourest sour I've had to date. There's a lot going on here and I'm grateful to finally have the opportunity to try this beer outside of a fest. (887 characters)

Photo of gford217
4.28/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

2009 bottle, side-by-side with Toronado 20th.

Pours a clear golden yellow with a big creamy white head that hangs on for a while and leaves good lacing.

Aroma is fairly funky with some barnyard aromas and wet grass but the most dominant aroma is the light fruity sourness. Overall, the aroma is what I'd call bright - lots of light tartness with less earthy funk.

Taste is exceptional, lemon zest up front with bready malts, some fruit, maybe pears and green apples, light vinegar. Fairly funky finish but light so with some lemon. Sublime taste, super complex, more tart than funk.

Light bubbly mouthfeel, very citric and biting. Crisp and wine-like in the finish.

This is a superb American wild - well balanced but still nice and sour. I wouldn't put it in the same class as the T20, but it's still a great beer. (819 characters)

Photo of Sean9689
4.28/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

2009, batch 3, 750ml bottle.
Poured into Duvel tulip.

A - Pours a mirky golden/light copper color. A nice, fluffy, white head quickly follows on a medium-aggressive pour. A nice, frothy, sticky lacing stays behind from the head. Once held into the light, I can see loads and loads of bubbles rise to the top of the glass from the etched "D" on the bottom of my glass. Overall, something to look at in awe and appreciate.

S - Once I popped the cork, I could smell the tart/sour notes from a couple of feet away. Once I brought the glass to my nose, it wanted to turn inside out, just as I imagine my lips will want to do in a few minutes. Musty brett, stanky cheese, lemons, barnyard funk, sweet tropical fruit. All of this combines into an awesome-smelling wild...something to sit back and enjoy for a bit before you taste, lots going on here and probably more then I can pick up.

T - Lip-puckering tart that hits you right off the bat and then mellows out into subtle lemon-esk tingle. This is so damn good, words can hardly describe it. Lots of funky barnyard/brett mixed with some semi-sweet fruity notes. Not too tart/sour which gives you a chance to delve in and enjoy some of the other flavors going on. A nice semi-sweet finish that I don't think I can recall in any other sour I've had. A very complex wild.

M - Light to medium bodied, but it sways more towards medium but not quite "medium" (sorry if I'm confusing here, hard to explain). Very full, but light at the same time. The carbonation is right-on here, a nice fizzy tickle on the tongue that helps open up the flavors. A dry finish that makes you come back for more.

D - This beer makes you sit back and appreciate it. It's easy to drink fast, but why? It's great to chill out while sipping on this from time to time. I don't want this bottle to end, but I'm glad I was able to pop this one open and enjoy. Lost Abbey, you have done it yet again! (1,919 characters)

Photo of 0110x011
4.27/5  rDev -4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

My infinite thanks to Gouldsby for this, my White Whale. Poured into a Lost Abbey chalice.

A - Pours one shade darker than straw, with a thin white head that fades as fast as it appears. Little in the way of lacing.

S - Funky! Potent, cheesy horseblanket hits first. Citric lemon & orange zest in the back.

T - A mild, zippy tartness introduces notes of lemon, grapefruit, and tart green grape. Funk abounds, with an earthier, dirtier profile than the nose led me to expect. Oaky.

M - light bodied. A bit lacking on the carbonation; not as lively as the best sours. Oak tannin keeps it super dry.

D - I was definitely left wanting more, but not in the desperate, pining way I expected.

I had set the bar extremely high for this one, so I suppose a letdown was inevitable. A killer sour beer, but not head-over-shoulders better than other similar sours from LA or RR. If it must be checked off your "to try" list, by all means seek it out. If not, stick to the easier to find sours. (987 characters)

Photo of spinrsx
4.26/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Bottle Shared by pushkinwow - 2012 edition - thanks!

Appearance - Gold colour with an average size white coloured head. There is an average amount of carbonation showing and there is some fair lacing. The head lasted for around 4-5 minutes before it was gone.

Smell - Breads/grains, lemons, vinegar

Taste & Mouth - There is an above average amount of carbonation and I can taste breads/grains, vinegar, tart lemons - both the juice and the zest. Also some hay/straw/funky notes and a bit of a peppery spice mix.

Overall - One of the most balanced beers within this style I have had so far. Very drinkable and extremely tasty. Happy I had the chance to try it. (666 characters)

Photo of Brez07
4.25/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

2009 vintage. Graciously shared by Drazzamatazz. 750ml bottle, poured into an Allagash glass

A: There was only a small pop when opening the bottle. Tangerine colored. Pours with a minimal amount of head. Translucent at first, but became cloudy with the second pour (dregs)

S: Citrusy, squeezed lemons, sweet tarts. Initially I didn't get a lot of funk (it was musty if anything), but as it opened up there was a cheesy/horse blanket aroma to signal the funk had arrived

T: Fairly lemony. Reminded me of the white sweet tarts right after you eat them. Lemon rind, apricot, maybe even some oak. Pretty sour, nice level of funkiness

M: Medium bodied. Lower carbonation, which ultimately I was fine with. Dry finish

D: What can I say, this was a great beer. Very happy to have finally tried it. At first I didn't get it, but the beer eventually showed me what was up. Seek out if you like sours (895 characters)

Photo of drewba
4.23/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

2010 bottle poured into a snifter.

A - Hazy dull yellow with a super fizzy two finger head. This recedes to a thin film with little retention and medium lacing.

S - Dry, slightly estery with lemon, grass and a ton of funk. Smells a bit farty.

T - Lots of funky grass and straw, mellow dry white wine flavors, lemon and plenty of yeast. The flavors are clean and makes for a quick drinker. This isn't as sour as it is funky, it reminds me more of a bretty saison with loads of funk. Subtle, clean, funky.

M - carbonation cleans the palate nicely, the tartness and funk doesn't linger long. The carbonation is just spot on, love it.

D - Drinks so quickly and the carbonation helps save the palate. (700 characters)

Photo of AgentZero
4.22/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - Yellow, really not more than a nice pale yellow, with a big white head.

S - Vinegar/wine influence, some oak, little bit grassy. Lemon, citrus, pears, light apple, round out the scent on this one.

T - Light tasting, little grassy, some peach, apricot, apple, pear, nothing overpowering, not too terribly sweet, a bit tart. This is a very solid sour/wild ale, but not the best I have had. Little bit of funk, nicely complex.

M - Light, nice bubbly carbonation. Dry finish.

D - Very drinkable, as it is happily complex and there is nothing overpowering going on here. (573 characters)

Photo of pastradul
4.22/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

poured into a wine glass at toronado SDBW 2010

2010 vintage

Poured a semi-hazy straw yellow. with a nice 2 fingers of white fluffy head.

the aroma is a mild funk with some bright lemon tartness.

the taste is pretty good. Upfront you get a mixturen of sweetness... kinda lemon, citrus maybe... in the middle of the palate you get the barnyard and funk coming out a bit with some more sweetness. The back of the palate is where the tartness kicks in a hits the throught a little bit.

over all a great beer. This vintage is certainly young and needs some more time to develop and creat the tart sour flavors that are missing! (628 characters)

Photo of srandycarter
4.21/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - Clear honey. Not much head, no lace.

S - Astringent, tart.

T - Sharp fruit, tart, tight yeast, very tasty.

M - Medium body, great balance and carb.

D - A joy to finally try at Toronado in San Diego! Wanted to pull the trigger on this years ago, but so expensive. (270 characters)

Photo of hooliganlife
4.2/5  rDev -5.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

2010 @ toronado San Fran

Pours a lignite straw yellow with a hit of haze and a nice tall fizzy head.

Lots of lemon and vinegar on the nose. Subtle malt and citrus hops. Light oak character in the back.

Taste was similar to the smell. Lots of lemon zest with a strong vinegar sourness to it. The malt character really was noticeable in the back. This really reminded me of a gueuze.

Lots of carbonation with a light body. Slight dryness.

Now that I have had this fresh, I prefer this aged. The aged 2007 seemed to have more fruit flavors where as this came across as a fresh unbalanced gueuze. Would I pay forty a bottle again? Most likely... (646 characters)

Photo of tjfinkle
4.2/5  rDev -5.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

2010 Bottle poured into tulip at Toronado in San Diego

Appearance- Pale straw with thick white fluffy head and nice carbonation

Smell - The first thing that I noticed right of the bat obviously was the sourness with some citrus and cherry notes

Taste - Sour cherries and some citrus just like the nose. Some have commented on a sulfuric taste/smell to this beer which I noticed a slight flavor of; however I did not find it overpowering. This is a very mellow sour beer

Mouth-Lightly puckering with nice carbonation

Drink- Easy drinking beer, especially for a sour, possibly too easy of a beer for this style. Overall a good and well balanced beer, but could have used a little more flavor. I will be interested to see how this beer matures over time in comparison to the previous vintages. (795 characters)

Photo of raveskdr
4.2/5  rDev -5.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

2008 vintage. Big ups to Dyan for this one as well. Poured into my mini snifter.

A - Brownish golden hue. Bubbles dissipate quickly but there is a ton of bubbles that stick to the inside of the glass inside the beer.

S - The oak and vinuous character really stand out up front. Light lemon also intermingles.

T - There is plenty of oak up near the front. The lemony tartness follows on the back and and cuts through the middle of my tongue.

M - Very champagne-y on the tongue, despite being from 2008. The bubbles help the drinkability of the beer.

