Hello everyone.  For today’s craft beer review I’m going to be trying the Arcadia Ales XV produced by the Arcadia Brewing Company located in Battle Creek, Michigan.

I need to give a special shout out to Mr. Liquid Bread (aka. Chris Phillips) for sending me this rare brew that was only available at the brewery. 

From the website, arcadiaales.com, we find this bit of information about this particular beer. 

Brewed for Arcadia’s 15th anniversary.  Malt beverage with cherries aged with french oak barrels.  Note:  NOT to be confused with Arcadia 15.

Let’s drink this bad boy!!!

This brew came in a 22 oz. bottle and, unfortunately, I have no idea about the ABV.

It poured a relatively clear mixture of color from brown to ruby red to grape.  An off white head was formed to a decent size with a fairly easy pour.  It was slightly soapy and a few large bubbles were present right at the spot of the pour.  The retention time was short and the lacing was a touch meager, however it did leave a ring of foam around the top as well as a nice film of alcohol on the sides of the snifter.

The nose brought forth a beautiful dose of soured cherries.  Some tartness, but not a tremendous amount however.  Lovely woody/oak hints along with a very slight waft of dark bread.  Definitely a red wine type of profile.  Balanced pretty darn well I thought.

Within the taste I found both cherries and grapes that produced a very manageable amount of sourness and tartness.  Only the most faint vinegar savor.  The breadiness was quite subdued too.  The woody/oak popped in at the back end, but it wasn’t that forthcoming either.  It was a great compliment and balancing act for the dark fruits however.  It still tasted rather nice I must say.  Just not overly robust or “loud”.

The mouthfeel was medium bodied.  Smooth, yet a little bit sharp and bitey at the very beginning.  Kind of lively in regards to the carbonation too.  Just a little smidgen of warmth was felt and not a whole lot of flavor was left behind on the palate after each sip.  It vanished a little quicker than I thought it might.

Overall, I thought this to be a pretty good beer.  Solid and sturdy.  Easily worth a try if you are able to obtain a bottle.  It’s very easy to drink and very wine like.  It started somewhat “meh” and uncomplicated, although as it warmed and moved along it became very nice and worthwhile.  Again, I need to thank Mr. Liquid Bread for taking the time to ship this bottle to me.  Be sure to check out his Beer Review Show mrliquidbread.wix.com/mrliquidbread sometime.  Hilarious stuff to say the least.  Also, if you have tried the Arcadia Ales XV let me know what you thought about it.  Feel free to leave a comment anytime.

Thanks for reading everyone.  I really appreciate it.

Until next time.  Cheers.

Score:  4.0 out of 5
Grade:  B+