Tuesday, May 01, 2007

Beer Tasting: Speakeasy Old Godfather [2006]


The Beer: Speakeasy Old Godfather
Style: Barleywine
Reviews: Beer Advocate Rate Beer
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Packaging & Date Stamping: 12 oz. brown bottle; only the year 2006 is stamped on the bottle

From where & how stored: Purchased at Ron's Schoolhouse Grille and stored in the low 40s since then

Pricing: $x.xx

Availability: Winter Seasonal

ABV, IBU, and Other Available Stats: 10.2% ABV
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Bryan's Notes
The Look:
- copper color
- 2 finger head, fades slowly
- clean filtered
- a bit thin looking

The Aroma:
- nutty
- caramel
- faint alcohol tickles the nose
- noticeable, but not overwhelming, hops

The Taste:
- warming sweetness and alcohol upfront is bigger than the aroma implied
- smooth texture
- punctuated sharply in the middle and end with a hop blast

The Verdict: Well-done barleywine that delivers exactly what it should without trying to be too much. A cross between Double Daddy and Bigfoot. This is an American barleywine for sure. Nice drink!
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Adam's Notes
The Look:
- amber, like the gemstone
- light for a barley wine I think
- very little head
- beautiful beer with bubbles floating through the liquid

The Aroma:
- light ripe fruit nose
- almost licorice like notes

The Taste:
- sweet cotton candy with some citrus rind
- not much of an aftertaste
- lotsa malt
- lotsa hops

The Verdict: wow, that is incredible, California IPA trying to break out and prove itself as a barleywine could call it an imperial ipa like DFH 120 min...which it reminds me of, but, fresher

Whatever you call this don't waste anytime opening the bottle and tasting it. A wonderful interpretation of an American Barley Wine. Clean and crisp...kinda like well...I don't know. I think Douglas Adam's may have described something like it with the description of a Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster in the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

"It says that the best drink in existence is the Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster. It says that the effect of a Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster is like having your brains smashed out by a slice of lemon wrapped round a large gold brick."

What? Metaphorically speaking the taste of this fine fine treatment of malt and hops is just like that. Don't believe me? I don't care. Give me yours.

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