Tall, Dark & Handsome
Brewery: Lazarus Brewing Co
Style: Specialty Wood-Aged Bee (33B)
Package: 750ml Bottle
Purchased: Beer To-Go!
Canned Date: 2020
Consumed Date: April 21, 2020
Details From the Brewer
ABV: 10.3%
Belgian strong dark ale aged in pinot noir barrels. Back in 2016, our founder created two beers for his eldest son’s wedding. The lovely couple is still happily married. But the beers were gone within the hour. We thought you might like to try them: Tall, Dark & Handsome is a rugged Belgian Strong Dark Ale; flavors of plum, fig, cherry and chocolate meld beautifully with oak from Pinot Noir barrels. Dark and mysterious – just like the groom!
Review
Aroma – 8/12
A moderate sweetness hits the nose first. Medium earthy, alcohol, and cherry notes follow. Some of this is coming from the red wine barrels, which is prominent. Lower notes of fig, caramel and molasses come out as it warms. There’s a slight peppery phenol as well.
Appearance – 3/3
Pours a deep, mahogany brown liquid. While dark, it has good clarity. Fine and micro bubbles compose a crème-tan colored head. It stands up immediately and lasts forever with an ice cream float vibe.
Flavor – 15/20
A bit of toffee and sweetness are the first flavors. A cherry and strawberry (the red wine) flavor comes in quickly at a medium level. Low bitterness. The back half of the taste carries a low molasses and fig flavor. Low-medium oak is present at the end of the taste. Some phenolic spiciness and bubblegum. The finish leaves the fruit and oak flavors behind. Balance it towards the barrels and grist.
Mouthfeel – 3/5
Extremely high carbonation. I opened this at 55F and it did foam out of the bottle. The body is somewhat thin up front, but is quickly joined by a low creaminess, and hits a medium body before thinning out again by the finish. A low level of oak tannin astringency on the finish. A good alcohol warmth lingers in the back of the mouth.
Overall Impression – 6/10
The wine barrel expression in this beer comes out nicely. It’s the first one I’ve had where you can taste the nuances of the grapes. However, it does seem that the base beer is a bit muted in comparison. The right flavors are there, but not as prominent as you would expect in great quad. This might be due to whatever is causing the over carbonation. While not a geyser, it did quickly creep out of the bottle.
Rating – 35/50
I like the flavor combinations this had going on. While I haven’t tried any of Lazarus’ other bottled beer, I think I will in the future. They seem to be doing some interesting adjunct additions.
