Deliverance comes in a small 375ml bottle finished with a cork, and caged. Poured into a snifter, it sits still looking jet black with almost (okay, really) no head. With that, no lace or retention was present. The aroma was very pleasant and exactly what you would expect from a blend of beers aged in bourbon and brandy barrels. There is a subtle hint of alcohol towards the back but I attribute that to the brandy and bourbon. And I’m not really surprised considering it sits at 12.5% ABV – call it a night before having this.

On the palate it’s very nice, although immediately there is a little bit more alcohol than I wanted. The bourbon and brandy are very evident in this beer, much more than the Dark Intrigue we had recently, or our upcoming video review of Santa Fe Brewery Bourbon Barrel aged State Pen Porter. There are notes of chocolate, caramel and a sweet malt element that come through once you get past the spirit influence. Very complex and quite delicious.

Take your time with this one, and let it warm as the flavor profile does change nicely. The complexity of this beer makes this one worth seeking out if you can find it in your area.

Rating

94
out of 100

The Lucky 13.alt — supposedly a “Blonde” version of their Lucky 13 beer — pours out with an orange and copper body. The clarity is ridiculous, evidence this beer has been filtered for a crystal clear appearance. A slightly off-white bubbly and foamy head retains a great cap, and leaves behind some sticky lacing.

Even during the pour, it’s clear the profile is very hop-forward. Citrus and pine hop notes are balanced in harmony and open up the nose with a rush of flavor. Once the initial hop notes rest, some orange zest, pink grapefruit and peach come through. There are some faint malt notes towards the back end but it’s not enough to give it a balanced malt base.

As with the nose, a citrus and sap hop bite is up front followed by citrus fruits — mango and pink grapefruit. The juiciness of these citrus notes reminds me of something like Nugget Nectar, a hopped up Amber / Red Ale. The finish is full of pine needles and a slight caramel malt note, both of which last into the linger. I was a little disappointed that the carbonation was a bit underwhelming though it didn’t give it a thick body, it could have been a bit more carbonated. This lead to a somewhat sticky finish and linger.

At $4.99 for the 22 ounce bottle, this was an absolute winner for me. The appearance, aromas and flavors were all done very well and were dangerously drinkable for an almost 9% ABV beer. Whatever the category the brewer envisioned, the fact remains that this beer is a well done, one off treat for the summer.

Rating

89
out of 100

After wrestling with the cork, the Chocolate Ale poured out a hazy orange copper color…not exactly what I was thinking of for a beer that really totes being a Chocolate Ale. There was about a finger of tan head that accompanied, though overall, a very strange appearance for a beer of this style. The aromas emitting from the glass are full of chocolate, as expected and enhance greatly as the beer warms. Other aromas come through including a strong presence of vanilla, some split walnuts and pecans – all of which help give this beer a wonderful boost on the nose.

The body was on the lighter side with overly strong carbonation, another thing I didn’t expect. Although, it wasn’t a dealer breaker after the rich and flavorful aromas. More notes of bittersweet chocolate coat the palate immediately. The nuttiness and vanilla hints from the aroma carry over into the taste, though not as much as I would have liked.

If you have the opportunity to pick a bottle up of this limited release Chocolate Ale from Boulevard, I’d recommend it. However, for me, it’s not something to stock up on, nor seek out again after trying it. This would easily pair well with some rich chocolate cake, or vanilla bean ice cream. Thanks again to Bill for providing us with this to try!

Rating

86
out of 100

The Nosferatu pours a deep amber red with about a half inch of white head. There is some lacing on the glass but the head diminishes quickly. The aromas are truly hop centric with grassy and earth hops coming through with a bit of citrus as well. But it isn’t all hops on the nose as the initial hop aromas are followed by some caramel malts with the slightest roast.

Now lets see if this 1920’s vampire has any bite left. There is definitely a predominant bitterness throughout and upfront there are plenty of piney and resiny hops. There is some residual citrus followed by some caramel malt and a hint of sweetness at the end, but rest assured the hops rule all the way through. The beer itself has a clean mouth feel with little carbonation.

