I've found that the beers have continued to evolve nicely. I wasn't too thrilled about the 2014 version in the first couple tastings but it has mellowed really nicely and has turned into a really smooth beer that is quite similar to a nice whiskey. The 2015 which I found to be pretty tasty last year has evolved in the wrong direction on the other hand (I'm hopeful that it will continue to evolve back in a good direction though).
I've made minor tweaks every year so it is also interesting to see how minor or significant those seem over time. I did cheat a bit in this regard as I know what those differences were - not sure I'd pick them out as well if I didn't.
This tasting had four beers. I drank maybe half of each as part of this testing. My mother had some as well and helped shape my notes a bit which was great (thank you, Mom!). The beers pack a wallop! Not sure what I'm going to do in a few years when I have twice as many (may just have to have a sip of each).
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| Left to Right: 2014 Plain, 2014 Brandy, 2015, and 2016 |
Anyway this was a lot of fun and I'll plan on continuing the trend (will try to do it closer to Christmas next time).
2014 Plain Tasting Notes:
- Aroma:
- Fruity yeast ester - raisiny- . Caramel malt. Alcohol comes through on the nose
- Appearance:
- Copper color and fairly clear. Pours with essentially no head
- Flavor:
- Dark fruit and caramel are the primary flavors. Light hop bitterness - it's mostly malt on the finish. I don't detect anything I would describe as papery from oxidation but I think it has picked up some slightly musty/aged beer notes
- Mouthfeel:
- Light bodied with a slight sweetness in the finish. Slight warming. Pretty smooth with no astringency
- Overall:
- A really smooth and flavorful beer. There is a pretty nice balance between the beer and alcohol to this one that didn't seem to exist before - I think age has treated this one well. My favorite this year.
2014 with Brandy Tasting Notes:
- Aroma:
- Dark fruit and caramel as with the plain half. A bit of extra alcohol on the nose maybe. Not really getting much of the oak that this one was aged with.
- Appearance:
- Same as the plain half
- Flavor:
- Similar to the plain half but with a bit more alcohol bite which reduces the already slight sweetness
- Mouthfeel:
- Like plain but a bit more warming
- Overall:
- Smooth and also very nice with age. I prefer the lower octane plain half at this point though.
2015 Tasting Notes:
- Aroma:
- Fruity with caramel malt. Oaky in a way similar to red wine.
- Appearance:
- Copper color. Pretty cloudy. This one poured with a bit less than 1 finger of head.
- Flavor:
- Fruity - dark fruit, raisin maybe. The oak comes through pretty strongly. Alcohol also comes through pretty strongly. No hop bitterness left at this point.
- Mouthfeel:
- Medium light bodied and pretty dry. Warming alcohol. It has a pretty firm astringency that prickles the tongue.
- Overall:
- Rich and flavorful with a good level of complexity. The astringency is a bit overwhelming. It will be interesting to see if another year softens this at all. This is my least favorite of the group this year.
2016 Tasting Notes:
- Aroma:
- Caramel and fruity ester - peach maybe. Spice and herbal hop aroma. Some alcohol comes through as well.
- Appearance:
- A shade darker than the others - amber. Fairly clear. Pours with a slight head that quickly dissipates.
- Flavor:
- Fruity with caramel malt character. Some bitterness to the finish. The rye comes through with an added subtle dimension.
- Mouthfeel:
- Medium bodied and slightly sweet. A bit of prickliness
- Overall:
- A tasty and flavorful beer. Good malt complexity. Still some hop flavor coming through with was nice - will probably be gone by next year's tasting.
