Score: 75/100 – Average
From a 473ml can served at cellar temperature at 10 degrees Celsius into a TeKu glass. Canned on 26/09/23 – making this over 5 weeks old.
I picked up the can from a local specialty shop a bit over a week ago. It’s been a while since I bought beers from the brewery – I feel like the value’s been missing compared to many other breweries.
I really like 5e Baron, however, I’ve experienced inconsistencies with them that have me picking up other breweries when it comes down to certain constraints. The date and style had a lot to do with why Thomas ended up in the breview queue. I’m excited to try this even if I’m managing my expectations.
Appearance 6/6
The beer pours a brilliant deep gold with 4cm of fluffy, creamy, off-white head which dissipates into a craggy cap within 3+ minutes. Good lacing and head retention. An attractive beer.
Aroma 16/24
Medium-strong intensity with good balance. The aroma is balanced and interesting with quite a bit of character – yet I’m not entirely sure how I feel about it.
Notable pome fruit esters and a decent dose of perfumy alcohol (mild fusels). The phenols meld in but have a slightly medicinal Band-Aid note. Pleasant breakfast cereal malt (wheat-like) rounds out edges while quite a bit of hop character comes through with an earthy, herbal, tea-like quality.
The dry nose is nuanced and quite grainy with a little bit of phenols, alcohol, and herbs. There’s a lack of harmony in the aroma.
Flavour 30/40
Strong intensity with decent balance and assertive perceived bitterness.
The colourful palate opens up with notes of pome fruit (apples), herbs (black tea), alcohol, and mild honey – transitioning towards a sharp center with piercing alcohol character, loads of herbal-woody hops, apple skin, and competing phenols (spicy + medicinal).
The long finish is strong and bitter-ish with notes of herbal hops, grainy-crackery (breakfast cereal) malt, some candi sugar, and mild pome fruit.
Mouthfeel 9/10
Medium body with high carbonation. The mouthfeel is crisp and mouth-coating with a mild edge, restrained alcohol warming, and a medium-dry finish. Mild astringency with no actual harshness on the palate.
Overall 14/20
5e Baron’s Thomas lands somewhere in the average territory.
Beautiful appearance with lovely colour and clarity as well as respectable foam attributes. For the style of beer, even more head with longer retention is possible. The aroma has quite a bit of character and complexity but it doesn’t quite come together as a unit. The alcohol has a suggestion of fusels while the phenols have a bit of a medicinal tone. A mild glue-like quality comes through every now and then. On the palate, the beer packs quite a punch – which I enjoy. However, the hop character really dominates while the yeast doesn’t synchronize well and the malt is ultimately overshadowed by the other ingredients. The mouthfeel is rather nice and matches the intensity very well.
Overall, Thomas is a decent beer with lot’s of character and an interesting personality. There’s a lack of harmony between the ingredients and mild off-notes diminish the drinking experience. With small tweaks this could be a really good beer. There’s no question I’d pick up Unibroue’s Fin du Monde or Don Dieu over this. At the same time I appreciate the effort and I could regularly drink this if the price was low. If you’re curious, go ahead and try this. If you’re looking for something great, I’d look elsewhere.
Beerfection | Craft Beer Reviews | Montreal, Canada 