XO Beer

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

Bottled@The 2nd ES/CS Beer Tasting. (thanks SV!). Slightly hazy orangeish amber colour with a small head. Aroma is wood, toffee, caramel malts and some mild notes of toast and cognad. Flavour is similar along with zest, wood and cognac being the most evident. Rather balanced brew.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 5 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 4 | Overall: 4

Already my marks are fluctuating wildly. But the question here is this actually a beer? This is the 5.9% version. Another mahogany beer, this one with a thin tan head that lives on clinging on to the glass. The aroma is pretty much all raspberries but there is some perfume, a hint of cognac and even less honey. The taste is odd, which is expected, with a bowl of raspberries that are mashed in a mix of wine and caramel, honey, probably cognac, dull licorice with most of the bite removed, and an odd bitterness. Tastes like a soda. Too sweet. I don't want another despite the fact that I had no problem drinking this. Why the raspberries? That's what really turned me away. Maybe it's because cognac and beer are disgusting together without it...

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 4 | Flavor: 4 | Overall: 4

Beer blended with 25 year old X.O. Cognac…….Why? This is a result of people trying cash in on the booming micro beer market and trying to make something completely different, but some things just shouldn’t be made. I’m kind of scared to drink this to be honest. Dark reddish brown with a descent cap, very sticky lacing slowly slips down my glass after ever sip. Lots of black cherry in the nose with some apple and lots of floral perfume. I’m unsure if I like this smell. Feel is very soft. Flavour is watery and coming across more like juice then beer. The cognac flavour is very noticeable coming across with a fresh mashed raspberry mixed with flowers. Taste is becoming way to sweet me thinks I’m getting diabetes from this. Just took a supper big gulp and all I tasted was oak. Only weak malts and zero trace of hops, is this even beer? I guess I’d drink this again but I’d never pay for it. This novelty beer fails!!! What kind of beer is this suppose to be any way?

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 3 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 3 | Overall: 3

This is a dark golden brown with almost no head. I'm thinking it's more of a liquor than a beer. The aroma is very heavy on the Cognac. No issues here with what this beer is, a high alcohol brew. Aside from the cognac, the only other discernable aroma was burnt sugar. The flavour was similar to the aroma, heavy on cognac and sugar, light on malt and hops, and therefore sickeningly sweet

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 10 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 5 | Overall: 7

August 17, 2007
Smokeless Joe’s (Toronto, Ontario, Canada – 125 John Street)
330ml bottle
8.00% ABV
Bottled On: Unknown
$14.25
The beer poured into a tulip glass a beautiful reddish brown colour with almost no head. Like Biegaman, my bottle was also marked as 8%. The aroma was cognac, malt, alcohol and burnt butterscotch. The mouthfeel was very very smooth with a medium body and some mild carbonation. The taste was very heavy on the cognac, and a little hint of fruit. I did feel the alcohol burn, and for a beer with an 8% abv, that's not good in my book. A little pricey at $14.25/bottle as well when I can visit some other places and get an Abbey Quadrupel for less.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 10 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 9

The sweet and floral aroma on this was incredible - just pouring it made me happy. Sports a pretty deep orange with red and brown highlights, but little head. Wonderful mouthfeel, very full and smooth. The taste hit the spot, a harmonious blend of sweet malts and cognac and finishes sweet with some alcohol warmth. I don't think I could have more than one in a sitting. but this beer was certainly very neat and I will be enjoying one again.

Aroma: 10 | Appearance: 10 | Mouthfeel: 10 | Flavor: 10 | Overall: 9

this stuff was freakin' incredible. what a concept-cognac and beer. sampled once at allen's on the danforth and then sampled again just last new year's eve(2004-05). can be a tad to sweet in the aftertaste, that's why it does not get a 10 overall.

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

Im giving this beer generous marks, higher than I have to other beers I liked significantly better, but they are well deserved. XO Beer is a neat fusion that (in my opinion) was pulled off with great success. It holds a perfume like scent and quaint warming sensation. The flavour is quite nice, immensely smooth, somewhat complex but also sharp! The cognac comes through nicely, not too overpowering, especially at 8% A very enjoyable drink, but I think more than one would make me start to feel sick.

Aroma: 4 | Appearance: 3 | Mouthfeel: 3 | Flavor: 2 | Overall: 3

Bottle: decants a brilliant clear garnet with amber hilights...not much of a cap even from a hard pour. Aroma is perfumey, some grape with some sweet treacle tones. Starts sweet with some molasses tastes then you catch the dry grapes and the alcohol takes over the palate for the rest of the ride to the finish. The finish is alcohol pronounced and warming...this is more like a cocktail or mixed drink than a beer....not to my liking...won’t revisit. Rye and coke is more palatable

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

A mysterious beer to say the least! I couldn't place the taste, but I don't think it was cognac (or kog-nak as a friend calls it). However, colour and head were above average, and the taste was very nice. 5.9% gives it a bit of a kick, too.