O - An extremely solid American wild. May not be super fair to put this up against everything else. It doesn't fall short, per se. It's a very very good sour. (713 characters)

Photo of cpetrone84
4.2/5  rDev -5.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Pour is golden yellow with a bubbly white head. Nose has very faint barrel with hints of acetic acid, notes of leathery bret and orange peel with a nice vinous quality. Taste is very drinkable, sour white grape skins and citrus with hints of oak and vanilla. Faint leathery bret and a touch of citrus towards the back of the palate. Lighter body and strong carbonation (shocking) with a dry and lightly sour finish. Very delicate flavors and pretty well done. (459 characters)

Photo of Gobzilla
4.2/5  rDev -5.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

2009 bottle caged and corked

A: poured a murky orange yellow with a finger white head that had decent sticky lacing.

S: great nose that consisted of lemons apples little funk and hints of vinegar. I always wondered what this beer would smell like.

T: The taste almost mirrors the smell with lots of lemons and apples hitting the palette with fruity sourness and a slight dry finish.

M: has a medium body with good bubbly carbonation that compliments the taste.

D: chased this beer for a couple months and was not dissapointed. I could drink quite a bit of this beer if it was avaliable like that. (601 characters)

Photo of seaoflament
4.2/5  rDev -5.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to Tomme for opening a few bottles of the new batch of Cable Car (batch 2) for the RateBeer event.

Poured a golden color with minimal head...nothing too fancy but decent for the style.

Aroma of green apples on the nose, funk, sweet pale malt, yeast, sour pear, and an odd spiciness. Now, I have not encountered such a spiciness in other sour beers, this one smells like a bread or bread dough with spices. Starts to get more fruity as it warms up.

Taste of dough, spices again, ripe pear, various tropical fruits (but not too fruity), spicy bread, and sweet oak. Tastes very young and definitely needs to sit some more. Less spicy character after it warms up. Sweet cracker taste in the finish.

Slightly syrupy but soft with some carbonation in the back.

Needs to develop some more but tasting pretty good right now.

I also tried the first batch tonight but I didn't take any notes, it was definitely a bit more tart, had less of the spicy character and was a bit more yeasty. Definitely gets better with age.

***update 7-27-09****

Had the opportunity to try batch 1 (2007) and batch 2 (2008) at the "You Bring the Cheese Tasting" on July 25-26th 2009.

I was very interesting to have both vintages side-by-side. I had not tried this one since last year. The surprise of the tasting was that the batch 1 (2007) Cable Car was not doing so well.

Batch 1 had a weird tannic and muddy flavors, as well as a stronger spicy oak flavor. Batch 2 also had the spicy oak flavors and aroma but more balanced and a cleaner tartness.

Good to see that batch 2 is holding up fine and could age a bit longer, I will keep my bottle for as long as I can and see what happens. (1,676 characters)

Photo of djmichaelk
4.18/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

2010 vintage, at Toronado SF (of course, where else?).

A - Slightly hazy straw-yellow, with a large rocky off-white head. Nice retention and lacing.

S - Okay, so I've heard plenty of reports -- from some people whose opinions I respect -- of sulfurous odors and such. I'm happy to say that I didn't get that at all in my bottle. I also shared it with a couple of people next to me and the bartender just to make sure, and no one had that experience. Not sure if I just got a good bottle or what. Anyway, plenty of lemon, lots of barnyard funk, and a good dose of oak. Very pleasant.

T - Pucking sourness right off the bat. Lemony flavors smack you in the face, and then the vinegar takes over. Oak is all up in your face. The funkiness really dominates, and I mean that in the best possible way. The citrus cuts through it in the end. Long dry finish. Very little alcohol evident.

M - Very nicely carbonated, with almost a creamy feel at times, and at other times almost champagne-like. Light and dry.

D - After most of a bottle, this didn't faze me too much. The flavors would keep me coming back if not for the obvious cost issue.

O - Hmmm. Is this a beer that I would cross the world for? Or pay $40 for again? Well, probably not. It's too similar to several cheaper, although also very limited, beers that I have in the cellar. But is it a beer that I'm very glad to have tried? Absolutely. (1,402 characters)

Photo of ChainGangGuy
4.18/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: Pours a cloudy golden body with a white, wispy head.

Smell: A funk-riddled yeasty, fruity, tart-smelling aroma of apricots, citrus, and peaches. Hint of oak.

Taste: Faint malt flavor with a touch of dough and a brief sweetness with a follow-through of the fruits lurking in the aroma. Bright acidity. Musty, earthy yeast character. Faint oakiness. Dry, tart finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Lively carbonation.

Drinkability: A very fine beer. I'm quite pleased I had the chance to try this one. (511 characters)

Photo of Verecund
4.17/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

2010 vintage opened on June 12, 2011. Bottle at Toronado.

Pours a hazy and yellowed amber with a half-finger white cap. Some lacing.

Nice citrus notes – lemon and orange – alongside light white wine vinegar, green apple, and apricot. There’s some funk, but less than I expected, really: soft farmhouse straw-like must alongside a woody and mushroomy brettanomyces bruxellensis funk.

The moderate sourness gives way to a lightly fruity, citrusy tartness. It almost resembles a cider, with its notes of white wine vinegar and lactic acidity, though it is balanced by a good bit of oak and earthy funk. A citrus/quasi-tropical fruitiness (e.g., kumquat) and bready sweetness rounds out the mid-palate.

Medium light in body with medium carbonation. There’s a pleasant dry finish following the lactic acidity. Very drinkable, though I wouldn’t object to a little more acidity, which I’m sure varies according to the vintage. Personally, I wouldn’t give up the farm for this, but wouldn’t pass up a chance to try it. (1,030 characters)

Cable Car from The Lost Abbey
98 out of 100 based on 208 ratings.


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Aecht Schlenkerla Helles Lagerbier - Brauerei Heller-Trum / Schlenkerla

Not Rated.
Aecht Schlenkerla Helles LagerbierAecht Schlenkerla Helles Lagerbier

Educational use only; do not reuse.
very good

354 Reviews
no score

(Send Samples)
Reviews: 354
Hads: 590
rAvg: 3.97
pDev: 11.59%
Wants: 44
Gots: 27 | FT: 0
Brewed by:
Brauerei Heller-Trum / Schlenkerla visit their website

Style | ABV
Munich Helles Lager |  4.30% ABV

Availability: Rotating

Notes & Commercial Description:
Beer added by: rastaman on 09-29-2003

“Schlenkerla Helles” is brewed with fine Bavarian aroma hops from the area around the city of Nürnberg. It's lagered in century old caves underneath the historic Schlenkerla brewery and maltings. Schlenkerla Helles is boiled in the same copper kettles and bottom fermented by the same yeast as the historic Schlenkerla Smokebeer. Its subtle smokiness without using smoke malt makes “Helles Schlenkerla Lager” a unique representative of the classic lager beer style “Bavarian Helles”.
Beer: Reviews & Ratings
Sort by:  Recent | High | Low | Top Raters
first ← prev | 1-25 | 26-50 | 51-75  | nextlast
Reviews: 354 | Hads: 590
Photo of Sammy
3.38/5  rDev -14.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Substantive creamy head. Medium body, with cream and grain, smokey and hops in finish as well as metallic. Drinkable, but I thought the smoke was more than I would want next time. suitable carbonation. Surprisingly decent find , Court Liquor, near the New Jersey ocean. (269 characters)

Photo of UCLABrewN84
3.85/5  rDev -3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a clear golden color with a 2 inch puffy off-white head that settles to a small cap on top of the beer. Thin foamy rings of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of malt and slight smoke aromas. Taste is of malt with a slight smoke flavor and some herbal hop flavors on the finish. There is a mild bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a good level of carbonation with a crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a good lager that retains some of the traditional smoke aromas and flavors without being in your face. (546 characters)

Photo of metter98
4/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: The beer is clear and golden yellow in color and has a light to moderate amount of carbonation. It poured with a thin head that quickly died down.
S: The aroma has an interesting resemblance to bacon and contains notes of smoke and bready malts.
T: Smoky flavors are immediately apparent in the initial taste; these aren't very strong but stand out from the flavors of bready malts and a mild amount of bitterness from the hops in the finish. There are also some notes of malty sweetness in the initial taste.
M: The beer feels light- to medium-bodied and smooth on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation. It has a clean finish.
D: I definitely want to try this beer again because its subtle smoky flavor is rather unique and makes both the smell and taste rather interesting. You would never expect the smoke from the appearance of this beer. (856 characters)

Photo of Thorpe429
3.65/5  rDev -8.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle picked up at Chevy Chase in DC. Served in a tulip.

Pours a light straw color with a thin white head and not too much lacing, even after a good swirl to raise the head back up. The nose brings a good amount of smoke along with mild lager characteristics lingering in the background. The smoke definitely overwhelms the lager, which which basically just means a lightly-smoked carbonated beverage. This creates problems for both the nose and the taste. The feel is redeemed is the Helles' crispness is still there and fits well with the smoke. Fairly good, but not my favorite of theirs. (593 characters)

Photo of brentk56
3.8/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Pours a clear golden color with a rocky white head that sticks nicely and leaves a few strands of lace

Smell: Grainy lager aroma with subtle hints of smoked bacon

Taste: Opens bready, with undertones of grain and a developing smoked bacon flavor that offsets the lager twang; after the swallow, the expected crispness is conjoined with the smokey flavor, such that the smoked meat aspect lingers at the expense of the malt

Mouthfeel: Light to medium body with moderate carbonation

Drinkability: As I generally don't care for the style, it is hard to get excited about this; it does drink nicely, however, and the smoke adds an interesting dimension (664 characters)

Photo of Phyl21ca
3.65/5  rDev -8.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle: Poured clear golden yellow color lager with a medium white foamy head with average retention and limited lacing. Aroma of floral malt with some sweetness also noticeable. Taste is a mix between some floral malt with some sweet notes but I could not distinguish any some at all. Body is quite full and slightly oily with some medium carbonation. Interesting but not really smokey. (387 characters)

Photo of largadeer
4.28/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

500ml bottle purchased at Gourmet Haus Staudt in Redwood City. No discernible freshness date on the bottle.

