BUYING GUIDE - Wine Enthusiast Magazine

an English old ale: sweet dark fruit, brown bread,
caramel and oak, and the flavors are similarly
intense with additional notes of dried dates, raisins
and toffee. Medium weight with soft carbonation
but exceptional balance, producing a sweet but not
cloying drinking experience.
93
The Lost Abbey Framboise de
Amorosa (American Wild Ale; Port
Brewing Co., CA); 7.0% abv, $15/375 ml. A
newer release that’s aged in oak barrels with raspberries,
this is a great choice for wine lovers and
serious beer enthusiasts with prominent wild yeast
aromas and robust fruit flavors. Aromas of raspberry
sauce, butter, cocoa and oaky spice fill the
bouquet. The mouthfeel is silky and medium bodied
with light carbonation, but the assertive acidity
and tart raspberry flavors keep things lively and
interesting. Definitely sour but well balanced and
very food-friendly.
92
Founders Brewing Curmudgeon
Old Ale (Old Ale; Founders
Brewing Company, MI); 9.8% abv,
$12/12 oz 4 pack. Brewed with molasses and
then oak-aged, this is a balanced but strong beer
perfect for those cold winter nights. Dark amber
in the glass with great glimmers of red throughout.
It smells rich and a bit warm with notes of
caramel sauce, honeycomb, maple syrup, dried
apricot and a hint of resin. The mouth is fairly
heavy with a slight slickness to it. The dominating
roastiness and sweet oak flavors are accented
by soft hop bitters.
92
Uinta Crooked Line Series
Labyrinth Black Ale (American
Double/Imperial Stout; Uinta Brewing
Co., UT); 13.2% abv, $12/750 ml. At a
whopping 13.2%, you’d think you’re in for a
brute of a beer, but this Imperial Stout brewed
with licorice sticks and aged in oak barrels is one
beautifully balanced and ageworthy selection.
Black as night with an attractive nose of dark
stone fruit, chocolate, roasted espresso beans,
licorice, charred grain and vanilla. The aromas
carry through to the mouth, where the toasted
malt and nutty oak dominate the sweeter attributes
of caramel sauce and burnt toffee. Creamy
and robust with a slightly viscous feel, low carbonation
and a lingering tannic bitterness on the
close.
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