Grand Tetons Bone Warmer Imperial Amber Ale. Grand Teton Brewing, Victor, Idaho. Cellar Reserve. Alc. 8.2% ABV.
Appearance: thoroughly hazed, deep crimson hue ("amber" is not a clear indicator of color, here), slim, soon-gone head.
Aroma: big & boisterous, deep & delirious, very enticing. Tremendous malt aromas, dark fruit, spice.
Taste: Bone warmer is right. Starts big, rich, vastly malty, and only mellows just a little. Full-ish body, long lasting finish.
Only caveat: could be fuller, could be richer, just a tiny bit too thin for a real winter warmer. Maybe it really is an amber ale juiced up, and it only resembles a barleywine? It's a case of mistaken identity. Bit of a style-buster here. Boozed-up amber that crawls towards a barley-wine in many ways, but doesn't get there. In the end, it does feel like a cheat. Why make an imperial amber, why not go bigger?
Whatevs. It's nice enough. Another quality effort from Idaho.
No comments:
Post a Comment