Eel River Triple Exultation.

I had been reasonably pleased with the Eel River IPA I had so I decided to go for another one. I thought Triple Exultation sounded promising. As soon as I poured, however, I was repulsed. What is this brown shit filling my glass? I thought that it might be another Drake's Denogginizer experience. As I took my first sip, I got a whiff of raisins and cinnamon pinwheels which was really awkward. Taste was equally raisin-y. What a fucking terrible IPA. It is not possible to screw up this bad. I took another look at the bottle for some kind of explanation for this madness. MY BAD. This is not some imperial IPA. It is, in fact, an old ale. Whew. Ok, doesn't seem to wacky then. Ultra-malty, a bit like a young American barley wine without much spice, with a touch of prunes. Because it's an old ale. Get it? Right before the finish, there is a touch of chocolate, but it's quite fleeting.

A decent sipper, this one. At 9.7%ABV, it covers its heat quite well. If you focus on the end of the palate very hard, you might pick up a little bit of alcohol residue, but if you paired this with some candied fruits (and maybe some FUCK YEAH PINWHEELS), it'd cover that up. This one is a keeper, I'd say, in my limited experience with old ales. I'd love to stack this against some American barley wines and obviously some other old ales I can rustle together.

The reception on BA is quite varied but ends up with a B+ anyway. I think another reviewer had an interesting insight, that it lacked finesse, and used an apropos quote:

"[They] would use a bulldozer to find a china cup" - Raiders of the Lost Ark

However, in my bottle, I though the flavors were maybe overblended and the complexity had lost out to entropy. At the end of the day though, this is an appreciable beer. Looking forward to its brethren this winter. On a related note, BA's suggested pairings for old ales:

Cheese (buttery; Brie, Gouda, Havarti, Swiss)

• Appearance: Murky light brown but a vibrant red against the light; off-white, thin, superfine and creamy head. Constant carbonation rising.
• Smell: Lots of raisins, a solid toffee after a swirl of the glass, also reminiscent of Werther's Original candies.
• Taste: Malt bomb, slightly bread-y, prunes and bitter on the finish. Not terribly complex but entertaining enough.
• Mouthfeel: An overflowing, superfine carb, if you stir it up in the mouth. Otherwise, fairly smooth, medium bodied, leaves a bit of residue. Alcohol is slightly noticeable on the finish of the finish.
• Drinkability and Overall: It's an easy drinker for 9.7%ABV but the bitter on the end will keep you from drinking too quickly. I'd prefer this paired with something rather than on its own.