3rd March 2010
Cloudy dark brown beer, no real head. Light semi dry palate with low carbonation. Spicy apple, sweet aniseed and boozy malt. Finishes with a fair bit of alcohol heat. Already a year old but this likely needs more time. Still a fairly unique beer! 3.5

5th November 2013
Tasting at Bruce’s pad. Thanks to the man himself for this gem. Almost opaque dark brown beer with a small pale tan head. Palate is smooth and a little dry. Rich malts. Sweetish dark toffee. Tangy fruits. Port wine and a touch of wood. Whisper of vanilla. Brown sugars and a light brandy. Smooth finish. Comes together very well. Delicious!

Bottle, a gift from BuckeyeBoy. Thanks, Jeremy! Almost black, with some orange, flat. Fruity nose, caramel, apple, light smoke, and some barrel. Fruity apple flavor, chocolate, smoke. Very fruity, port, champagne, wood. Amazingly complex, all kinds of flavors going on, yet holds together greatly. Wonderful stuff.

2010 bottle at HOTD - viscous dark amber, nearly black - thick ass beer - nose of vanilla, fig, raisin, plum, bourbon, damp oak, smoke - thick, slick mouthfeel - spicy alcohol and oak up front - notes of raisin, fig, treacle, leather, smoke, cherry, chocolate, overripe apple - spicy finish, with long-lingering smoke and warming alcohol - simply fucking awesome - thanks for convincing me to try it, Mike.

111203-aged about 3 yrs-12oz bottle-@Tampa weekly shared by gkost-pours a light brown head with brown color. Aroma is tart dark fruit, medium/dark malt, wood. Taste is wood, tart dark fruit, bourbon barrel, medium/dark malt. 140207-rerate

Bottle thanks to Ben, thanks! Pours a dark brown with a strong ruby hue and a gray head that dissipates to the edges. Aroma has notes of chocolate backed by dark grains, light fruits, smoke and a bit of astringent alcohol. Flavor has a nice combination of chocolate and smokiness with backing light fruit.

Wow, it’s finally here, number 2000, and a HUGE thanks to Tytoanderso for the hookup on a beer I have been wanting for a while. It’s gestures like his that make this site so awesome and keep me as interested as I was the first day I discovered this place. 2010 bottle pours dark reddish brown with only small yellow bubbles leaving no head. Aroma is massive and very complex with layers of green apples, sweet vanilla and bourbon, wet wood, leather. Very nice. This stuff really knocked me over on the first sip. The aroma is outstanding but really does no justice to the complexity and huge flavors coming from the glass. Sweet caramel, oak, vanilla, peat, thin smoke, lots of sticky bourbon and dried fruits. Really layered but it works very well. The mouth is nice with low carbonation, doesn’t distract anything going on. Finishes lingering with mostly the barrel elements but there is some peat and smoke leaving an ashy element in the back of my throat. Really a special beer. Thanks again Tyler!

2010 bottle shared by Marcus. Aroma is deeply dark fruity. Maybe some raisin. Near full body. Flavor is rich bourbon and perhaps date or cooked fruit. Finishes not all that sweet and softly oaky/woody. An excellent ale.

Bottle at Paul and Ryan’s tasting. Pours black. Nose and taste of bourbon, oak, burnt wood, peat, toffee, brown sugar, smoke, apple brandy and chocolate malt. Smooth as silk. Delicious.

New rate: Had this many times since my first rating, so time to update almost ten years. On tap at Portland Craft in Vancouver for a PDX tap takeover, pours a deep dark mahogany / brown with almost no head. Nose is intense, with loads of bourbon, dark fruits, a little liquorice, leather, and tobacco. Flavour is absolutely exquisite, with intense bourbon, molasses, brown sugar, dark fruits, leather, etc. I could go on. The depth on this is incredible. Luxurious and complex, with no rough edges. Still a masterpiece of beer after all these years. Incredible stuff.

Old rate: 12 oz bottle, split with manuchampions, pours deep dark brown with a reddish hue and no head. Ridiculously complex aroma of bourbon, licorice, chocolate, dark fruits and burnt caramel. Flavour is no less complex, revealing licorice, slight wood, oak, vanilla, bourbon, molasses and caramel - somewhat sweet and viscous body. Vanilla and oak seem to be the prominent flavours. What a remarkable beer.