The only place where I've seen this available is at the gift store in the Schlafly Bottleworks. I went there for a tour for my b-day and wanted to see if I could get something that wasn't widely available in the stores. The bottle says it's a collaboration ale with "Culinaria" which I guess is a division of Schnucks grocery stores. I imagine it might be available at some Schnucks places......but like I said, I'm not 100% sure.
Either way, it's a 750ml bottle that's got a normal cap on it, no cork. I think I paid $8.99 for this, which isn't too bad. Bottle says this is a bottle conditioned "old ale", but for some reason I'm just thinking this will be a "bigger" english ale. (Turns out I was right...I'm such a bad ass.) 8% abv, poured into a big wine glass, well the biggest wine glass I had. After drinking this, I'm not sure why a regular pint glass wouldn't be just fine.
Pours a pretty deep amber, maybe even a bit muddy with a good size tan head (with an aggressive pour). Foam goes down quite quickly and leaves some decent lacing. Also to note there is more carbonation than I'd expect in this type of beer.
Smell is a relaxing, boozy sweetness. That's a good start for a supposedly wintery beer. The sweetness is very present, but it stays on the light side - green apple, grape, maybe a bit of strawberry with the alcohol staying present. The only part of "old ale" that comes through is a bit of musty, leathery funk in the end. Not "funk" in a bad way like old basketball shoes, but a bit of character, is all.
Taste unfortunately is nowhere near as fun as the smell. The booze is present (although stronger than necessary at only 8% abv). The rest is a bit thin on the tongue with nothing much else to speak of. I'm thinking at first maybe it's a bit cold. After it warms up a t ouch there is a bit more sweetness, malt, and some of that grape and apple that you can smell up front. It's all still very light, though. I let it get even warmer, and while the sweetness comes in a bit more it never overtakes the booziness of it, and it all remains thin. The reviews I read of this beer said the alcohol was hidden, I'd say I would respectfully disagree. As I finish it up I start picking up a dry finish as it gets towards room temp, and maybe some toastiness, and maybe some biscuit. Also, there is quite a bit of sediment (bottle conditioned, remember) sitting at the end of the bottle, which makes me even more curious as to how this could remain so thin.
Well, the conclusion is me being a bit disappointed. The beer looked the part, had it's cute little story on the back and really tried to make me excited to try it, which I was. Unfortunately there was just nothing to it other than the alcohol and a bit of the sweet flavors that you get with an average english/old "ale". Only problem is those things didn't get in the way of the alcohol, which at 8% should be present, but not be nearly as dominant as it was here. I guess it wasn't over the top booze, but there was nothing else to combat it. No sweet, no fruit, no malt, no significant bitterness, nothing. I guess I'm going on and on, but I'm just a bit pissed that this is all I got out of some sort of special edition collaboration ale. There's nothing super "bad" about this and none of the tastes make you make a bad face or whatever, it's definitely "drinkable".....it's just nowhere near the 9 bucks I paid for it, and there is certainly nothing that makes it worth the price or effort to find a supposedly exclusive beer. This is the third "special edition" or whatever Schlafly that I've purchased and I have yet to be impressed. In terms of everyday drinking beers, their selection can hang with Boulevard, but when it comes to the high-dollar line of ales, Boulevard bends them over the table, no contest.
Verdict: 6/10.
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