Served on draft at Beer Run in Charlottesville, VA, which is appropriate as CVille is where Charlie Papazian made his first homebrew. Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe, Charlie Papazian? Maybe not quite... but close. He’s certainly cooler than that other local celeb Dave Matthews. Too bad this beer isn’t worthy of the name. Pours a hazy amber color with a medium frothy offwhite head. Good head retention and lacing. Aroma of citrus hops and some kind of wet animal. I thought it was more wet cat, but my friend thought it was more wet dog. Anyway, you get the point. The taste is a bit better... toffee, bitter earthy and citrus hop notes. Medium bodied. Blah.

Draft. A hazy amber beer with a thin orangey head. The aroma has strong notes of hops, grass, and grapefruits. The flavor is sweet with notes of alcohol, caramel, hops, grapefruits, and grass, as well as a light note of metal from the alcohol, leading to a dry, bitter, and grapefruity finish.

I had been seeking this beer out in the DC metro region and I finally caught up with it on tap at the Brickskeller. Pours a deep, brownish amber with a creamy slightly tan head that left rings around the glass every stop to the bottom. Aroma is strong fruity hops, grapefruit, orange with a slight biscuity aroma. Flavor is heavy bitterness but the hops took on a tropical fruitiness I didn’t expect. Finish is dry and bitter. Very drinkable and unique.

growler @Mels YEHA-pours a ? head and hazy gold color. Aroma is medium malt-caramel, spice. Taste is medium malt-caramel, spice, pine hops, some alcohol.

Draft @ TFD Boise: Pours a nice, bright copper with a thick, creamy beige head. Terrific lacing. Aroma is floral hops and some pine. Flavor is loaded with hops. Just a little bit of caramel maltiness, but mostly citrus and floral hops. Great on the palate too. A fine brew.

On tap at Capital Ale House - Downtown. Slightly hazy amber body with a medium frothy ivory tan head. Sweet citrus hops aroma with a caramel background. Sweet citrus hops flavor, gentle caramel and a bitter ending.

On tap at Front Door Boise, Pours out a hazy amber topped with a very small head. A very nice hop aroma and tast. I also picked up on some of the Malt on this one.

Under the name John’s Locker Stock on tap at Rogue Ales Public House, SF, August 2005. Reddish amber ale with a thin white head. Sweet caramel malt and floral hops aroma. In mouth, like maple cream with pinhey hops, and herbal grassy notes. Medium bodied. Very smooth.

On draught at Redbones, 7/23/2005. Served in a small chalice, it appeared a peanut butter and caramel colored brown, with some light tan and deep hints of maroonish-brown. Head is small and lightly creamy, with good retention, like most Rogue ales. Aroma of bitter, floral, powerful hops, light chocolate and caramel and a touch of dry alcohol. Don’t really get the amarillos, perhaps the mix of the malts really impedes that. Beginning in the flavor is a big crystal malt crunchiness, with a slick, even Rogue body to let the sweetness unfold upon the palate evenly, but the hops are considerably bitter here, even for Rogue and especially for only 75 purported IBUs. Little bits of graham cracker and sugary crystal malt play on the sides of the mouth while an intense and quite unbalanced hops bitterness hits right up front. I’m thinking I don’t really care for sterling which just seem to have a strong bitterness, with only subtle flavoring, lemon and grapefruit rind, that is rather lost on this creation, IMHO. The body is firm enough, I guess, in that it isnt a watery or thin beer, but it’s too much hops for me. Towards the end, upon warming, a little bit of doughiness, and some earthy malt notes begin to add some complexity, but I still can’t find much in the way of Amarillo, which I normally love. Alcohol is also a little bit too apparent for my liking here. Big beer.

Tap at Bitter Creek in Boise. A littel birdie told me that this was in at one of the nicer alehouses in town so I had to make a special trip. A deep clear mahogany with a medium sized light tan head. Sheets of persistant lascing coated the glas almost all the way down. Aromsa of dark bitterness, woody malts and a strong hops presence. Flavors were mostly hops and bitter woody flavors. Seemd more like a ramped up ESP or dark IPA. The ABV felt about right for the % and otherwise, simple straight forward taste. Moderate feel, not particularly rich or smooth. Nice but not that interesting. Always glad to try these limited runs.