Excelsior! Ten

Courtesy of a traveling colleague. Batch E!006. This brew is a dark brownish amber color with a thick and foamy beige head that recedes slowly. Patches of lacing on the glass. The aroma is piney with notes of hops, caramel and fruit. Medium-bodied and chewy with flavors of hops, pine, malt and some fruit. The finish is hoppy with some spice and bready malt lingering. Good all around.

Hazy red beer, with a frothy, lasting head - aggressive aroma of earthy hops, wood, rye, whiskey, spruce tips, fairly strong sweetness - soft carbonation in the mouth - strong bitterness subdues what would otherwise be a very strong sweetness, mingling to generate sweet citrus and cherry flavors - strong woody character, hints of rye - some earthy, leafy, tobacco-like qualities - a faint hint of smoke - the finish is kind of sticky, with long-lingering fruitiness and pine-like hops - the alcohol is well-masked, but apparent enough to give warmth and encourage slow sipping - falls better in the category of american strong ale - an assertive but nicely balanced beer.