12 ounce bottle into signature pint glass, bottled on 5/15/2017. Pours lightly hazy/cloudy deep reddish/copper/light brown color with a 1-2 finger dense and rocky cream colored head with fantastic retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lasts. Thick soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Fantastic appearance. Aromas of caramel, brown sugar, brown bread dough/crust, nuts, and toasted biscuit; with lighter notes of chocolate, cocoa, coffee, toffee, dark fruit, herbal, floral, grass, pepper, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness. A bit too fruity/yeasty aromas, but not overwhelming. Nice aromas with good balance and complexity of dark/bready/light roasted malts, and light-moderate earthy hop/fruity yeast notes; with good strength. Taste of big caramel, brown sugar, brown bread dough/crust, nuts, and toasted biscuit; with lighter notes of chocolate, cocoa, coffee, toffee, dark fruit, herbal, floral, grass, pepper, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness. Light herbal, floral, grassy, peppery hop; and roasted bitterness on the finish. Lingering notes of caramel, brown sugar, brown bread dough/crust, nuts, toasted biscuit, chocolate, cocoa, coffee, toffee, dark fruit, herbal, floral, grass, pepper, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Very nice complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/bready/light roasted malts, light-moderate earthy hops, and light fruity yeast flavors; with a great hop/roast bitter/sweet balance; and no cloying/astringent flavors after the finish. Lightly increasing dryness from lingering hop/roast bitterness. Medium carbonation and body; with a very smooth, moderately creamy/bready/grainy, and lightly sticky/chalky mouthfeel that is great. Zero warming alcohol for 6%. Overall this is a delicious American brown ale. All around nice complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/bready/light roasted malts, light-moderate earthy hops, and light fruity yeast flavors; very smooth and easy to drink with the mellowly bitter/drying finish. Not overly roasty. Nicely rich and well rounded malt complexity; nice earthy hop balance, and mild fruity yeast presence. A very enjoyable offering, and spot on style example. Glad I was able to try it from the anniversary pack.

On tap at New Holland. Deep sanguine red-brown body (probably the darkest brown ale I’ve tried), thin off-white head. Light aroma (I hate it when brewpubs serve their beers too cold), grainy and toasty/nutty. Flavor was very chocolatey and nutty with some raosted toasty aspects, kind of winey/grapey and woody. Has a tannin-heavy mouthfeel that coats the mouth. Just a touch of dark fruits before the long, roasted bitter finish.

Dark burgundy; glosette raisins aroma; some paper but beyond that light fruitiness and a pleasurably mellow brown.