Samuel Adams Triple Bock
The first time I tried this beer, I bought a bottle that had gone past its prime and I ended up pouring it down the drain. I opted to try it a second time when a Boston-area Beer Manager, with whom I have a working relationship, assured me that his bottles came from a fresh case that had been stored properly. Let this be a caveat and warning, then: do NOT purchase a bottle of this unless you KNOW that it has been taken care of. If it's just been left to sit out, you're going to get bad "soy sauce" beer. Having said that, this is still a brew that's going to be an acquired taste. Even though I know this bottle is good, there are still many flavors in here that I don't normally associate with beer, and I can see how someone would think that even a good bottle has gone off. The smell is heavy and thick--molasses-like, even--with strong notes of fermented brown sugars. These are mixed with caramel and burnt grain aromas that, yes, can mimic the smell of soy sauce. On the tongue, the most immediate flavors are super-sweet maple syrup and toasted grains, as well as considerably dark fruit esters. This switches gears midstream, bringing about a fruity palate with such notes as prunes and caramelized pears, along with deep toffees and port-like flavors. Finally, the mouthful ends with thick, smoky chocolate malts, leaving a lovely burnt-grain taste that lingers on the tongue for a while and keeps company with some of the darker fruit flavors. There is no carbonation in this beer, whether by design or age, and the liquid sticks to the glass much like oil, leaving sediment in its wake. Such viscosity is no doubt part of the reason why the flavors linger on the tongue for ages. I can't help but wonder what the aging process has done to the beer, and how much different it tastes now, as compared to when it was new. What I do know is that this is one of the more unique, ambitious, flavorful brews I've ever had, and I'm left wanting more.