The beer is a pale effervescent gold, crowned by half an inch of resolute pure white foam.

There's a reserved smokiness to the nose, which I understand is the result of the beer being brewed on the same equipment as the brewery's rauchbiers rather than the actual addition of rauch malt. The combination of faint smoke and lightly sulfuric lager yeast makes me think of matches - it's more pleasant than it sounds. There's a crisp breadiness from the malt; overall it's a very gentle and clean aroma.

The palate, like the nose, features a pleasantly subdued smoke character that's very complementary to the crisp breadiness of the malt. Light in body, quite balanced in all respects and very clean, this is one of the most quaffable beers I can recall having in recent memory. The mouthfeel is soft, and there's little bitterness or bite to the finish, but it's a thoroughly enjoyable and flavorful beer, especially given the modest ABV. (1,048 characters)

Photo of biboergosum
3.84/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

500ml bottle - so not actually made with smoked malt, but created in the same vessels and with the same yeast as their other products, so this should be interesting.

This beer pours a clear, bright pale golden yellow colour, with a thin cap of generally just loosely bubbly dirty white head, which leaves some splattered mitochondrial lace around the glass as things slowly sink away.

It smells of meaty campfire smoke, grainy, doughy pale malt, wet saltine crackers, a subtle earthy honey sweetness, and leafy, weedy, and mildly floral hops. The taste is bready, grainy pale malt, a lessened (relatively) smoked porcine meatiness, singed dark honey, a wavering crackery pithiness, and more earthy, leafy, and weedy noble hop bitterness.

The carbonation is soft and understated, but adequate for the supportive and tingly job at hand, the body a mostly solid medium weight for the style, and surprisingly smooth, the wafting cinders not really all that threatening, somehow. It finishes off-dry, the underlying malt still having to parry the lingering ashiness making time with my various palates.

I know that this is a whole lot less smoky than its full-on, charred beechwood fire brethren, but even dumbed-down in that respect, it still resonates. The underlying Helles lager at least has some more wiggle room in this offering, which can be used as a teaching aid, to remind us all of what not torching your input ingredients has done for the world of beer over the past century or so. (1,495 characters)

Photo of emerge077
4.13/5  rDev +4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

After multiple drafts at Map Room, i've only had a bottle of this once before. There's a newer label now with red & black accents to the lettering. If you still have a blue label, you can be sure its old.

Bright gold, lazy ascending bubbles, creamy cap of foam becomes a delicate skim after some time. Concentric, drippy rings of lace are left after each sip. Looks good for a Helles.

Aroma is clean, and lightly sweet and malty. A bare trace of smoke, really only apparent as it warms. Slightly husky and earthy. Fairly delicate and subtle.

Gentle apple bread sweetness at first, becoming very dry and slightly bitter with noble hops in the end. A very light smoky element is there in the aftertaste, lingering in the background. It's simple, yet has an understated elegance with the smoke traces. There is some weight to it, but it falls just around medium on the mouthfeel scale.

A fine Bavarian lager to usher in the Spring and it's warming weather... (962 characters)

Photo of BuckeyeNation
4.3/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Classic amber with a flawless interior disturbed only by a slow parade of superfine bubbles seeking higher ground. Those bubbles contribute to a cap that is a shade or two darker than bright white and has a quality look about it. A wide ring of delicate lace completes the picture of a fine looking German lager.

Like all the Brauerei Heller-Trum beers, this one features smoke to the near exclusion of all else (In fact, it's difficult to tell what style they are by the nose alone because beechwood smoke is all one is treated to on the sniff. They only differ in the intensity of the smokiness). That's more than fine with me since smoke, given its dominant nature, would have to be too laid back for anything else to be evident.

Helles Lagerbier is a helluva good lager beer. I love how each one of this brewery's offerings shares an obvious similarity, yet each one is also distinctly different. They wouldn't work nearly as well as they do if the brewers relied on the fragrant, woodsy smoke to paper over inferior beer. These guys are true craftsmen who just happen to love rauchbier and have decided to share it with the world. Good for us.

The key, of course, to this beer's success, and to the success of the entire lineup, is the balancing act between malt, hops, yeast and smoke. The hops provide a modest bitterness and the lager yeast doesn't provide much of anything at all in terms of flavor; nor should it. That leaves lightly sweet golden malt and beautiful beechwood smoke. Delicious.

The mouthfeel is right where it needs to be in terms of size and in the amount and character of the carbonation. While nothing about it stands out as exceptional, it's perfectly calibrated to the task at hand, that of delivering the devilishly good flavor to the expectant taste buds, while refreshing the drinker at the same time.

I've been looking for this offering for quite some time now and I'm glad that I finally found a bottle. It's a great addition to the Aecht Schlekerla series of beers and is easily the equal of my other favorites of the Munich Helles Lager style, the versions from Brauereien Aying and Weihenstephaner. Helles Lagerbier is a light, smoky treat and should be on the 'must try' list of all who consider themselves connoisseurs of smoked beer. (2,291 characters)

Photo of mikesgroove
3.48/5  rDev -12.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Picked this one up on my last trip through Ohio. I had not seen it around before so I figured I would grab one to try it out. Been sitting in the fridge and grabbed it tonight to compliment some nice chicken. Served chilled in a tall pilsner glass, this one was consumed on 09/14/2008.

The pour was decent with a very clear, and highly carbonated light golden amber lager shaping up before my eyes. A small, maybe a half an inch of white head came up over the top and settled down quickly into a light veil across the top.

The aroma was light. Some small amount of smoked in it, with lots of grain and bready malts, though I have to admit, not much here to really pick up on. The flavor was a bit better. Lots of campfire like smokiness in it, with a subtle, yet easily definable bready malt base. Some sweetness, caramel maybe and a light peach flavor when cold that quickly gets burnt out by the smoked and roasted malts. Way too light of a feel, almost makes the flavor get lost as it comes across a bit watered down. Easy to session though as it goes down pretty much like water.

Overall I would have to give this one an average. Definitly not the best thing I have ever had by a long shot, but nowhere near the worst. I would try it again if nothing else were around, but not at the 2.99 I paid for it. (1,310 characters)

Photo of oberon
3.42/5  rDev -13.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a .5 liter stein a dull lemon yellow with a bit of chill haze a very thin wispy head atop,lighter aromas I picked up faint smoke and toasted grain with light iron/mineral.Taste is sweeter than expected some defienent honey malt and a touch of spice with the smoke coming thru but not overbearing not much hop presence.A light to medium mouthfeel and a low ABV makes it very drinkable but its a little dull on the palate and a little sweeter than expected. (467 characters)

Photo of ChainGangGuy
3.84/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

I'm filled with nothing but regret and utter compunction for never having reviewed anything at all from the Schlenkerla Smoke Inhalation Series. I'll get right on that. Let's start off with the Helles Lagerbier!

Appearance: Lightly hazy, pale copper body with a foamy, frothy, white head.

Smell: Sweetish honey and toffee maltiness with only a background, though still obviously present note of smoke.

Taste: Sweet maltiness, perhaps a pinch of crisp pilsner malt, along with flavors of toffee and clover honey. Hint of biscuits, maybe a bit of ripe peach fruitiness. Mild, spicy hops and bitterness along with the very restrained smoke character assist to balance the sweetness. Finishes crisp with a remaining light blend of smoke and sweetness.

Mouthfeel: Medium-thin body. Medium-low carbonation.

Drinkability: Well, that really was a breath of fresh air! Schlenkerla lite, I dare say. Overall, highly drinkable and a very good way to casually introduce yourself to Schlenkerla's wares. (995 characters)

Photo of nickfl
4.38/5  rDev +10.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A - Pours with an ample, two and a half finger head of foam on top of a perfectly clear, golden body. The head settles slowly and leaves nice lace on the glass.

S - A grainy aroma of pilsner malt with notes of bread and honey as well as herbal hops and a touch of smoke.

T - Dry malt, honey and a touch of woody character up front. Some herbal character in the middle with more honey and smoke beginning to come out. Finishes with dry malt, light bitterness and wispy, lingering smoke.

M - Medium body, moderate carbonation, and a dry, but balanced finish.

D - A balanced and drinkable Bavarian lager, but with a very subtle touch of smoke that takes it to another level of complexity. Really nice, up there with the best of Schlenkerla. (741 characters)

Photo of NeroFiddled
4/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bamberg is known for its smoked beers, and Schlenkerla has been keeping that tradition going for over five-hundred years.

There are five styles now (a new "oak" beer is coming in December 2009). The Fastenbier is a seasonal, and less well-known. And although the Ur-bock is also a seasonal, along with the Weizen and Maerzen, it's better known. All get a fair amount of play - although the Maerzen is probably their best known. But what of the Helles? It seems to get passed by? (At least here in America). Is it that it's just a basic style? Or is it that the smokiness is just too much within such a simple malt base?

Based on my experience, that answer may never be known. I've had people tell me, "Oh, and it's not smoky like the others", while others have pushed it back across the bar.

I find it malty, and hoppy, and smoky, with the smoke building on the palate, as does the solid bitterness. It may be a helles, but it's not a helles for those with an inexperienced palate.

