REVIEW 67: YOUR FATHER SMELT OF ELDERBERRIES

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:  USA

BREWERY:  Stone Brewing Company

STYLE:  Strong Ale; Fruit/Vegetable Beer

ABV:  10.3%

PURCHASE:  Draught (13-oz.), $8.00

SERVING:  Tulip glass. Wispy head of barely half an inch from the tap. Average to slightly below average retention.

APPEARANCE:  Translucent and beautiful ruby-burgundy color. Beige head. Uneven lacing.

BOUQUET:  What do elderberries smell like? This is malty and fig-like in the nose; definitely a Belgian-style aroma. Hops are barely detectable. 

PALATE:  What do elderberries taste like? This is full-bodied, particularly mid-palate--a game-maker. Body is a bit heavy on the whole, and carbonation is par for the course: A slow crescendo, and sharp if not held in check. Finish is rich with seeming dark fruit essences, namely fig. Aftertaste is roasty; as a matter of fact, this is roasty from the start. But the aftertaste takes it a step further; it's downright smoky, earthy, and just a wee tad tart. Subtle pepperiness kicks in at the tail end.

MUSINGS AND METAPHORS:  Elderberries come from the sambucus plant. The flowers of this plant--elderflowers--are used in the making of Sambuca, as you can probably deduce from the name.

This is from the "Stochasity Project" line from Stone. It's sweet and rich enough to be a dessert beer. But it's also roasty, smoky, and complex enough to perfectly complement a meal featuring fine meat. Don't read that the wrong way; I'm not gay.




GRADE:  A-