A few weeks ago, I posted a photo of some Saint Arnold Divine Reserve 15 on a shelf at a Houston-area Randalls store. As has been my custom, and the custom of many local beer aficionados, I wanted to spread news of the beer’s whereabouts for those in search who had not yet found theirs. In past years, the release of each Saint Arnold DR – these are a series of single-batch beers, each brewed from a unique recipe – has been met with a flurry of hashtags and rumors, with mention of sightings flitting about various social media sites, equal parts helping hand and boozy gloat.
This time, I was met with an unexpected response. With a mix of disinterest and disdain, several group members teased me and bemoaned what they perceived as information saturation. “It’s everywhere … No one really needs to see it posted a dozen times a day,” said one commenter, insert sad-face emoji. Take it as a sign of the times that the latest DR release is so ubiquitous as to bring mockery down on the head of those who care to mention its “discovery” at this or that grocery store or bottle shop.
Of course, how you interpret this information is up to you. Some will see it as the end of a glorious era in which the hunt – and the exclusivity – was as important as the beer itself. Perhaps more so. Others will see the increased availability of DR offerings as a boon for Houston beer lovers, and one that seems to be gaining steam since the release of DR 11 in 2011. I’m firmly in the latter camp. Besides, there are still plenty of opportunities for hunting and hoarding Saint Arnold beers.
Case in point is DR15. Essentially a reformulation of DR 5, the base beer was also used for the eighth installment of the Bishop’s Barrel series, another run at exclusivity. Additionally, completists can try to “collect ’em all,” aiming for a side by side-by-side tasting of the 5/8/15 trifecta. Not only does this provide a new and novel way to collect Saint Arnold beers, if that’s your thing, it also represents an interesting way to drink them. Sort of like an off-kilter vertical tasting.
In a way, the Bishop’s Barrel series is far harder for me to get my hands on than any DR offering has been. I don’t really spend much time or effort chasing beer, and add to that the fact that BB releases don’t show up in retail stores (I don’t do much drinking in bars). To date I’ve only had the opportunity to try two of them.
I was lucky enough to arrange a trade with another local beer fan, a bottle of DR 5 I had squirreled away for one of his BB 8s. It was mutually beneficial, allowing both of us to arrange our own Side-X-3.
It took me a while to get around to it. Drinking three stouts, each with an alcoholic content of 10 percent or more, in a single sitting is a tall order. You pretty much have to be in one place for the duration, with no responsibilities looming. I waited for a day off, a clear schedule and for the kids to go to bed, and then I got down to business. As I expected, it was an interesting way to drink through the series, noting changes and differences, things I’d have liked more of and less of. What might have been murky in a vacuum popped into clear relief with such easy and obvious reference points in the next glass. Obviously, the beers were very similar. What surprised me, though, was how different they were at the same time.
This beer is now seven and a half years old. That’s a long time to hold onto a beer. DR 5 was a big beast, though, so I figured it would hold up. It did, mostly, though it’s a decidedly different beer now.
After its time in storage, DR 5 pours pitch black and, no matter how hard you pour, produces not a wisp of head. No surprise there. It does, however, sprout a long and lovely set of legs, the booze still fairly climbing the glass even after its long sleep.
The nose takes the chocolate notes of the fresh bottle and distills them into cocoa liquor, intense and aromatic. Sticky-dried figs, burnt caramel and a little dose of ash round out the aromatic components.
The first sip comes across as thin and sweet, with a bite of bitterness that reads somewhat tart, almost like the vinous edge of an old Port or Sherry. What was subtle ash is more pronounced in the mouth, like carbonized coffee beans. The finish is long and fruity, like spiced pears if pears were a dark fruit. Malted chocolate notes emerge if you wait long enough. Allow the beer to warm, as you should, and cherries work their way into the mix. Aside from that bitter/tart bite up front, there’s not much hinting at hops, and certainly none of the spice notes called out in the original tasting notes, as both the hops and alcohol prickle have faded. The booze isn’t entirely gone, though, soaking those cherries as they emerge.
If you pour this immediately after the 5, as I did, don’t allow yourself to be lulled into a false sense of security. Where 5 has had the carbonation bled from it over the years, 15 is full of bubbly chutzpah. It nearly got away from me. Similarly intense in color, it sports a lovely cappuccino-colored foam that sticks around, cladding those same long legs.
Even before your nose hits the glass, you may notice a whiff of nickles. Wait about five minutes for this to blow off, and then it’s all coffee, super dark chocolate and a boozy hit that somehow reminds me of apple brandy.
Where the 5 came out thin and almost tart, the 15 rides in on a rich wave of brine, bright cherries and medium dark chocolate. Despite its significant richness and intensity, there’s a bright freshness that’s quite alluring. The mid-palate offers a big hoppy bite, chased by an intriguing spiciness similar to the prickle of rye whisky. A bitter finish of dark roasted malts and a whisper of hoppy citrus hangs around for a while.
As it warms, that 10+ ABV comes out swinging, bringing with it darker notes of chocolate and coffee. It’s not super dark, still, but that up-front freshness at cooler temps has certainly taken a backseat. Though mostly dry, it finishes just a hair sweet, with the grainy, earthy taste of malted barley syrup.
Perhaps owing to its time in Woodford Reserve barrels, this one is the lightest of the bunch, with some caramel colors flickering about and rendering the whole thing as dark root beer with a skim of deeply tanned foam that settles into a slim but persistent ring. Legs and lacing follow throughout the glass, and the beer bubbles impressively in the middle, like a boozy La Brea.
BB8 smells eerily similar to buttered popcorn-flavored jellybeans, melted into a pot of caramel. Rich, smooth, intense. The booze hides a bit behind that buttery nose, with a whiff of coconut sunscreen, a la Hawaiian Tropic. Cocoa butter, oak and solvent hide underneath.
The flavor follows the smell, full of rich, buttery caramel with notes of coconut and vanilla. A streak of bitterness helps level things out, helping the beer finish clean and, surprisingly, not heavy.
As it warms, the finish shifts dramatically. Spicy hops and dark coffee bitterness amplify, doing a great job of resetting from the rich caramel flavors and syrupy textures. There’s also a good dose of bittersweet chocolate under the surface. When I used to work at the late, great Alabama Theater Bookstop, we used to make our hot cocoa with an extra shot of vanilla syrup, to round out the dense, dark cocoa. That’s what’s going on here, and it works perfectly.
As informative as it was to drink them side by side (by side), an even more enlightening moment came as I reached the end of the glasses. With only about half an ounce left of each (I’d shared them with my wife, in order to keep my senses), I threw caution to the wind and swirled them together. It’s like the Day of the Doctor, with each incarnation bringing its particular strengths and weaknesses, balancing each other out to make something remarkable. That vinous edge from the 5 comes through, but as a grace note. The booze and oomph of the BB are rounded into a frame of reference, and the spicy, bittersweet chocolate of the 15 take center stage between those supporting cast members, both highlighted and buffered. If Brock Wagner and his company can figure out how to combine the three versions into one new release, I can’t imagine anyone poking fun when I mention a sighting.