And with that said, unless you go to Bamberg to sample the wares, there's not a lot of other examples to try in the U.S. (1,110 characters)

Photo of TheManiacalOne
4.15/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On-tap 8/3/09 at Julian's in Providence, RI, served in a tulip glass.

A: The beer is a deep yellow color, with a large white head that fades slowly and leaves a thick lace on the glass.

S: The aroma is of lager yeast, light malts and some hops.

T: The taste is bready up front with flavors of grain and lager yeast. The malt character is hearty but not heavy at all. There's a good hops presence for the style that brings a nice balance. There's a touch of spice in the background. The after-taste is slightly bready and slightly sweet.

M: Smooth and very crisp, light-to-medium body, medium carbonation, finish is very clean.

D: Tasty, goes down very easily, not filling at all, mild kick, very good representation of style, this is a really nice simple beer that is worth drinking for a long time. (804 characters)

Photo of Slatetank
4.25/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

I picked this up at Downeast Beverage in Portland ME, poured chilled in a pils glass shared with brew partner Tim Diener.

A - A very clear straw golden w/ visible carbonation and tiny beading. The lager creates spotty laced and the retention is very good

S - A slight smokiness is noted which is sweet w/ light hints of malt aroma

M- A light grainy feel w/ subtle smokey accent. The lager is mildly sweet with a moderatly low level of carbonation and mild spice. The lager finishe w/ a light toasted note

T - A subtle pilsner taste w/ slight sweet grainy flavor and mild cereal note and toasted flavor. The lager has a mild slight smoke but is married well and lets the malt stand on its own - no need to overwhelm with smoke as it still has a gental touch of herbal hop flavor in the finish

D - I love the complexity of the lager and the smoke compliments in every way and really addss to the Helles - Excellent drinkability! (931 characters)

Photo of russpowell
4.42/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Pours an effervescent golden/bronze with 1+ finger of eggshell white head. Stays effervescent throughout, above average lacing & below average head retention

S: Breadyness, hay, & a whisper of smokeyness

T: Grassy notes, some bready notes & then a bit of smokey ham up front. Crackery, plus lemon hop notes as this warms. Finishes with honey sweetness, a little bit of grainyness, lemony notes & laid back smokeyness

MF: Light/medium bodied, with lively carbonation & super balance

Drinks very easy, I was really impressed at how low the abv was, but this didn't show any thinness & still packed flavor. One I could easily pound through a football double-header or drink one or 2 & just enjoy its subtleties (711 characters)

Photo of WVbeergeek
4.23/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Although the beer itself doesn't use any smoked malts, it's brewed using the same yeast and in the same equipment as their other smoked beers. Pretty interesting beer pours a pale light golden delicate biscuit malt character with a nice spritzy carbonation level. Nice fluffy white head leaves intricate banded lacing. Aroma has a subtle smoke character with hints of smoked meats and a light biscuit malt grain character. Flavor has an interesting smoked nuttiness to it adds great complexity to a light classic well executed German helles. Kind of a one note flavor but a very interesting and tasty one note, makes me wish I had another bottle or two. Mouthfeel is evenly carbonated with a light but not watery body. Overall impression this beer rates high with on my likeability skill, would I consider sharing this with other friends into beer? Absolutely a very interesting take on a German Helles a classic style that doesn't get a whole lotta love around these parts. (974 characters)

Photo of smcolw
3.46/5  rDev -12.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Great start to the head--nearly pure white. Some spotty lace. Pale gold color and nearly clear (slight haze). The head does settle to nearly nothing.

Slightly skunked...otherwise a grainy, malty aroma. There's a mild touch of hop in the background.

Slightly sour from the skunkiness. Mostly malty with a mild hop spot in the swallow. Creamy finish. Good body for the style. Not the best light malted lager, but it holds its own. (430 characters)

Photo of feloniousmonk
4.3/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

"Dem Bayerischen Reinheitsgebot entsprechend gebrautes" Say it, over and over again. Don't know what it means, though. Maybe "Mmm, mmm, good"?

Crystal clear pale yellow appearance, under a generous dollop of snowy white froth, slowly dwindling down, and leaving lace. Nice, classic look for the style.

Aroma is empty at first, with slight suggestions of pepper and grain. Dry, smoky malt. Well, this is Schlenkerla.

Taste: smokey from the start, then crisp, clean malty flavor. Easy-going down the throat, light-bodied, meager, but appreciated fruity, malt character, and ever-present smoke.

So easy to drink, and so refreshing. Classic lager, with the hit of smoke an extra treat. Yum, I'm liking it better as I go.

A unique offering, a terrific treat. (771 characters)

Photo of superspak
3.88/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

500 ml bottle into pilsener glass, no bottle dating. Pours slightly cloudy golden straw color with a nice 2 finger dense white head with fantastic retention, that reduces to a thick cap that lingers. Some nice lacing on the glass, with plenty of carbonation streaming up retaining a dense head. Aromas of big pepper, bread, light smoke, apple, pear, herbal spiciness, floral, and a light metallic off note. Some pretty nice and balanced aromas with decent strength. Taste of pear, pepper, apricot, apple, grass, biscuit, floral, cracker, toasted grain, and herbal spiciness. Fairly dry on the finish; with some lingering notes of pear, apricot, grass, toasted grain, earth, and herbal spiciness on the finish for a short bit. Very nice and well balanced flavors. Medium carbonation and light-medium bodied; with a slightly creamy and very smooth mouthfeel. Alcohol presence is essentially non existent as expected of 4.3%. Overall this is a really nice, smooth, and balanced Munich Helles lager. It probably wasn’t very fresh, but it was still very enjoyable. (1,061 characters)

Photo of jwc215
3.47/5  rDev -12.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours light straw yellow with a thin white head.

The smell is of sweet grain and some smoke.

The taste is of sweet grain and smoke. Other than a slight metallic tinge, not much else is going on here.

Light-bodied, pretty smooth with lingering smokiness.

Easy to drink for a smoky beer. Still, if I wanted a smoky beer, I would choose something else from this brewery. This is pretty much a run-of-the-mill Munich Helles Lager with this brewery's Rauchbier characteristic. (475 characters)

Photo of drabmuh
3.31/5  rDev -16.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Saw this beer on draft at a local beer bar and couldn't resist. I am not a rauchbier fan and I have tried the other beers from this brewery. I was excited that they made a non-Rauch beer but in hindsight, what exactly was I expecting?

Beer is yellowish and has a slight haze to it. White head and good lacing on the glass.

The aroma of this beer put me off of it almost immediately. It smelled acidic and terrible. Like spoilage. I swirled the beer and smelled it again and this time it was greatly improved. Could pick up on some sweetness and the malt. I'm still penalizing it for the first whiff.

This beer has (SURPRISE!) a slight aftertaste of smoke. Seriously, what did I expect? The brewery responsible for making 5 beers, 4 of them are the world's best Rauchbiers and this one, they couldn't escape it. I wonder if the smoke flavor is intentional or just ingrained in everything they produce. Like they will never be able to make a beer without a slight bit of smoke in it, just because their equipment is coated with it.

Overall the beer was smooth and kind fo bland. The smokey aftertaste was unnecessary and abbreviated my pleasure of this beer. Sorry Schlenkerla. Not interested. (1,195 characters)

Photo of dbrauneis
4.01/5  rDev +1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

A: Pours a crystal clear medium golden yellow in color with light to moderate amounts of active visible carbonation rising from the bottom of the glass and faint hints of brassy highlights. The beer has a half finger tall sudsy foamy white head that reduces to a medium to large sized patch of thin film and a medium thick ring at the edges of the glass. Moderate amounts of lacing are observed.

S: Light to moderate aromas of bready malts and smoked malts (similar to the smoke used for smoking meats).

T: Upfront there are light to moderate flavors of bready malts with just a hint of sweetness. That is followed by moderate flavors of smoke and the finish has just a hint of herbal hops flavors. Hops add a light amount of bitterness which fades away pretty quickly.

M: Light to medium bodied with moderate amounts of carbonation. Crisp and clean, smooth.

O: Light and refreshing with a light presence of smoke. Very interesting and definitely one to grab again - these guys make some phenomenal smoked beers. (1,016 characters)

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Aecht Schlenkerla Helles Lagerbier from Brauerei Heller-Trum / Schlenkerla
89 out of 100 based on 354 ratings.

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Squatters Outer Darkness - Utah Brewers Cooperative

Not Rated.
Squatters Outer DarknessSquatters Outer Darkness

Educational use only; do not reuse.
very good

148 Reviews
no score

(Send Samples)
Reviews: 148
Hads: 486
rAvg: 3.98
pDev: 10.55%
Wants: 62
Gots: 145 | FT: 10
Brewed by:
Utah Brewers Cooperative visit their website

Style | ABV
Russian Imperial Stout |  10.50% ABV

Availability: Rotating

Notes & Commercial Description:
Beer added by: Wasatch on 12-24-2009

Welcome to the biggest beer Squatters Pub Brewery has ever made! A Russian Imperial Stout is one of the most intensely flavored beers a brewer can create. The combination of rich roasted barley, oak, molasses and licorice root combine to create an utterly unique and complex imperial stout experience.

We had to mash in twice to get our starting gravity of 27 plato (1.108 specific gravity). We boiled 3.5 hrs to enhance caramelization and used molasses and licorice root at the end of boil. Outer Darkness is aged with oak, has 65 IBUs and bottle conditioned. We hope you have as much fun drinking it as we did making it. Please share with another and drink wisely.
View: Beers (78) | Events
Beer: Reviews & Ratings
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first ← prev | 1-25 | 26-50 | 51-75  | nextlast
Reviews: 148 | Hads: 486
Reviews by ebrauser:
Photo of ebrauser
3.64/5  rDev -8.5%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

22 oz. (approx. 3 weeks after bottling of the series) into a brandy glass

Appearance: Chocolate brown, impossible to see through, with a thin brown head. Classic Imperial stout.

