Southampton 10th Anniversary Old Ale

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

If I'm not mistaken, I have moejuck to thank for this one. Received in a trade well over a year ago, and kept it hidden for awhile. Decided to crack it open tonight and after drinking the 750ml bottle, I've become fairly intimate with Southampton.

The beer pours out medium amber color (more orange than brown though) with a medium sized 2", creamy off-white head. The staying power of the head was nice, and although it took me a good while to finish the bottle, the head stayed with me like a good friend throughout. Aroma is incredibly flowery, with notes of star jasmine, wet dirt, caramel, rum raisins and a touch woody. Some oxidation seems to benefit this beer, as it somehow keeps everything together. Notes of caramel, tobacco, woody hops, cherry, cognac and figs all show up in one form or another during my stay with Southampton. Mouthfeel was really small. Just no real presence. Finish was nice, as it reminded me of a small barleywine.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 7

i remember being excited about this, southampton is a cool little brewery ... lots of caramel and brown sugars... in nose and mouth .. goes down like a champ but maybe not the most complex of old ales..

Aroma: 10 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

Bottle courtesy of JJPM74: Poured a deep clear brown color ale with a huge foamy head with perfect retention and some lacing. Aroma of sweet malt with some notes of toffee is dominating. Taste is also dominated by some notes of caramel and toffee with some sweet malt also present. Body is quite full with some great carbonation and no apparent alcohol. Interesting take on the style but a bit too one-dimensional for my liking.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 8

Sampled November 2007
An easy pour produces a frothy, fairly large bubbled, initially four-finger thick, amber tinged, tan colored head. The beer is an opaque, concentrated amber color that shows a brilliantly clear, bright, deep ruby color when held up to the light. As I pour and note the head, it is quite apparent that this beer has some rich fruit notes to it; aromatic notes of brandy, raisins and concentrated berry notes are quite noticeable. this is confirmed once I set my focus on the aroma, rich aromatic notes of concord grapes join the other noticed fruit notes. Quite malty as well with aromas of caramelized malt sugars, richly toasted biscuits, aged malt, richly caramelized raisins. There is also a certain spicy almost woody note to the nose; a touch tannic, some spicy oak like notes, sort of like damp wood and actually probably influenced by the cork as it does smell a bit of musty cork. I can only assume it was the cork, but I really do like the added dimension of the barrel-like aromatics.

Well carbonated for and old ale, the beer definitely froths a bit as it hits my tongue. A couple swirls of my glass takes care of the excess carbonation; this smoothes the texture out a bit, though the beer still feels fairly light, perhaps a medium to full feeling as it rests on the tongue. Quite fruity tasting, though perhaps not quite as much as the aroma would have suggested. I taste notes of raisins, touches of prune and a finish that has some definite berry-like flavors to it. That oak barrel like note from the aroma is in the flavor as well; it reminds me a bit of musty wood, some definite spicy oak, perhaps a soft vanillin character (though this could also be malt influenced) and something like what is in the finish of a spicy cola. Flavors of deeply browned, rustic bread crust, concentrated toffee, chalky (though faint) dark roast malt flavors, toasted grain, caramelized brown sugar, . Within stylistic bounds, a lightly herbal hop note and a touch of bitterness in the finish defines the requisite hop character.

This more than likely has a healthy dose of cork taint to it, but I think that it actually adds something to this brew. At this point the beer would probably be to sweet and fruit focused without it, but I have a feeling that bottles without the cork taint will age over the long term much better. Definitely a tasty tipple, but it could definitely use some more complexity, especially the depth of the malt character seems to be a little bit on the shallow side.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

A dark brown color with a beige head. A nutty, raisin, chocolate, and alcohol aroma. The flavor is quite sweet with some brown sugar, molasses, dark fruit, and chocolate. This one is rather carbonated with a nice warming effect. This would be even better in the winter.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 8

This old ale pours a medium amber color from a 750ml bottle. Medium sized white foamy head. Aroma is caramel and malty, touch of sweetness. Medium bodied old ale. Malts are caramel and sweet. Hops are earthy. Nice balance. Touch of alcohol. Good carbonation. Would be a good winter sipping beer. Mouthfeel is full and round. Finish is clean and crisp. Aftertaste is slightly sweet.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

Pours with a slightly cloudy brown body topped by a thick head with a good amount of lacing. It’s slightly sweet and malty with a slightly flowery hop note with a little fruit. Medium bodied, smooth and a touch tingly.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 5 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

This one has way too much carbonation. I loosen the cage and the cork immediately sets fly, narrowly avoiding taking out my eye. Even careful pouring leads to a booming head. The body is a deep, reddish brown and the head is a frothy light khaki. The aroma is cherries and wood. The flavor is mostly the same, although there is a bit of heat from the alcohol.

Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 9 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 9

Pours a deep mahogany with a fluffy tan head. Outstanding lacing. Aroma is malty, mouthfeel full and smooth. Flavor is dark fruit, malt, very sweet with a bit of alcohol. Overall it is very very good.

Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 7

Poured a cloudy brown nice huge fluffy head. Aroma was of brown sugar dark fruits alcohol. Flavor was much the same with some yeast bitterness . Was a good beer not a typical old ale though.