22 ounce bottle into snifter, bottled on 9/28/2015. Pours nearly opaque dark brown color with a 1-2 finger dense and fluffy khaki head with good retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings around the glass, with a moderate amount of streaming carbonation retaining the cap. Aromas of big grapefruit, tangerine, lemon/orange peel, citrus rind, pepper, wood, pine, raisin, cherry, fig, date, apple, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, toasted biscuit, nuttiness, leather, tobacco, light chocolate/cocoa, herbal, floral, grass, and yeast/toasted earthiness. damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of citrus/pine/earthy hops, fruity yeast, and dark/bready malt notes with great strength. Taste of big grapefruit, tangerine, lemon/orange peel, citrus rind, pepper, wood, pine, raisin, cherry, fig, date, apple, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, toasted biscuit, nuttiness, leather, tobacco, light chocolate/cocoa, herbal, floral, grass, and yeast/toasted earthiness. Moderate pine/spicy bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of grapefruit, tangerine, lemon/orange rind, pepper, pine, dark fruit, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, toasted biscuit, nuttiness, leather, tobacco, and herbal/toasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Damn nice complexity, robustness, and balance of citrus/pine/earthy hops, fruity yeast, and dark/bready malt flavors; with a great malt/bitterness balance and zero cloying flavors after the finish. Light-moderate dryness from bitterness that increases through the glass. Light-medium carbonation and medium-full body; with a very smooth, moderate creamy/bready, and sticky/chalky balanced mouthfeel that is great. Alcohol is very well hidden with only a light warmth lingering after the finish. Overall this is an excellent American strong ale! All around great complexity, robustness, and balance of citrus/pine/earthy hops, fruity yeast, and dark/bready malt flavors; and very smooth and easy to sip on for the huge ABV. This year’s version was a lot less intense on the dark malt sweetness and more balanced with the hop profile. A very enjoyable offering.

22oz bomber pours with a deep amber to mahogany colored body that supports a full tall dark tan head of foam. The aroma offers up molasses, thick malts, some chocolate, dark roasted malts, spicy black licorice, a pinch of pine hops and then some boozy heat. The taste delivers smooth rich deepness with slick malts, molasses sweetened pine hops and chocolate nuanced spicy black licorice. It picks up some dark roasted malts, sweet dark fruity esters and a dash of citrus to midway and into the finish. This is a terrific sipper.

Bomber from Bine & Vine. Pours a ruddy very dark brown (held against halogen) with a creamy/foamy tan head. Aroma of fruity hop and smooth dark malt. Nose tingling. Full bodied or better! Foamy carb helps. Flavor is treacle, oats, coffee?, more treacle, Kraft caramel, O’my. It’s like a not too sweet liquid candy/beer. I detect no heat. There is some hop bitter, but the malt is so strong I can’t parse the hops. Certainly citrus and stone fruit, but what else? I think lots and lots of floral. I can’t prove that tho. It’s not that it’s insanely complex, just that all the flavor components are a bit overpowering. If you like strongly flavored dark beers, get this! Finishes far from dry, but there’s bitter in detectable amounts, and it’s not sticky sweet. Maybe ending up 2/3 of the way towards barley wine maltiness. Ale for a desert island? Heck, ale to take into the grave.