Aroma: Potent chocolate, coffee, and alcohol in the nose, along with some prune and raisin notes. Swirling released an aroma slightly like rubbing alcohol.

Flavor: Strong fruity beginning doesn't do much to mask the intensity of the alcohol, which is present throughout. Notes of figs and raisins with coffee and a cherry like sweetness. Bitter finish, like a mix of dark chocolate and everclear.

Mouthfeel: Strong, heavy body that feels thick and syrupy going down. Doesn't coat the mouth much at all.

Overall: I'm wondering whether I cracked this one open too early after bottling, and I'm excited to let the second and third ones age (vertical test??) for a while. The beer lacks some complexity that I expected from Squatter's, but here's hoping that it comes out with time (960 characters)

More User Reviews:
Photo of t2grogan
4/5  rDev +0.5%

Photo of Tiernan
3.75/5  rDev -5.8%

Photo of tbryan5
3.75/5  rDev -5.8%

Photo of Clonies720
4.71/5  rDev +18.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

10.5% ABV. Bottling date of 03/27/2012

Appearance: Pours a pitch Abyss-black with a creamy, dark chocolate head to match. Aggressive pour gives me about a 1.5 inch head.

Aroma: Roasted barley dominates the nose. It turns into sweet black liquorice with a hint of star anise. Delectable aromas of creamy chocolate abound.

Taste and Mouthfeel: Malty sweet start that ends with a dry, roasted coffee-like finish. Has a nice kick at the end that alerts you of its strong alcohol presence, but isn't overwhelming. Has somewhat of a creamy mouthfeel. Medium carbonation with a full body.

Overall: Love it. A practically perfect Russian Imperial Stout. (650 characters)

Photo of MikeC144
4/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Photo of SD-Alefan
4.25/5  rDev +6.8%

Photo of DaftPatrick
4.25/5  rDev +6.8%

Photo of John566
4.75/5  rDev +19.3%

Photo of Lgrec8
4.25/5  rDev +6.8%

Photo of Mora2000
4.03/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to swalden28 for sharing this bottle.

The beer pours a very nice black color with a large brown head. The aroma is dark chocolate with some bitterness. The flavor is chocolate, roasted malt, pepper and smoke. Thick, inky mouthfeel and low carbonation. (259 characters)

Photo of olradetbalder
4.25/5  rDev +6.8%

Photo of Meyers1023
4.09/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Photo of BigE90
4.03/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: poured a pitch black with a vibrant head into tulip. Great stout appearance.

S: very malty with a touch of molasses and chocolate coming through

T: wow, this was served very cold to start, approx 36 degrees. Flavors were a bit lacking at first, just a sharp stout bite that left me wondering what do I have. After a 30 minute wait to let it warm up, the flavors started to come through and the bite was gone. Just a sweet taste of chocolate and raisins that was very mellow and smooth.

M: a medium feel. Flavors evolved as it lingered in my mouth.

O: a good Russian imperial in my opinion. Would consume again. (620 characters)

Photo of IrishGermanAmerican
4.25/5  rDev +6.8%

Photo of pat61
4.5/5  rDev +13.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

L: A rich deep opaque mahagony pour with a 1” light tan foam collar. S: Rich fruit with roast and a suspicion of smoke. T: Dark fruit, oily, chocolate, muted prune, and a dark chocolate bitter finish. F: Creamy and chewy with medium low carbonation O: A hefty Russian Imperial Stout with big flavors and alcohol that is easy to savor and enjoy. (346 characters)

Photo of ehammond1
4.08/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Bottle (2011)

Thanks for opening this one, Nathan!

Big, thick, and nearly black with a moderately sized dark brown head that eventually leaves lots of stick (small bubbles and spiderwebs) on the glass.

Lot of roasted malt, a bit of chocolate, and a mild smoke character make up the aroma. There's also just a touch of licorice and dark fruit character, but this leans further toward the roasty/chocolatey spectrum. Nice.

The flavor follows similarly, with the roasted malt, chocolate, and slight licorice flavor rounding things out. Small hint of warming alcohol. Moderate bitterness.

Full bodied with low to moderate carbonation. Damn good.

Delicious stout, paired especially well with Elaine's homemade toffee peppermint brittle. (737 characters)

Photo of MattyG85
4.45/5  rDev +11.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from 750 ml bottle into a Surly Darkness Chalice. Bottle says born on 01/17/12.

Appearance: Pours a dark and oily black with no other color coming through. Moderate amount of bubbles. About two fingers of tan head that slowly recede to a thin creamy layer. Decent lacing on the glass.

Smell: Big aroma of dark roasted malts with good hints of chocolate and coffee. A considerable amount of molasses along with some licorice. Also some hints of vanilla, oak, and dark fruits including raisin, fig, and prune. Smells pretty robust and good.

Taste: Tastes as big as it smells. Lots of dark roasted caramel malts. Big notes of chocolate and coffee. The licorice/anise presence is really big here. Its almost too much but starts to blend in better as you go. Lots of molasses throughout. Subtle hints of oak and vanilla. Near the back are some dark raisin, prune, and fig. Some earthy hops towards the finish.

Mouthfeel: A fairly thick, full body with a moderate level of carbonation. Creamy, somewhat sticky and syrupy. Still goes down fairly smooth and the high alcohol is hidden pretty well.

Overall: A pretty solid imperial stout. Very rich and fairly complex. Its what I would look for in a big stout. (1,218 characters)

Photo of kwkdmk
4.08/5  rDev +2.5%

Photo of valkyre65
4/5  rDev +0.5%

Photo of glid02
4.52/5  rDev +13.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Bottle shared by Andy, straight from Utah - thanks!

Pours black with a 1.5-finger light brown head. The head recedes into a wispy layer on top leaving decent lacing.

Smells of strong roasted malts with hints of char. Also present are mild amounts of semi-sweet chocolate and tobacco.

Tastes very similar to how it smells. Huge and robust roasted malt flavors kick things off and are joined quickly by mild amounts of semi-sweet chocolate that cut the roast somewhat. Midway through the sip slight tobacco makes a brief appearance before being overtaken by moderate amounts of char. The char and roasted malts carry through to a solidly bitter ending.

Mouthfeel is good. It's got a nice thickness with decent carbonation.

Drinkability is great. I finished my glass very quickly and could easily have a few more.

Overall I was a very big fan of this beer, one of the more robust roasted big stouts I've had in a while. Very good and complex and well worth a shot. (967 characters)

Photo of Schlafly33
3.5/5  rDev -12.1%

Photo of acurtis
3.5/5  rDev -12.1%

Photo of ste5venla
4.25/5  rDev +6.8%

Photo of r0nyn
4/5  rDev +0.5%

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Squatters Outer Darkness from Utah Brewers Cooperative
89 out of 100 based on 148 ratings.


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Nelson - Alpine Beer Company

Not Rated.

Educational use only; do not reuse.

643 Reviews
no score

(Send Samples)
Reviews: 643
Hads: 3,120
rAvg: 4.37
pDev: 8.7%
Wants: 1,414
Gots: 392 | FT: 16
Brewed by:
Alpine Beer Company visit their website
California, United States

Style | ABV
American IPA |  7.10% ABV

Availability: Rotating

Notes & Commercial Description:
Beer added by: OStrungT on 08-11-2006

A Golden Rye IPA - An outstanding hop from New Zealand, Nelson Sauvin, is generously used throughout the brewing and dry-hopping of this unique beer. European rye is added for a smooth, malty addition to flavor. 1.065 OG 7% AB
View: Beers (46) | Events
Beer: Reviews & Ratings
Sort by:  Recent | High | Low | Top Raters
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Reviews: 643 | Hads: 3,120
Reviews by travMI13:
Photo of travMI13
4.5/5  rDev +3%

More User Reviews:
Photo of TheIPAHunter
4.69/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

I'm having a Nicholas Cage moment in Leaving Las Vegas. While I'm not on a bender destined to succumb myself in alcohol poisoning, each sip of this magnificent beer has me calling out for a nurse. I'm worried my neighbors may think I've gone mad. I don't even know where to begin, it's so unbelievable. First off, the pour on Nelson is beyond reproach; only rivaled by Heady Topper. Brilliant orange, super cloudy, spotty lacing. Very excellent head retention. The nose has hints of white wine from the use of Nelson Sauvin hops, and is backed by tons of citrus. Taste follows with grapefruit and pineapple. So freaking balanced I can barely stand it, as if that isn't an oxymoron in itself. The mouthfeel is creamy as ever, and I can't stop smacking my lips. I never thought I would enjoy a rye IPA so much. This is a world-class, must try beer, especially for people like me, who primarily drink IPAs. Those who have access to this on a regular basis should consider themselves extremely lucky. Hard to find a flaw. JUST WOW! (1,027 characters)

Photo of TreyIsWilson
4.29/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

A - Pours a hazy golden orange with a thin white head. Light soapy lacing.

S - Aroma is orange, grapefruit, and floral hops.

T - The taste is strong piney hops and a white pepper spiciness. There are some good citrus flavors - grapefruit and orange peel. The finish has some light cattiness and more grapefruit.

M - Medium bodied with medium carbonation. Smooth mouthfeel with a crisp dry finish.

