ABV: 17.5%, apparently.

There’s something fascinating about things as old as this.  Granted it’s not a centuries-old bottle of wine or a 60-year Macallan.  But this is a 14-year old beer, which is the oldest I’ve seen readily available and certainly the oldest I’ve consumed.  This beer was brewed when I was 11.  Something about that is just… awesome.  Anyway, on to the beer itself.  At the time, it was supposed to be the strongest yet brewed.  It was done with a large amount of maple syrup, presumably to load the beer up with sugar for MASSIVE fermentation.

I read up on reviews before writing this one just to see what I was in for.  Most of the reviews were pretty negative, with unexpected language.  “Soy sauce?”  “Animal feed?”  What the…  I had to dig in.

The beer pours absolutely black, only tiny hints of deep amber on the edges of the glass, with no head whatsoever.  (It should be noted that there is a thick sludge on the bottom of the bottle that is tricky to keep out.  I couldn’t.)  Then the smell.  And the flavor.  Good God, the flavor!  I got soy sauce, and I got animal feed.  But I also got molasses, toffee, chocolate, and licorice.  Oh, and booze.  Lots and lots of booze.  The only flavor noticeably absent is hops.  None whatsoever.  This is just weird.

As it slides down your throat, it burns just enough to remind you that it is, indeed, massively alcoholic.  It leaves behind a very pleasant combination of chocolate, licorice and molasses, but also a cloying sweetness.  The sweetness sticks and prevents continuous drinking.  Two quick sips is too much.  Definitely an all night type beer.

I can understand why some people would not like this beer.  I can even understand why some people would hate this beer.  It’s weird, no doubt.  Me, I love this beer.  Maybe it’s because it’s more than half as old as me, or maybe it’s because it’s totally blowing my mind.  I wouldn’t dare touch another bottle for a month (if I had one, that is), but as a beer experience it ranks pretty high up on my list.