Shared bottle at Mi2 at Cardinal 24.03.14 and 23.05.16.Ruby orange with small off-white head. Sweetish aroma and taste of American hops, bittersweet orange marmelade and sawdust. Some chocolate. Round and bitter mouthfeel. Complex.

Bottle at Cardinal, 2014/03/24. Bitter and sweet with some fruit and raisin. Well balanced. Nice reddish amber colour. Tastes darker than it looks. Re-rated 20160523: Shared bottle at Cardinal, Stavanger. Pours hazy dark amber with off-white head. Aroma of caramel, raisins, some acetone, chocolate, some vinous notes, ethanol. Tastes bitter and sweet, like bitter medicine. Somewhat unbalanced.

Another beer I managed to get my hands on and have a decent sized sample of during the Belgian Beer Board website Pre-Brugge Beer Festival bottle swap on 31st Jan 2014. Thank you whoever brought it. My second ever Alesmith, I hope to meet some more one day. Misty reddy brown with a light beige topping. Dark fruits and caramel hit the nose initially, then more subtle notes arrive: light citrus hints and yeast esters mingle with the stronger said fruits and caramel malty molasses. The taste is very similar to what your nose has told you: semi-sweet caramel, dark fruits with an underlying yeastiness with a citrus trace or two. Most enjoyable. Rich and deep body with the alcohol just about kept in check. Overall a very good brew and one I’d happily have again: maybe a bottle to myself next time.

Bottle - Vintage 2004 - Raisin, dark sugar and booze. Cloudy orange with a rich white head. Hop oil, raisin, brown sugar and booze. Nice and still potent after 10 years.

Refrigerated 75 cl bottle with silver foil poured into a snifter. Pours translucent amber with small off-white head. Aroma is big caramel with balancing herbal hops, medium body, low carbonation, and little small bubble lacing. Taste is caramel, some booze, and herbal hop finish. Not bad, but still not one of my favorite styles.