O - Another excellent IPA from Alpine. Definetly recommended for hop heads. (476 characters)

Photo of BEERchitect
4.03/5  rDev -7.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Deliciously rounded and profoundly unique with malt flavors of caramel and butterscotch balanced with citrus and winy notes- Nelson delivers the familiar wash of IPA flavors, but with a unique twist here and there to create intrigue and identity.

Pouring a firm orange camel color, the beer carries the standard hoppy hazy that allows only a mild glow to penetrate. Very well headed with a creamy egg shell white foam cap, the beer's froth retains remarkably and laces the glass with left over traces of foam. It's a sturdy looking beer.

Rich and zesty aromas seem to alternate from malty caramel in one whiff, but orange marmalade the next. Notes of herbs, grapes, citrus, and tropical fruits continue to emphasize the fruity-hop dominance of the ale.

Flavors are full of caramel, butterscotch, honey, and crisp grain as the barley makes a moderate impact on flavor. But what makes it's mark is the hops. Starting citrusy with the taste of grapefruit, freshly zested oranges, and a light mango flavor; the beer also weaves in the slightly woody flavors of white wine, juniper-gin, and sassafras for a truly unique counterpart to the ordinary citrusy-resiny hops. But the resin quality comes into play in finish with a decidedly bitter finish of drying hops, alcohol warmth, and light mint.

Medium bodied, the beer's early creaminess is quickly sheds, in favor of fleeting caramel malts, high hop bitterness, mild grassy astringency, and sappy closure. Only a linger of grapefruit bitterness reminds me of how dry the beer is and encourages a quick visit to the glass, much sooner than it should.

Although the beer has a lot of classic and intelligent characteristics that set it apart, the mild buttery taste gives the hoppy ale a rounded and rich taste while the winy hops give extra acidity with a somewhat twiggy taste. Likely considered flaws to some, the moderate tones of these properties give the beer more intrigue and seduction than they do deterrents. (1,967 characters)

Photo of BuckeyeNation
4.45/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

"Par is whatever I say it is. I've got one hole that's a par 23 and yesterday I damn near birdied the sucker."

--Willie Nelson

Sun-splashed tangerine with bumblebee yellow trim. The pour produced two fingers of cue ball colored foam that has all sorts of interesting topography. The head is firm and bubbly and rocky and pitting and sticky. In addition, thick sheets and creamy chunks of lace are beginning to decorate the glass in wonderful fashion.

The nose is a big blast of Nelson Sauvin hoppiness that any lupulin lover should... well... love. NS smells citrusy and grassy-musky and Chardonnay grape-like. Sort of a cross between Columbus and Saaz... plus white grapes. Love it.

Love the flavor too. This is a fresh bomber and the hops are amazingly green and bright. In fact, this offering tastes like a recently bottled wet hop IPA. Nelson Sauvin is not as delicious as Cascade, Centennial, Columbus, Chinook, Simcoe and Amarillo, but it's distinctive and different and is doing a great job carrying this brew all by its lonesome.

The contributon from spicy rye malt isn't so prominent that it steals the hops' thunder and lightning. It succeeds in adding yet another dimension that any lover of rye-malted IPAs should... well... wait, I used that one already. Anyway, it's an amazing combination of flavors that I recommend highly.

The body/mouthfeel is merely good, something that was also true of Duet. A little more full creaminess would have put it right up there with the rest of the scores. This sucker is built for speed, though, and there's nothing wrong with that.

Alpine brews some hella good American IPAs. Duet was stunning and Nelson is as well. This is one of those times when I fantasize about living in Southern California and having access to beer like this on a daily basis. (1,807 characters)

Photo of RoyalT
4/5  rDev -8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance - This is actually brown in color which suggests a monster malt base to this AIPA. The head is huge and yeasty with great retention and left some wonderful lacing.

Smell - The heavy hop aroma is huge here. I can't recall ever having the namesake Nelson Sauvin hops but they remind me of big PacNW hops. The malt here though is also big and provides a strong balance. It is not overly sweet but full of caramel.

Taste - The big hops and malt come out exactly the same at the taste. This beer is perfectly balanced with monster, PacNW style pine and herbal hops and big unsweetened caramel malts.

Mouthfeel - This is a solid medium-bodied with a good bitter bite throughout.

Drinkability - This is a big beer that begs to be sipped. It goes down well enough but will be too big for the casual drinker. It feels like a DIPA in every way except in ABV. (863 characters)

Photo of tectactoe
4.68/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Huge thanks to Mike for splitting this with me - one that I've been dying to try. Nelson pours a murky golden and somewhat orange-ish color. Super hazy and amazingly unfiltered, it looks something like lighter-toned apple cider. Surprisingly little head for an IPA, and it looks a bit thick during the pour, but the yeasty haze is strangely compelling.

Alpine Nelson smells like the West Coast; wall-to-wall tropical fruits that immediately pummel your nostrils as the beer nears your face. Pineapple, mango, and a very large helping of oranges and/or tangerines. It almost has a "juice" vibe too it, and even begins to draw some similarities to Pliny the Elder.

The Nelson hops have a very nice, bursting wet and weedy aroma to them. Fresh, vibrant, and bright, exploding with savory leafiness and a mild twinge of bitterness alongside their wonderful tropical fruit inclusions. Not much malt (or rye, for that matter) in the aroma. This one is clearly all about the hops.

The flavor is just as "West Coast" as the aroma; again, just bursting through with a wonderful fruit profile. More pineapples and a gushing display of tangerines. The leafy side of the hops are more amplified on the palate, coming to life with a nice pungency; weedy, wet, grassy, with a beautiful sustaining bitterness.

Some slight onion-y flavors get tossed about; typically not a flavor I'm fond of in my beer, but it's light enough here to provide another layer of complexity rather than get in the way or distract. I finally get some rye in the finish, adding a nice dryness and the lightest touch of spice in the finale. Not as heavy on the palate as it appeared; slick, oily, and lightly carbonated.

Wow, this stuff went down like nothing. It was like drinking juice with some hops mixed in. Beautiful display of the Nelson hop and what it's capable of. Huge tropical fruit aromas and flavors make this sucker incredibly easy to drink. This is something you could crush just drinking outside on a hot day. Another staple in the already larger-than-life portfolio of West Coast IPAs. (2,068 characters)

Photo of t2grogan
4.5/5  rDev +3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Photo of LindaLaneIPA
5/5  rDev +14.4%

Photo of Schlais
4.5/5  rDev +3%

Photo of cjn40277
4.8/5  rDev +9.8%

Photo of tbryan5
4.83/5  rDev +10.5%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

Photo of Dabeel
4.5/5  rDev +3%

Photo of woodchipper
4.51/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Photo of SanFranJake
4.5/5  rDev +3%

Photo of surfwahine
5/5  rDev +14.4%

Photo of SkiBum22
4.4/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A - Pours almost a golden orange. Slight haze to it. Thin white head.

S - Juicy, citrus hop bitterness, hints of pineapple and grapefruit rind. There is some spice from the rye as well.

T - Tropical fruits upfront with a hint of spice, rye and bready malts follow. Very unique flavors here, unlike any other IPA I've tasted to date.

M - Not quite a medium body. Lower carbonation.

O - This is the most unique IPA I've ever had. Really like the white wine characteristics from the Nelson Sauvin hops. Another solid IPA from ABC. (532 characters)

Photo of Anstuart5
4.25/5  rDev -2.7%

Photo of BubalooBrewMaster
4.9/5  rDev +12.1%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 5

Photo of jose_alehouseSD
5/5  rDev +14.4%

Photo of Ben7773
4.5/5  rDev +3%

Photo of newk340
4.58/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

split bomber with hu5om (who received it in a trade) in new belgium goblets.

A: bronze amber in color with a light fluffy head that quickly dissipates and leaves phenomenal lacing.

S: very front heavy with white grapes, smelling similar to a white zinfidel wine, but with additional citrusy (grapefruit?) hops.

T: a BLAST of flavor, white wine extremely evident with continuous overshadowing of rye. leaves a very yeasty aftertaste.

MF/D: very smooth, carbonation evident but not overwhelming. flavors coat the mouth and throat leaving a champagne/beer feeling following each sip. (584 characters)

Photo of orbitalr0x
4.57/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Bomber pours into my glass a deep orange/yellow with a two finger creamy, bubbling white head and superb clarity. Aromas start with a distinct tropical, pungent, fruity hop explosion. Grapefruit melds in with a nice spicy rye character. There is somewhat of a vinous, white wine character lurking within as well. Quite the lovely aroma.

First sip brings a plethora of fruity, resinous, pungent hops upfront with bold mango and grapefruit flavors. Spicy rye mixes in beautifully. Flows down with a good kick of bitterness that's well placed. Lingering fruity hops on the palate. Delicious!

Mouthfeel is crisp and smooth with perfect carbonation. This one is exceedingly easy to drink and just amazingly enjoyable. A top notch IPA and I love the addition of rye and the Nelson Sauvin hops. Seek it out if you have the ability! (826 characters)

Photo of briang01
4.25/5  rDev -2.7%

Photo of Alodnar
4.75/5  rDev +8.7%

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Nelson from Alpine Beer Company
97 out of 100 based on 643 ratings.


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Blithering Idiot - Weyerbacher Brewing Co.

Not Rated.
Blithering IdiotBlithering Idiot

Educational use only; do not reuse.

