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I have actually had many beers from Strange Roots, but I have never found myself in the position where I could do a proper review of a beer. I have visited the brewery many times, and I have almost always enjoyed the beers I have encountered. In my most recent visit, they had this beer on tap. I was so enamored by it that I got one to bring home with me. I made sure I didn't get a heat cycle on it, and I hope it is as good as I remember.
Something named The Omen has to be black, right? I don't recall the beer having much head at the brewery, and that continues here. It's not unusual for a barrel aged beer to leak most of its carbonation while aging, so I'm not too surprised that I won't get any lacing. The aroma is tantalizing with earth, dark fruits, vanilla, and potent alcohol (that 13.8% is showing through).
First sip is a thick syrup mix of earth, vanilla, nuts, and I can even taste the coconut flakes they tossed in here. It is sweeter than you might expect, but that barrel aging has added the wood to the mix along with the alcohol to lift this potent beverage above pretenders pretty quickly. I have this labeled as a dessert beer, but that's mostly because it should probably be a nightcap more than anything.
Tip-in is sweet, seared caramel, minor carbonation, vanilla, and earth. The middle flexes every muscle it has with the nuts and coconut joining the sweet, alcohol-laden concoction as it smoothly floats down the throat. The finish leaves wood and syrup-sweet earth and molasses before more coconut heads into the trail-off.
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Bottom Line: This Omen is portentous.
5.0/5