Overall, the Nosferatu delivered for me. I expected a total hop beer and I got one, though I wish that the hop flavor was more dynamic. The beer did have a lot of bitter bite that was balanced at points by the malt, but otherwise the pine hops shown throughout. If you want a beer that is all about the hop bite yet is fairly easy drinking, this is one to check out.

Rating

83
out of 100

The DeConstruction poured with a faint orange-copper, hazy body topped with a frothy and thick white head. There was a bouquet powerful aromas that came off the nose;  pitted cherries, oak and bourbon. For me, this one seems a bit over carbonated for an American Ale; considering when I brought the glass to my nose you can feel the fizzy bubbles dancing around. I allowed the beer to sit for a few minutes before continuing with the tasting because, for me, I needed the carbonation to mellow out.

The taste had evident and pungent tart and sour notes on the front of the palate. While it was not overwhelming it was certainly present and the first thing I noticed. The cherry and oak flavors emanate with a mild body and although the cherry and bourbon were the most prevalent, there was a strong hint of citrusy orange and amaretto.

Overall, I couldn’t be happier with the DeConstruction — it’s simply a phenomenal beer. The complexity of the rich soaked bourbon oak and the citrusy and fruity elements of the cherry and orange balance out in an incredibly decadent concoction. If you are fortunate enough to be able to grab a bottle of this limited release beer, do it. While this isn’t a beer you’d have weekly, it’s a wonderful big beer to enjoy any time of year.

Rating

92
out of 100

While pouring The Hairy Eyeball into my snifter glass, I was pretty surprised at the depth of the dark body. While I did expect more of a darker beer, this one is a deep ruby and plum hued brown, complete with minimal beige head. The lacing seems to be a bit weak and the aroma isn’t anything noticeable during the pour.

Once you give this a good whiff, it’s aroma profile is evident and essentially in tune with the style. An intense plum sugar sweetness leads the way for some interesting flavors: dark fruits (raisins), citrus hops and a pomegranate & acai smoothie. I didn’t get the typical overload of dark fruits I normally see in a lot of Strong Ales, which isn’t a complaint.

Your palate is shocked immediately with caramelized whole sugar with a touch of recessed dark fruits. Emerging through are some citrusy esters that leave an astonishingly dry finish. There’s a grainy and bready malt backbone that I think contribute to the dryness on the palate. Overall, the body is medium, edging towards full, with balanced carbonation that isn’t distracting.

While Strong Ales are typically my style of choice, they’re a different route to take every once in a while. If you’re looking to take a break from the typical rush of hops, The Hairy Eyeball does a decent job of displaying a unique yet familiar flavor profile. There’s nothing strikingly different here from other Strong Ales available, but it does play down the dark fruits which personally I like.

Rating

82
out of 100

The Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale pours a deep dark brown that is almost black. So much so that the black lettering on the pint glass I poured it into all but disappeared. Atop this dark as the abyss beer sits a one and a half finger tan head that leaves a good amount of lacing on the glass. Being so dark in color I was expecting a good amount of caramelized and burnt malts upfront, but that is hardly the case. The nose instead starts citrusy sweet then flows into retained roast smells with some earthy tones and alcohol in the finish.

After being surprised by the aromas I didn’t know what to expect come my first sip. The malts come through first, but not for long before the hops come busting through. The flavors are a pleasant mix of sweet floral hops and lightly roasted malt, but with a definite hop bite about half way through. The bitterness from the hops lasts long after you have set down your beer. Hop heads should truly enjoy this one.

The Sublimely Self-Righteous is a bit of a kick in the pants that you don’t really see coming. The hop bite is extremely present, but not truly in the way you would expect. This is a beer that has reason to be self-righteous; it packs familiar flavors that are re-arranged and made better. Another awesome brew from the good people at Stone.

Overall: 9/10

Going into this, I’m expecting the flavor profile to have changed dramatically. So, if you’ve had this before, ignore my ignorance and keep in mind this has been aging an entire year (June to June). I poured the 750ml bottle bit by bit into my snifter glass for this review. The color was a cloudy mahogany brown brushed with some maroon hues. A nice creamy, tan head formed in the glass and left a bit of lacing behind.