860 Reviews

(Read More)
Reviews: 860
Hads: 1,994
rAvg: 3.69
pDev: 13.82%
Wants: 50
Gots: 293 | FT: 7
Brewed by:
Weyerbacher Brewing Co. visit their website
Pennsylvania, United States

Style | ABV
English Barleywine |  11.10% ABV

Availability: Year-round

Notes & Commercial Description:
Beer added by: BeerAdvocate on 09-20-2001

No notes at this time.
Beer: Reviews & Ratings
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Reviews: 860 | Hads: 1,994
Reviews by BodiesLexus:
Photo of BodiesLexus
3.75/5  rDev +1.6%

More User Reviews:
Photo of Jeffreysan
4.47/5  rDev +21.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

2014 edition 12 oz bottle, poured into a pint glass

Appearance: Pours a very pretty, deep, dark, mahogany color, speckled with orange highlights, and a quarter of a finger of white-colored head that quickly dissolved away into a thin lacing of foam that almost completely covered the top of the beer.

Aroma: Very aromatic with strong aromas of toasted malt, imparting notes of freshly toasted English muffins, followed by some notes of brown sugar, toffee, dried stone fruit such as raisins, figs, prunes, and a touch of maple syrup.

Taste: Delicious! Strong flavors of toasted malt, brown sugar and maple syrup-like sweetness, dried stone fruit, and a touch of hoppy bitterness at the finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied, but leaning a little towards the thin side. It’s a very smooth beer as there is very little carbonation. With an ABV of 11.1%, there is a very pleasant alcohol warmth on the palate.

Overall: This is a very, very, good barleywine! Excellent, in fact! It has great flavors of malt, brown sugar and maple syrup-like sweetness, dried stone fruit and a touch of hops. The only thing keeping this barleywine from being world-class is the slightly less than perfect mouthfeel. If it had a chewier mouthfeel, it would be world-class. (1,264 characters)

Photo of tkolterman
4.75/5  rDev +28.7%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

This beer has good taste from begining to end. On my third six pack. I went to the the Weyerbacher Brewery, nice operation. Blithering is a high ABU beer.
I am a D-beer kinda guy. I enjoy it every bottle I drink. (212 characters)

Photo of StoutHunter
3.52/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I picked up a bottle of Weyerbacher's Blithering Idiot last week for $3.19 at The Lager Mill. I've been working my way through the Weyerbacher lineup and I thought it was time to give this Barleywine a try, so lets see how it goes. Bottled on 2/15/15. Poured from a brown 12oz bottle into a snifter.

A- The label looks good, it's got a nice design to it and it's eye catching. It poured an amber red color that took on of a ruby red hue when held to the light with a half a fingers worth of bubbly light tan head that died down to a thin ring that eventually faded away and it left a little bit of spotty lacing behind. This is a pretty nice looking beer, but I wish the head and retention were just a little better.

S- The aroma starts off with a lower amount of high sweetness with a fruity aroma being the first to show up and it imparts a mixture of apples and light dark fruit aromas with no single aspect sticking out the most. Up next comes a slight alcohol aroma that leads into the malts which are on the lighter side and they impart some sweet malt, caramel malt, caramel and grainy aromas. This beer has a nice aroma, but I wish it was a little more complex.

T- The taste seems to be very similar to the aroma and it starts off with very high amount of medium sweetness with the same fruity aspects that I got in the aroma being the first to show up, but this time they aren't as bright and they are just a little lighter. Up next comes a noticeable alcohol flavors that isn't too warming and it's followed by the malts which are lighter like they were in the aroma and they impart the same aspects with caramel and sweet malts seeming to stick out the most. On the finish there's no bitterness with some sweetness and booze taking it's place and it had a fruity aftertaste. This is a nice tasting beer, but just like aroma I wish it was more complex.

M- Fairly smooth, not too cloying, slightly crisp, on the very thick side of being medium bodied with a lower amount of medium carbonation. This beer has a nice mouthfeel that works well with it.

Overall I thought this was a nice beer and I thought it was it a nice example of an English Style Barleywine, but In the end it didn't turn out as great as some of the better ones I've had, it just lacked the complexity and big mouthfeel that some of that better ones seem to have and it left me wanting more. This beer has nice drinkability, it's fairly smooth, not too cloying, slightly crisp, a little filling and the taste did a nice job at holding my attention, I think one is a good amount for me, I don't really have the urge to drink another one in a row. What I like the most about this beer was how true to style it was, besides lacking it complexity it had pretty much all the things that I look for in the style. What I like the least about this beer is the lack of complexity, that aspect could use some work. I would buy this beer again, but I'm not going to go out of my way to stock up on it and I would say it worth a try if you are a fan of the style. All in all I liked this beer, but I didn't love, it needs a little work, but I think it has potential. IT's not a favorite Weyerbacher beer and it's right about average for the style. Nice job guys, but I think with a little more work this could be a very nice Barleywine. (3,328 characters)

Photo of CHickman
3.46/5  rDev -6.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

Bottle was at least a year old and poured a cloudy red copper that resembled beach water with sand in it as the brew had some many tiny yeast particles that it looked like sand. The head was 1-2 fingers creamy tan color with brown speckles throughout; it faded slowly and left good lacing that mostly slid back down into the layer on top.

Smells of sweet malt, caramel, toffee, tin metal or a penny, grains and some dark fruit. Seems to have yeast and aspirin come out more as it sits, with the metallic and caramel notes staying the strongest.

Tastes sweet and fruity up front, with cherry, dates and plum mixed with brown sugar, metallic yeast, caramel and grainy flavors that have the penny again, some peat moss, tree bark and toffee. It's sweeter than the nose and hides the high ABV very well, but the metallic notes just send it the wrong way for my palate. I enjoyed the initial sweetness and hoped more would follow, but it leveled out and leaned more towards a Belgian style brew. Some herbs or tea leaf show up late for some added complexities.

Mouthfeel is slick and on the thin side with very mild carbonation, a medium to thick chewy body, and a sweet, grainy aftertaste that is as much yeast as it is caramel and fruity notes. Overall a decent beer. (1,270 characters)

Photo of northbastard
2.59/5  rDev -29.8%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2

First review, irony? let's hope not.
A- Poured into an imperial pint glass, fluffy two inch head. Ruby red-orange. Looks more like an ipa than a barleywine. Nice retention an lacing, stays till the last drop.

S- Lots of fruit aroma in here, however the alcohol still overpowers. Some plum and berry. Kind of reminds me of one of those B&J wine coolers.

T- Goes right along with the smell. Black currant, plum, raspberry, and then straight alcohol. One of those you drink and your first reaction is to shake your head violently because the alcohol is so pervasive. Probably would be better after a few years in the cellar.

M- Smooth, velvet along with the fluffy head, little carbonation. Saves the beer.

D-The alcohol overpowers all, could think of a lot of beers around the same abv where there is no alcohol to be sensed. This beer has promise, it just needs to store for a few years. Friend of mine shared a bottle with me and he could not finish his half so it ended up down the drain. I pushed through and it is fair to say this isn't a repeat selection. (1,064 characters)

Photo of benloho
3.8/5  rDev +3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Bottle has been in the cellar for a couple of years to help smooth out the strong alcohol feel and flavor.

Very sweet smelling and tasting, but very pleasant. Rich and creamy. Great after dinner beer and certainly a sipper. Not much bitterness at all which causes it to be a bit too malty for me, but that's what one would expect from an 11% beer. Nice alcohol warmth but not overpowering. Could definitely get into trouble on a colder day drinking this one too quick.

Not the greatest barleywine, but certainly one worth trying if you're a fan of the style. (560 characters)

Photo of oberon
3.78/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Had this on tap at the Spring House Drafting Room,poured a medium brown with some amber tones with a light but somewhat creamy head,aroma was of burnt fruit and alcohol.Taste was very rasiny and of dried fruit definently sweet and chewy and gets better as it warms.A pretty nice brew I think the best I have had from Weyerbacher. (329 characters)

Photo of RoyalT
3.91/5  rDev +6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance  This was a dark, orangish brown with a gorgeous cascading nitro-looking head a la Guinness. The head consisted of fairly large bubbles that hung over the fluid like a drizzling nimbostratus.

Smell  The sweet malt base dominates the nose of this one. Its pretty laid back but consists of tons of sugar and some ripe fruits like apricots along with a noticeable warning of alcohol.

Taste  This one has a deep, malt base that is laden with big sugars. It is very wine-like, consisting of big, dry, chardonnay grapes along with lots of fruity notes. The alcohol blends right in with the winey character and is hardly detectable.

Mouthfeel  This was smooth enough but could probably benefit from cellaring. It was a little heavier than medium-bodied and ended pretty dry.

Drinkability  Very good now, probably better in two years or so.

Update – I can’t believe that it’s been seven years since I last had this BW, but now that I’ve moved back to the Midwest I was able to find it in a local beer store. It’s a lot less sugary than I noted on my original review and I thought the alcohol was a bit more prominent but otherwise a terrific sipper. (1,179 characters)

Photo of DaPeculierDane
3.21/5  rDev -13%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Deep copper amber with an off-white head that dissolves to clingy lace. Easy drinker despite the high ABV. Very well concealed strength. Flavor and aroma are largely one dimensional and port like. That port quality consists largely of booze soaked dark fruits and spices that tend to indicate high alcohol presence. Hops are much lighter than expected indicating that this barley wine follows the English tradition rather than the American. Mouthfeel is rather warming and light for a barley wine. Flavor and aroma greatly improve as the beer warms to room temp but it remains rather dull and lacking in complexity. Still very drinkable and in fact dangerously easy to gulp down. Many thanks to expatsteve for the sample. (721 characters)

Photo of OhioBobcat
4/5  rDev +8.4%

Photo of Zakk
4.25/5  rDev +15.2%

Photo of tbryan5
3.67/5  rDev -0.5%

Photo of JacobMutberg
3.75/5  rDev +1.6%

Photo of SIRIUS2
3.99/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12 oz. bottle into a goblet style glass.

