7.4

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5

12 ounce bottle into tulip glass, bottled on 11/17/2014. Pours fairly hazy/cloudy deep orange/copper color with a 1 finger dense off white head with good retention, that reduces to a thin cap that lingers. Light spotty lacing clings around the glass. Aromas of caramel, toast, brown sugar, raisin, plum, apple, spruce, pine, herbal, grass, and herbal/toasted earthiness. Nice and pleasant aromas with good balance and complexity of dark/bready malt, earthy hop/spruce, and light-moderate fruity yeast notes; with solid strength. Taste of caramel, toast, brown sugar, raisin, plum, apple, spruce, pine, herbal, grass, and herbal/toasted earthiness. Good amount of pine/grassy bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of caramel, toast, brown sugar, raisin, plum, apple, spruce, pine, and herbal/toasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Good robustness, complexity, and balance of dark/bready malt, earthy hops/spruce, and light-moderate fruity yeast flavors; with a good malt/bitterness balance and zero cloying flavors after the finish. Medium carbonation and body; with a very smooth and fairly crisp/sticky mouthfeel that is good. Alcohol is well hidden with only a small warmth lingering after the finish. Overall this is a good strong ale style. All around good robustness, complexity, and balance of dark/bready malt, earthy hops/spruce, and light-moderate fruity yeast flavors; and very smooth and crisp to sip on for the ABV. A nicely enjoyable offering.