Charter Oak Brewing Co.
New Canaan, CT
Brewed to a dark copper shade and is well balanced. The combination of malted and roasted barley yield distinctive toasted flavors with hints of chocolate and a faint caramel overtone. This style is lightly hopped for balance and is a sessionable beer.
ABV: 5.5
ABW: 4.4
COLOR: 25
BITTERNESS: 30
ORIGINAL GRAVITY: 1050
AVAILABLE: CT (soon in RI, MA, NY, PA)
Deep brown color is inviting and true to type. Volcanic head is visually attractive and hangs on and on. Nose is captivating, with the same delicious perfume encountered upon entering a brewery. It is good to see the vital statistics listed on the label. Mouthfeel is dryer than the rich nose indicates, with a pleasant, lingering aftertaste. Slightly fruity, with hints of cocoa, roasted coffee and treacle. We enjoyed it with fresh apples from the garden, a chunk of cloth-wrapped, aged cheddar and a local beekeeper’s honeycomb.
Big, bold and luscious cocoa and fruity aromas blossom in a blink of an eye as I crack the cap. With apologies to Oak’s acorns, this brew is a brilliant and chestnut brown with a light snowfall of sudsy foam’s topside gracing. Very pleasant light body; creating a refreshing experience with plenty of dry cocoa character and a prickly hop bitterness. Aroma rules, flavor’s gone cocoa and palate is dry and light. Clean and well brewed. Nice job.
Founder of Merchant du Vin and the Pike Brewing Co., Finkel is a pioneer in the marketing of craft beers in America.
Author of the New Complete Joy of Homebrewing, founder of the Great American Beer Festival and a Beer Examiner at www.examiner.com. Papazian is a leading voice in beer and brewing.