The nose is full of rich flavors overwhelmed by an immense sweetness. There’s no doubt this has come from the aging process, though it may have been intended to be sweet to begin with. The sweet malt sticks out first, accompanied by an assortment of dark fruits, most prominently raisins and figs; even smelling like a Fig Newton cookie. The back end of the nose had some calming sweet mango and white grapefruit cutting through the thickness of the dark fruits.

For being past its prime, this has an incredible mouth feel on it. It’s on the heavier side of being medium-bodied, but not to the full-bodiedness of a Stout. There is some carbonation here but it seems to have settled after being bottled for so long. The palate is dominant on the malt flavor coupled with the dark fruits again; sweet raisin and prune. The finish is big on the white grapefruit with some under-toned bitterness from the hops, though terribly weakened.

The flavor profile seemed to be dominantly heavier in the sweet malt and dark fruit. For being the situation it’s in, it still held its ground one year later and proved to be an excellent American Strong Ale. It went down smooth, was extremely well balanced and definitely still enjoyable.

Overall: 8.7/10

The copy on the bottle provides an insight into what you’re getting yourself into, 9.84% ABV (that’s pretty exact, if you ask me) and 51.1 IBUs (again, how are they getting this accurate?!). The pour into my snifter revealed a slightly hazy roasted cherry color with a touch of mahogany wood. Not surprisingly, there was no head but a nice, white foam ring quickly settled around the perimeter.

This nose is absolutely incredible. There are so many diverse flavors in the profile, but they all seem to pose an immense balance. Up front is cherry Laffy Taffy, Lemon Heads, lime juice and a fresh candied apple. There’s a slight bitter hop note that’s noticeable and present, which keeps an interesting balance to the otherwise dominant candy scents.

One sip and you’re immediately loaded with the brown cane sugar used in this beer. Whoa. It’s sweet at first and delivers a medium-body and easy carbonation to work with. The sweet malt character is once again overwhelming and the brown sugar really brings out a caramel note in the roasted malt. The middle of the mouthful is fueled by more sweetness; mixed gumdrops and passion fruit. Finishing smooth the only thing lingering around is a crushed spearmint leaf.

For 9.84% ABV, the alcohol is not even present, which is impressive. Considering some beers cannot easily hide 7% and above, this is a victory. While I wouldn’t consider this a session beer, namely due to the high alcohol content, but also due to the heavy sweetness, it’s an amazing beer to sip on. Read the label carefully, it’s pretty anti-sipping but savor this one!

Overall: 9.5/10

To really enhance the volatiles in any Strong Ale, I recommend using a snifter glass. Glassware is important to enhance certain characteristics for each different style of beer. If you’ve read my article on beer glassware, you’ll know what I mean. The pour on this English-style Strong Ale was a really deep and dark amber-brown color. In the light, the reddish hues shined, but down on the table, it was brown as coffee. The head was light brown and tiny. It formed and kept a nice ring around the glass and left really no lacing.

The glass made it easier to pull some immense flavors from the nose. I can smell the barley, whoa. It’s really upfront and smells dark and roasted. Some sweet hints of raisin and plum were present as well. Also, (and don’t let this deter you) I got a really light whiff of Sharpie marker. I kind of think this may be the alcohol I’m smelling, but that’s the easiest way to describe it.

Anxious and also eager to sample, the taste was not what I expected. The immediate flavors are dominant by an alcohol backbone. To me, I can taste the booze way too much for a 7% ABV beer. After accepting the wild alcohol taste, I did get some dark fruits in the immediate mouthful; prunes and raisins, as well as a hint of musky Colombian coffee. The finish was super dry and left a sticky, bitter linger in my mouth. A drastically different taste than I had expected but overall, it wasn’t too bad.

Fortunately, this beer is worth more than a rating that wouldn’t even make it to the website, but unfortunately, not by much. I can’t see this being sessionable for myself, but can for others. The booze taste is there, but it’s fairly light at 7% ABV, although on the higher end of a session beer. The fruit characteristics could be a bit more dominant and the alcohol hidden way more. Nothing terrible and overall a nice beer.

Overall: 6.5/10