Name: Samael’s Oak Aged Ale

Brewer: Avery Brewing Company

Style: English Strong Ale

Vintage: 2006

Bottled On: May 2006

Cellared On: Sept 7th, 2007

Original Tasting: October 11th, 2007

I have to admit I was a bit concerned when I noticed the bottling date of May 2006 on this beer (after I had already bought it, of course). With already nearly a year and a half of sitting around, I was thinking there was a really good chance that some off-flavors had developed. At least the high ABV% (13.5%), the fact the bottle wasn’t dusty, and it was being kept on a relatively shady shelf gave me some hope.

This brew poured a deep amber color with a very vigorous head. The carbonation was surprisingly active in my opinion, especially for a beer already over a year old. Lace remained present until my very last sip, and aromas of sweet fruity malts greeted me as I raised my glass up to taste.

Despite the oakey and caramel overtones of this beer, the complex fruitiness is what really stood out upon tasting. I detected a whole host of flavors, and not just the typical dark fruit flavors (raisin, date, fig) you would expect in a beer of this style. There was some really bright (and delicious) fruits such as apricots, cherries, and even some peach standing out. Mouthfeel was somewhat syrupy, and pretty much in line with other strong ale’s I’ve sampled.

After the initial sweet-fruity blast I started to get a little numbness on the tongue from the heavy alcohol. This didn’t last very long though, as the beer finished with flavors of oak, caramel, and dark fruit.

Six Month Tasting: March 26th, 2008

I didn’t expect the big, bad flavors of this beer to diminish, and they sure didn’t. The tremendous ripe fruit flavor was still evident. I noted orange, cherry, figs, and raisins this time around, along with a brown sugar/caramel sweet malt blast that might even be stronger then before. I did detect a few subtle changes to the flavor profile to this brew, however. The oak flavor seemed much more prominent to me this time around, and there wasn’t nearly the alcohol burn that there was before (fusel oils calming down a bit maybe?). It’s not an easy brew to drink, but it’s still damn good.

One Year Tasting: September 8th, 2008

What a big slip we’ve had.

There’s been a striking loss of complexity here. Overpowering sweetness and oak flavors dominate this brew now. The rich ripe fruit flavors are almost completely gone. Samuel is extremely hard to drink now; especially with the thick and syrupy body that has also developed.

Cellar Outlook: I suspect this brew has already started to improve over the last year or so. I’m going to be keeping my eye out for a fresh one so I can have something to compare this review to. I expect even more fruity complexity to develop over time, with caramel and toffee flavors probably popping out as well.

Six Month Cellar Outlook: No reason to doubt this one. This brew will be going strong for a long time to come.

One Year Cellar Outlook: With the complexity slipping away, I don’t see any way for this brew to recover. I’m not looking forward to the next tasting.

Next Tasting: March 2009