22
ounce bottle poured into a tulip. 9.0%
ABV. Stored and served at 55F. Bottled on “082515”.
Appearance: Very dark.
Only the most aggressive light makes its way through. The body is the color of scorched earth and
the foam is a nice khaki. The bubbles
were very forceful up front, but eventually calmed themselves down into a thin
sheet. Seems a little dark for an old
ale, but I guess looks aren’t everything (3.75/5).
Aroma: Dehydrated dates and figs. Think brown sugar that has been hiding in the
back of the cabinet for a couple years.
Musty and leathery. The label
suggests chocolate and toffee, but I think they’ve been aged out (4.5/5).
Taste: Can’t find the chocolate or toffee here
either, but what I have discovered is a nice blend of dark fruit, pipe tobacco,
nutmeg, and toasted marshmallow. Ok…
maybe just a hint of chocolate. But no
toffee, dammit. It’s surprisingly dry,
but I think that may be related to the bug that snuck in there (see below in “Overall”)
(3.75/5).
Mouthfeel: Medium body, medium carbonation. The over-carbonation creates a fizz-reaction
on your tongue that is kind of a little unpleasant, but it’s not the end of the
world (3/5).
Overall: Sorry to be overly critical, but who names a
beer after the world’s most hated rodent?
Do you really want a product you consume to be associated with a reviled
pest? Perhaps “Decrepit Cockroach” was
already taken (likely a Dogfish product).
Anyway… I bought this bottle a little over a year ago and have had it
stored at 55F ever since. But I picked
it up off the shelf at the bottle shop, and I wonder if it picked up a little
infection at some point during bottling.
It’s not a disaster, but the bottle gushed when I opened it and the beer
fizzes a little hard on the tongue (see “Mouthfeel”). I like it alright, but probably would go with
another option if I was looking to scratch my Old Ale itch (3.25/5).
-Matt
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