A: Deep clear ruby brown in color. Minimal white head quickly dissipates into a thin white layer of bubbles and healthy white perimeter ring. Very little (if any) lacing.

S: Very light smells of candied fruit and minimal whiffs of alcohol

T: Sweetness quickly takes over the palate with a very refined grain malt taste combined with something on the order of rock candy; sort of a fruity flavor similar to that of a sweet wine.

M: Very heavy and sweet. Light but persistent carbonation keeps the sweetness from cloying on the tongue. There is definite warming but no real intense alcohol presense. Goes down easy but catches up to you quickly.

Barley wine style. Definitely. Blithering Idiot is deceptive in that it is quite sweet in both nose and mouth and manages to hide that serious kick with the exception of some enjoyable warming at the end. Awesome. And that color! Almost like a ruby colored port. So long as you aren't put off by the sweet profile, you will probably like this. Recommended. (1,060 characters)

Photo of wrycon
2.94/5  rDev -20.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Dark orangish- brown in color, slightly muddled complexion. Nose is full malt, with maybe some plum or raisin. Drinks thick. Initial rush of caramel, that exits quickly. Middle is malty / watery and leaves a carpet of malt on the tongue. Expecting more from the end, but it simply finishes unceremoniously.

Like It? Have Had Better (333 characters)

Photo of orbitalr0x
4/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a deep reddish amber with really no head to speak of. The smell is caramel covered fruit with plenty of piney, earthy hops coming out as well. Not too overpowering.

The first taste is a candied fruity, hoppy punch in the mouth, with just enough caramel maltiness to keep it all together. Biterness and alcohol sting the back of the palate on the way down. A little off balance, but I do love the hops so I won't complain.

Mouthfeel is good with a nice full body and good consistency. Drinkability is good as well, but after a few of these you'll end up looking like the joker on the label. I think this one could've used some more time in the cellar...but it's good fresh if you're looking for a hoppier taste. Check this one out if you like barleywines. Thanks to, ironically enough, blitheringidiot himself for the chance to partake. (847 characters)

Photo of rwinzing
3.55/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured a bottle into my Duvel tulip

It poured hazy amber with barley any head. Gentle lacing on the side of the glass

Smell was sweet but not over powering. Expected some hop aroma but did not get any

Taste - Sweet through out. Very well balanced and not bitter. A little hot but not overwhelming nice to the style

mouthfeel was not overly full but not thin either

overall not a bad barleywine very enjoyable and balanced (426 characters)

Photo of JasonA
3.88/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

12oz single from Cooridor Wine and Spirits. Excited about having this beer, huge WYB fan. I think the label is funny with the huge UPC bar code up front. Are they trying to tell us something?

Pours almost a grapish translucent copper. Good amount of lacing, even from this smally bottle. Head pours 1.5 fingers and settles. While the head has no staying power, lacing does which makes it 'pretty'.

Taste is not what I expected from a Barley Wine. Dare I say watery alcohol initial. Settles in with mild fruit and barley. Warming through from alcohol. Not a biting alcohol, but warming, much nicer.

I gave a 4.5 on the mouthfeel. Im not exactly sure why. While taste is definatly coupled to the MF, setting taste aside I like the way this settles in my mouth. Carbonation runs a nice smooth course. Very settling.

I am interested in having this again, just not quickly. Not a bad beer, but I would like to try some more BW before this again. (952 characters)

Photo of BigMarty1980
4/5  rDev +8.4%

Photo of lordofthewiens
3.8/5  rDev +3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A 12oz bottle poured into a snifter, this is an attractive beer. Red/orange color, small head, nicely carbonated. It had a dark fruit, malty aroma. The taste showed a strong malt presence, with little, if any, hops . This was a mild beer, not at all aggressive. I thought it to be very drinkable, even at 11% ABV. (313 characters)

Photo of thetommo
3.75/5  rDev +1.6%

Photo of DaftPatrick
3.9/5  rDev +5.7%

Photo of warnerry
3.5/5  rDev -5.1%

Photo of sponberg
4.17/5  rDev +13%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Can't describe the appearance much as I had no glassware at the campsite, but it looked pretty good when I poured a bit into a plastic cup. Had this bottle in my beer cellar for about 6 months or so waiting for the first night on the Cape. The one I had when "fresh" was rather unbalanced and screamed for aging.

Aroma was ripe fruit & alcohol - sweet apple, figs, plums, and fumes of alcohol. Started out with a big fruity malt assault - the same three as above, with caramel & toffee-like sweetness joining the fray. Somewhere way in the background a hop raised its hand for recognition by the chairman, but it was never recognized by the floor so it left the meeting with reserved bitterness. The alcohol remained well in check until it hit mid sip and bellowed loudly but briefly. The finish was sweet, sugary, alcoholic, but not at all cloying, with a lingering toffee apple aftertaste. Hugely drinkable for its potency after aging. (944 characters)

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Blithering Idiot from Weyerbacher Brewing Co.
83 out of 100 based on 860 ratings.


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Allagash Neddles - Allagash Brewing Company

Not Rated.
Allagash NeddlesAllagash Neddles

Educational use only; do not reuse.
no score

Awaiting 10 Reviews
no score

(Send Samples)
Reviews: 6
Hads: 111
rAvg: 4.28
pDev: n/a
Wants: 40
Gots: 30 | FT: 9
Brewed by:
Allagash Brewing Company visit their website
Maine, United States

Style | ABV
American Wild Ale |  10.50% ABV

Availability: Rotating

Notes & Commercial Description:
Beer added by: ThatsThatDude on 05-18-2014

Named after our first employee Ned. Neddles is a sour brown aged in rum barrels from Ned's new venture, New England Distilling.
Beer: Reviews & Ratings
Sort by:  Recent | High | Low | Top Raters
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Reviews: 6 | Hads: 111
Reviews by GonzoHomebrewer:
Photo of GonzoHomebrewer
4.38/5  rDev n/a
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

A- Pours a rusty brown auburn with a quickly dissipating off white head. Beer looks great

S- As soon as I popped this I could smell some oaky lactic funk, kind of oud bruin esque. After I pour this bad boy out, there's toasted nut, molasses, some rum heat, slight funky twang in the background

T- Taste is initially oud bruin esque, oak tannic tart cherry note, then the carbonation begins to kick in and dries out to a rummy oak profile with molasses, oak, and dark fruit that initially leaves you wanting more, but then right on the finish, a slight rum heat comes out. Is reminiscent of a dark and stormy with lime, but instead of lime, this has some mild lacto balancing things out.

M- sharp pricky carbonation that gives the beer an excellent complimentary dryness, making a high abv sour quite drinkable

O- Right now, this beer is drinking great, showcasing a great depth of character without being too overwhelming in any certain area. There is definitely some room for growth of the lacto character, but I feel this beer is ready to drink now. Fantastic sour brown ale. (1,082 characters)

More User Reviews:
Photo of t2grogan
4.5/5  rDev n/a

Photo of mctizzz
4.25/5  rDev n/a

Photo of sourdog
4/5  rDev n/a

Photo of acurtis
4/5  rDev n/a

Photo of Griffith
4.25/5  rDev n/a

Photo of Alieniloquium
3.67/5  rDev n/a
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

375 mL bottle poured into a snifter.

Appearance - Deep orange amber body. Small fleeting white head. Medium collar.

Smell - Rum barrel is strong. Oak. Vanilla. Mild acidity. Smells kinda musty.

Taste - Rum is still strong, but it's got a lot more sourness going on. Kinda vinegary. Some grainy toast and caramel malt. Sharp rum aftertaste and some oak.

Mouthfeel - High carbonation. Medium heavy.

Overall - Intense flavors. It's overly intense in certain respects, but good. (490 characters)

Photo of vancean2
4.5/5  rDev n/a

Photo of Kmlund
4/5  rDev n/a

Photo of GRG1313
3.75/5  rDev n/a

Photo of ChrisChagnon
4.5/5  rDev n/a

Photo of NinaElizabeth
4.35/5  rDev n/a
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Pours brownish red with thin head that quickly dissipates. Semi translucent. Smells like tart cherries, apple cider vinegar, damp wood hints of vanilla and molasses. Taste mostly follows the nose-- tart cherries lactic acid, vinegar, oak, caramel, molasses, vanilla, a hint of spice and something incredibly reminiscent of a candy apple.

I can't believe this is 10.5%. I thought I felt a little more of an alcohol burn on the back than usual for a sour, but 10.5%?? While there is something sweet and sticky about this brew, there is searing acidity and the carbonation is key and offers a beautiful prickly sensation to balance it all out and making it super drinkable.

I think this beer is really well done and I am enjoying it immensely. I wish I had picked up another bottle when I went to the brewery... (811 characters)

Photo of macesq
3.84/5  rDev n/a
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Photo of Sanchezrox23
4.75/5  rDev n/a

Photo of rjp217
4.29/5  rDev n/a
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Photo of Mike
4.5/5  rDev n/a

Photo of campfirebrew
4.5/5  rDev n/a

Photo of mendvicdog
3.75/5  rDev n/a

Photo of oline73
4/5  rDev n/a

Photo of Stum-pub
4.5/5  rDev n/a

Photo of kkazemi
4.2/5  rDev n/a

Photo of smokeypeat
4/5  rDev n/a

Photo of SadMachine
4.25/5  rDev n/a

Photo of gkoz
4/5  rDev n/a

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Allagash Neddles from Allagash Brewing Company
- out of 100 based on 6 ratings.