Monday, February 13, 2012

The Hammer Barrel Aged (2012) by Phillips

This posting is for the groupies. I have never had groupies before - actually that is not true. In a previous life, my occupation was amateur DJ. The only groupie I had I married. We are still together 20 years later. Which reminds me: Valentine's day is tomorrow. It is awkward to have people say they really enjoy reading your blog.
There are usually two responses:
1. "Thank you for reading. I try hard and am pleased that you enjoy it."
2. "Whatever.. I am the only regular blogger in town so you have no choice."
I always go with #1. I once met Brookston Beer blogger at a beer fest; he went with #2. He certainly was a #2. All the new parents will get that joke. So thank you for reading and saying that I am the ****. Not a piece of ****.

The Hammer Barrel Aged (2012) by Phillips = 8/10


Is there a fire somewhere? Nope it is the nose of ashes, smoke, campfire, salty miso and roses? The mouthfeel is oddly thinner than expected but all the warmth is there. Flavours are a tad subdued but include perennial favourites: chocolate syrup, roasted coffee, campfire and pencils. You can actually taste the #4 HB pencil. This all coated the mouth with a sticky, toasted, syrupy chocolate goodness. Then again I like a sweet beer. If given the choice I would choose the unoaked version.

Taste +3
Aftertaste +2
Alcohol Content +1 8.3%
Value +1
Appearance +1 (I have always like this label)

2 comments:

Adrian (@anyland) said...

Did you try the barrel aged next to the one that wasn't? We tried that and you could really see the differences. My lack of appreciation for barrel tastes leaned me towards the non-barrel Hammer.

Great review. By the way, I read the all, but dont comment on all since they come in via email to me

Unknown said...

I tried the non-barrel aged version and found that it tastes better. Some barrel aging can impart amazing flavours into beer: vanilla, bourbon, wine, sour, sherry, etc. It is all about the type of barrel and duration of contact