Courtesy of tbd975. The 2005 vintage brew poured deep clear amber with tan head. The aroma is sweetness with a mild level of ripe cherries then a descent load of caramel, some mint leaves, earthiness, herbal, a bit of pine, berries, ginger and rosemary. Wow. The aromatics are all smooth and blended creating an inviting-enticing nose. The taste starts sweet turning caramel candy and seems to turn berry-cherry sweet. Some of the herbal spice notes noticed in the nose are there too but more subdued. I get pine mixing with ginger, mint and a hint of rosemary. The taste is as smooth and blended and delicious as the nose led onto. Very nice.

2005 courtesy of Silphium, thanks (and bring back the fat man).
Appearance: pours with no head and a very dark brown color.
Aroma: strong "up your nose with a rubber hose." Barleywine raison/alcohol + dark sweet, sweet bread + winter time spices (think light Anchor OSA) in the back.
Taste: subdued compared to the taste. Spices really shine through in the flavor full of pine, earth, and others. Long sweet cereal aftertaste. A sipping beer.
Other: a Bells stout-esque feel throughout, low bitterness, medium body with just enough carbonation. Not what I expected and wonderful. 12oz, batch # 7199, Rodenbach Grand Cru smaller tulip glass. 9/3/8/4/17

2004 and 1997 graciously provided by jtw.
The 2004 still smelled very strong with barleywine raison alcohol but with some very nice chocolate in there as well. Sweet chocolate and strong. Taste agina was a subdued version of that, very drinkable for its strength. The biggest difference is the complete lack of spices in this, I got nothing. 9/4/7/3/16

The 1997 was EXTREMELY strong on the nose, much more than any other vintage. Lots of oxidation but a whole lot of alcohol and lots of sherry/raison. The flavor however has gone way downhill. At 10 years, the flavors are starting to seep out, basically it’s starting to lose flavor. Still lots of cardboard, paper, and very bitter alcohol left over. But its really not worth drinking at this age. 8/3/5/3/10

Whoa - this is one killer beer - pours a deep, almost opaque brown (if that’s possible without sediment in the glass) - the aroma reminds me of the stronger rye beers I’ve had (bear republic, sixpoint) - loads of woody, earthy spice, huge nuttiness and chocolate, brown sugar and nutmeg - so much to take in, I can’t possibly detect it all - slick mouthfeel, with minimal carbonation - the flavor is just as intense - the spices and huge hop profile take the stage first, with ginger and cinnamon being the most prevalent, but the huge hop flavor still makes all the other spices its bitch - perfectly balancing sweetness rises from underneath that, with chocolate, caramel, maple syrup and toffee flavors - all of this is followed by deep notes of wood and a kind of mild, earthy/cheesy funkiness that actually compliments the beer quite well - a most unique ale.

2003 bottling. Pours like liquid caramel, with a murky orange-brown body that is topped with just a film of off-white carbonation. The aroma is an explosion of caramel and toffee with apple cider highlights. This is an exercise in flavor. Candied apples, caramel, toffee and buttery flavors are enhanced by an almost minty spiciness, finishing with piney hops bitterness. The big, sticky, relatively flat body is at least as thick as 2002 Expedition Stout. It is as if somebody melted gooey, buttery, spicy cookies in a liquid matrix. Delicious gooey, buttery, spicy cookies, that is. Alcohol is warming but subdued by the syrupy body. Thanks Mike (BBB63) for this rare gem! I have now entered the zone of beer debt.

1993 vintage sampled at Bells 20th Anniversary Party.
Another treat at the Bells gathering was a 750 mL bottle of this vintage treat, which I’ve only sampled once (the 2003 version). The body was dark copper-red, with a thick cream-colored head. Minty, spicy aroma with hints of rosemary. Densely caramely body with brown sugar, prune, grape, rosemary, mint, and definitely ginger. A fellow sampler suggested it was teriyaki sauce, which was a fitting description. Not as Christmas-cookieish as the more recent vintage I tried, but still tasty and quite rich.
Rating for 1993 vintage Eccentric Ale: APP: 5 ARO: 8 FLAV: 8 PAL: 5 OV: 17 (4.3 overall).

2005 vintage, released December 2006.
This year’s release had a deep fiery red-brown body, topped by a thin, dissipating light buff head. The aroma was primarily of cinnamon and ginger, met by sharp notes of hot alcohol. The body is dominated by sweet malts, almost soda-like in their sugary immediacy, paired with the spices mentioned above. Alcohol detectable but not overtly so. Not as complex or interesting as the other vintages I’ve tried, this even comes across as a bit thin due to the lack of depth exhibited by the exaggerated sweet malts. Rating: 7-4-7-4-14 (3.6).