Port Brewing: Older Viscosity (USA: American Strong Ale: 12% ABV)
Visual: Black. Still. Medium sized chocolate froth brown head.
Nose: Thick bourbon. Caramel and toffee. Banana custard. Chocolate liqueur. Bitter chocolate shavings and chocolate sponge.
Body: Bitter chocolate cake. Slick and thick feel. Toffee and caramel. Bitter coffee. Slight bitter prickle. Slight spirit feel. Bourbon. Raisins.
Finish: Twix (aka chocolate, shortbread and toffee). Chocolate cake. Coconut meringues and, well, chocolate. Bourbon.
Conclusion: I guess I should give this a more rounded, and therefore fairer analysis than “Not bad”.
It’s not bad though.
This thing is very big on chocolate, like seriously big – it has sweet chocolate liqueur, bitter chocolate chunks, rough textured chocolate cake. This has a serious love of chocolate. It also is very big on bourbon. Very much influenced by the time in oak, spirity and with tons of caramel and toffee. For whatever elements it has it doesn’t do things by halves. Each element is rammed way up – the first feel is slick, but you soon realize there is thick viscous beer behind it pushing the powerful flavours.
Which, oddly enough, and slightly contrary to expectations, is why I only find it ok. It is all up front, and this means there is little surprise to the beer later on. Also it does feel a bit spirity and unrefined despite the smooth texture – the flavor is very good, but it doesn’t progress, it lacks the subtlety and range of many of its colleagues and competitors, and therefore does not become truly great.
The first few moments are where this beer really lived, there it is lovely, but by the end of the beer the lack of any variety means that it started to wear on me, Which is a pity as the notes it puts up front are excellent, and promises a special ale. The best I got progression wise was moving to a more raisin fruit beer, but that was about it.
I guess it is more a sign of the awesome state of the beer world more than anything else. A sign of exactly how high the quality bar is. because if this, which is a very nice beer, only seems ok, it is because I have encountered so many good beers. I imagine five years ago this would have blown me away.
High quality, but a bit brash and single minded, tad over spirity and lacking in progression.
Still, for all that, that one note it does it does very well.
Background: Older Viscosity, I’d heard of it a few times over the years. A beer from Port Brewing ( The USA style beer brewery also known as Lost Abbey for its Belgian style beers). Best I can tell there is a beer called Old Viscosity, which is partially barrel aged, this is the same but entirely barrel aged. This was picked up from Brewdog’s guest beer selection. Drunk while listening to White Crosses by Against Me! So far it hasn’t grabbed me as much as Transgender Dysphoria Blues, but it is growing on me.
