Divine Reserve No, 4? Is that a typo?

Strangely enough, no.  St. Arnold’s Divine Reserves are special brews released twice a year in limited production.  In the case of Divine Reserve 4, only 823 cases were made, meaning that less than 20,000 bottles of this brew were made.  Greg happened to have a six pack of No. 4 left over from a couple of years ago when it came out, and gave me a few to enjoy.  A Wee Heavy is, as you might imagine, a Scottish invention. More correctly called a Strong Scottish Ale, a Wee Heavy is a strong, dark ale with a full body and slight sweetness.

The first disclaimer in this review is that it’s entirely possible this beer is a bit out of date.  While it has been refrigerated during its life, I can’t technically be certain its flavor profiles haven’t been altered.  That said, it is an extremely interesting drink.  The most striking thing about N0. 4 is the deep, intense smoky flavor.  It really does taste as if this beer has been smoked for several hours in the local bbq pit before being bottled.  With its creamy texture and slightly spicy finish, this is a beer that is certainly worthy of the Divine Reserve label, even if it is not as bold and complex as No. 6 or No. 7.

There is, of course, one major problem with this beer: availability.  It would be surprising to me if there are more than 15 bottles of Divine Reserve 4 available in the entire state of Texas.  That said, if you can find a bottle, it’s certainly worth paying to drink.

Score: 91