From @mikebradford: @SaintArnold @FoamRising DR 11 sweetened, hops mellowed..DR10 continues to mature..DR9 other spices have moved up..DR8 sweet with age
So now for the details...
We started with Divine Reserve 8. While I typically like my beers super-cold, we tried all of these a bit warmer than usual. These aged beers tend to taste a bit like syrup if they get too cold. No, I didn't stick a thermometer in it, but I'd guess it was around 38-4o degrees. Temperature was dead-on for the style, which is a Scotch Ale. The 8 has aged really well. It was definitely sweeter with age, and everything that was so bold when new had definitely mellowed. It was really fantastic, and I'm a bit sad that I only have 3 left.
Divine Reserve 9 - Pumpkinator? Not in the least. I actually did a side-by-side tasting when Pumpkinator came out, and all I can say to those that still have their bombers of Pumpkinator is, "Just wait." The aged Divine Reserve 9, an Imperial Pumpkin Stout, was so much better than the re-launched seasonal, Punpkinator. It was much heavier, too. The in-your-face pumpkin flavors that were originally present had all but disappeared. All that was left were sweet spices and a refined stout. I would say this was my favorite of the flight, but then we tried the...
Divine Reserve 10 - I found this to be the best of the bunch, which is pretty ironic considering my disappointment when it first came out. Fortunately I over-bought the DR10, and have quite the collection just getting better with age. Again, everything seemed to mellow with this one, but unlike the others, I was ready for a second one. This English Style Barleywine was probably one of the best of this style I've had, but honestly, this is probably also one of the only aged barleywines I've had.
Divine Reserve 11 - I don't have anything incredibly constructive to say about this one. I'm not a hop-head, I wasn't crazy about it when this Double IPA came out, and I really don't like Endeavor (its re-launched name). I was told from the beginning no to age this beer, but I did anyway. I thought aging did help it a little - for me, anyway. The hops mellowed, and it became a bit sweeter. Better than new, but still not my cup of tea. One note of recommendation - If you'd like to try a nice beer blend, mix 50/50 of Saint Arnold Spring Bock (seasonal) with Saint Arnold Endeavor. (Bradford came up with this mix.) The two really balance each other well, even better than Sailing Santa. Try it! I call it, "Rocket Bock."
My recommendation: If you can do a flight of Saint Arnold Divine Reserve beers, do it. Do it, now.
Category: Flight of the Beerhoards
