Batch 1 bomber drunk on 5/26/07
A large, fluffy, beige head rises up and is retained quite well. Below this, a hickory-tinged mahogany body lies, with medium to medium-high clarity, though quite dark. Moderate lacing.
Very sweet and sticky in the nose, though some dry, nearly earthy, breadiness comes on late to somewhat mitigate this. But it’s chock full of toffee no matter how you look at it and with a fair bit of sticky caramel as well. Alcohol warmth is evident, and while this serves to aid in the balance, somewhat, it also cuts the aroma short a bit prematurely, leaving only some light phenol and sweet vanilla lingering.
Gooey, cakey-rich toffee and caramel unabashedly take over the flavor profile, while some dark chocolate-covered cherry notes and a light liqueur-like dryness add some complexity. A good amount of bitterness and some phenol-like astringency sit on the finish, with a moderate amount of overt alcohol. Even some coffee-liqueur and banana-like notes make their way in to the flavor, while the mouthfeel is soft and almost syrupy. Carbonation is moderate, not altogether tight, but ample enough to keep it somewhat drinkable.
I could do without the hop bitterness and alcohol, though, that’s for sure, and despite enjoying the well-extracted maltiness, it’s a bit forceful/blunt. I really don’t see this style as particularly enjoyable unless you are going to go the unfiltered, blended, polycultured yeast route with perhaps, some barrel aging. Otherwise it’s just too much like an amped up brown ale.

Pours a transparent nut brown color with amber hues and a foamy, lacing slightly off white head. Smells of fruit, candy and wood. Flavor is malty, sugary like candy, with a toffee and citrus balance. The finish is oily, slightly bitter and implies heavier alcohol that the label indicates. One tip, let this thing warm up to about 60degrees, it mellows the harsher tones in the flavor.

Hazy deep ruby brown body with a medium creamy light brown head. Sweet caramel molassas and rum soaked fruit with a hint of peat. Sweet caramel, chocolate and coffee flavors with light roasted malt, molassas, and a hint of peat. Nutty malty aftertaste.

Sampled from a 2 2oz brown bottle this beer poured a chestnut color with a small tan head. The aroma was sweet, tangy and roasty but fairly faint. The flavor was sweet, malty, roasty and had a hint of dry chocolate. There was a long roasty malty finish. The body was fairly full and smooth.

22oz bomber poured into small Trappist goblet. Color is deep copper, with medium clarity and nice light translucence. Small head leads to a medium lacing. Aroma is strong with boozy, toasted, earthy maltiness with faint cherry/sherry edges. A strong muskiness. Flavor is lightly chocolate and thick biscuit with a long light sherry aftertaste. Medium bodied, a weird dichotomy of easy drinking and slightly boozy. Does seem to be a good brown ale/old ale hybrid. A very decent beer but I await the next batch with some of the holes filled up.

Nice slightly hazy beautiful brown coloured body with a nice sized tan head that tops the beer, but fades fast. Aroma of nuts, malt, must (like a basement), caramel, alcohol and a light hoppiness picked up. Definitely an old-style smell to it - good for the style. Medium to Full-bodied; Strong spicey flvaours along with some nuts and malt are the most noticeable. Aftertaste shows some lingering caramel and a very light hoppiness along with some of the musty cardboardie type flavours. Overall, a good flavoured beer that lasts and doesn’t become bitter at all. Definitely one to try if you can find this one at all. I sampled this 65 cL bottle purchased at Whole Foods in Vienna, Virginia on 30-April-2007.

Creamy, thick and consistent head, cream-coloured; fed by fine but lively pearling from foxy-brown beer. Grapey hops and a whiff of roast pork - in a wrap or so. There’s a sweetness, almost syrupy, behind it - maltose glazing on the pork, or just the wrap? Sweet-bitter taste, as a caramel wrapped (again, sorry) in hopleaves (with the taste of the lupulin, of course). Hopoils. The sweetness comes first, very markedly, carring the grapey, near sultana-like flavour, and gets overwhelmed by the near-metallic hoppiness, but not before a heavy flavour of dark mushrooms or edible moulds has come out. Warming up, I seem to get a bit of coriander. Very well-bodied. After the harshest of the bitterness is gone, the palate fills with an enduring cakey fullness. A very good old ale, this. Great choice, Dann, Lut agrees.

Tap at Barcade - murky dark red pour, with pretty much no head - fairly sweet aroma, with hints of caramel and dark malts - astringent anf alcoholic flavor, which becomes mellowed by sticky sweetness - flavors of butterscotch, caramel, roasted nuts - some hints of dark fruit and chocolate - overly sweet ad alcoholic, especially for the abv - decent, but very flawed.