My brother recently visited Pasadena and we had a chance to hang out, catch-up, and drink beer.  He had all my newest homebrew creations during the week, but we bought some beers for the Colts game on Sunday.  It was not intentional, but it ended up that we had three barrel aged beers.  We had, in this order, Olde Suffolk, Samuel Smith’s Yorkshire Stingo, and Older Viscosity.  It was a fun day of football and barrel aged beers.  My account of these beers is as follows:

Olde Suffolk: This particular beer is aged for two years in oak barrels.  Greene King is the brewery that also makes Strong Suffolk, a 12% ABV monster that is aged for two years (minimum).  This one, however, is a somewhat moderate beer in that it is half the ABV of the Strong.  Of course, this is not moderate by typical English Ale standards.  I’ve seen complaints on other sites about this beer being $4 dollars for a single imperial pint.  All I can say is this:  What can you expect a beer that has been aged 2 years in oak to cost? Furthermore, one has to consider that a 6% ABV beer in England is taxed differently than a 6% ABV beer in the U.S.  We utilize a flat barrel rate, while their tax rates are based on ABV, which is why (especially) when you go to England, the beers tend to be lower in ABV.  At any rate, I think the price is right for this fine ale. Here’s why.

The Pour: Typical of English Ales, this beer had a beautiful and clean color, which bordered on a chestnut brown with some red tones.  The head was small but well maintained.

The Nose: As you may expect from a beer that is aged two years in oak, there was some oak on the nose. Banana, grape (gum-like) wine notes, and touches of yeast bite graced the nose of Olde Suffolk.  Malty sweetness also came to the fore as I stuck my nose deeper into the glass.

The Taste: Just as I noted the grapish wine-like notes on the nose, it came through in the taste.  The esters of phenol (banana) made their way, in a subtle way, to the palate.  The sweet malts created the impression of a fullness in the mouth.  I have to say that this beer was not nearly as dry as I expected it to be.  I don’t know if it was because of the juicy fruit tones or not, but it was pleasantly oaky…yet, not overly dry.  On the far finish, I noted a distinct vanilla quality that was absolutely delicious.  It was a long and lingering finish.

Overall, this is a complete and terrificly balanced beer.  It is worth picking up and trying.

Mike’s Rating for Olde Suffolk:

Overall Satisfaction:  

Among other English Ales:  

Samuel Smith’s Yorkshire Stingo- Any of you who have read this site for any amount of time know that I’m a Samuel Smith’s fan.  Their Taddy Porter has to be my favorite traditional style porter, their Imperial Stout is also one of the best traditional versions, and their Old Brewery Pale is delicious.  Overall, I really like their portfolio.  It seems almost crazy that I don’t try this particular selection, so I picked it up.  Like the last beer, this one is aged in oak.  I believe the oak they use is over 100 years-old, so it has plenty of character to lend.  The gestation period for this baby is a year, which leaves plenty of time to add character.  This beer is also heavy by English standard.  It comes in at 8% ABV.

The Pour: Stingo had a maple-colored body with a thin creamy head.  There was a hazy quality to the brew that I found intriguing.

The Nose:  Sourness from the oak aging was certainly present on the nose.  I also noted a strong fruitiness.  One such aroma had the quality of a raison/prune tone to it.  Some caramel as well as a wort (beer before it ferments) aroma wafted through the beer.

The Taste: The sourness that I noted in the aroma came through as an acidic sharpness in the mouth. There was nothing overbearing in that quality, but it was certainly distinct.  This beer was indelibly fruity in approach while the alcohol remained very restrained.  The caramel and wort tones also made a palate appearance, which reminded me that I was drinking an English Ale.  Stingo also slightly reminded me of drinking grape juice, which was especially reinforced by the residual sweetness.  Samuel Smith’s offering ended in a somewhat dry manner.  I found that as I let it warm, a bit of the oak really started making its way into the brew.  Maybe it’s worth drinking at 65/70 degrees.

Overall, I think this is a good beer, but I wouldn’t pay $12.99 for it again (taxes are the problem).  In fact, I might purchase three bottles of Olde Suffolk instead.  Still, never pass up trying something like this for yourself.

Mike’s Rating:

Overall Satisfaction:  

Among other English Ales:  

Older Viscosity- I went and saved the beast for last.  This puppy weighs in at 12% ABV and costs almost the same as Yorshire Stingo.  This product is one by Port Brewing but is made at their Lost Abbey facility, as indicated by the cork cap.  I’m glad I was able to find this (at Whole Foods) because I’ve tried the Old Viscosity and enjoyed it.  Now it was time to drink the big version (as though the other was small).

The Pour: This beer is black.  Blacker than night.  What else could a beer that is compared with old car oil be?  There wasn’t a ton of head on this one, but I’m okay with that.

The Nose:  Bourbon, bourbon, bourbon.  I could tell this was going to be a hot brew when I smelled the vanilla, caramel, and alcohol on the nose.  The peppery oak was also a dominate trait on the olfactory side of this brew.

The Taste: I love a bourbon aged beer that has a ton of bourbon on it.  For that reason I loved it.  And for that same reason, you might not.  The bourbon can, ostensibly, be a little too hot for many people.  Hot alcohol, vanilla, molasses, caramel and biscuit qualities were all present in this brew.  I get the impression that biscuit tones are the only ones that were distinctly derived from the malt.  I’m sure the caramel could be viewed the same way.  However, the toasted and smoky qualities also reminded me that the bourbon was king in this one.  The swirl of flavor ended in a pretty dry and tasty fashion.

Overall, I think this is one of the better barrel aged beers that I’ve had.  I’m still a fan of Goose Island’s offering, but I would certainly not turn this down as a viable alternative.  If you like a bourbon beer, try this
Older Viscosity.

Mike’s Rating:

Overall Satisfaction:  

Among other Bourbon Stouts: