8

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

Weird, so its listed here as a hazy, and I expected a hazy because I thought the Mortal Bloom beers were hazies...but this was clearly not a hazy?! Poured at most with a light chill haze but otherwise mostly clear golden to amber color, full 2 finger+ head. Pronounced bitterness despite the list 45 IBU (but also not super bitter). A lot of aromatic and flavoring hops, leans towards pine, resin, but hints also at unripe grapefruit rind, and a little sweat sock. Fairly clean and semi-dry to balanced malt profile, hints at crackers, white bread. I like it as a sort of standard DIPA from the oughts era. Cans from Publix Oviedo FL

6.9

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7.5

Dose 0,355l: Bernstein, leichte Trübung, stabiler mittelporiger Schaum; sehr fruchtige + leicht würzige Nase, kräftige Süße, exotische Früchte, Mango, Papaya, Aprikosen, kräftige florale Hopfennoten, kräftig Malz, Karamell, kräftige Hefearomen, würzig-fruchtige Bitterkeit; sehr fruchtiger + würziger Körper, Zitrusnoten, exotische Früchte, kräftige würzige Hopfennoten, kräutrig, leicht harzig, etwas Pinie, kräftig Malz, Karamell, cremig, moderate Kohlensäure, kräftige Hefearomen; fruchtig-würziger Nachgang

7.4

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

12 oz bottle. Just realized this is 15 months old. Aroma is woody, chocolate, coffee, wet stone. Pours inky black with a half finger beige head that settles into a ring quickly. Taste is bittersweet, finishing dry, with flavors of bourbon barrel, cocoa, and coffee. Flavors seem a little muted at this stage, but it’s not bad.

7.6

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

Bottled 7/24/25, drunk 12/26/25, as pictured.
Rich malts pump out the honey, with soft bourbon-like sweetness and mellow oak. Maybe a bit of sweet corn and a hint of warming alcohol, but nothing sharp. Vanilla, oak, honey notes are all round and inviting.
A little more "stiff", shall we say, in the mouth. Same rich honey-like maltiness from the nose, with soft, gently sweet bourbon and vanilla notes, but joined by a peppery, strongly warming alcohol character and light corn. Lingering pepper, hints of hop and mild bourbon. Oaky vanilla and rich, sumptuous, honey-like malts go a long way here, but yeah, there's some dull alcohol and strong peppery warming. You could write it off as "to-style" but I think that would be a cop-out and style or not, there shouldn't be any bit of sharp alcohol in this bourbon barrel American Strong Ale.

7.6

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

Bottled 7/24/25, drunk 12/26/25, as pictured.
Rich malts pump out the honey, with soft bourbon-like sweetness and mellow oak. Maybe a bit of sweet corn and a hint of warming alcohol, but nothing sharp. Vanilla, oak, honey notes are all round and inviting.
A little more "stiff", shall we say, in the mouth. Same rich honey-like maltiness from the nose, with soft, gently sweet bourbon and vanilla notes, but joined by a peppery, strongly warming alcohol character and light corn. Lingering pepper, hints of hop and mild bourbon. Oaky vanilla and rich, sumptuous, honey-like malts go a long way here, but yeah, there's some dull alcohol and strong peppery warming. You could write it off as "to-style" but I think that would be a cop-out and style or not, there shouldn't be any bit of sharp alcohol in this bourbon barrel American Strong Ale.

7.4

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

Founders does not call this beer a hazy on the label or the description, and it’s filtered, so what is it? I think that’s debatable. There’s no reason a beer couldn’t be made exactly like a New England IPA but filtered, and this is a surprisingly smooth imperial IPA. There’s citrus and a little floral notes in the aroma and flavor. Bitterness is moderate. Solid malt body. I could go either way on style. Perhaps it falls somewhere in between, but anyway, it’s quite enjoyable.

7.4

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5

Delt med LeifLong og Rune.

7.6

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

Pale amber gold with a frothy white head and a pine hop aroma. Moderately fizzy, resinous pine and citrus bitterness on top of slightly chewy biscuit malt, finishes dry and bitter.

The Temple of Convenience, Manchester

8.6

Appearance - 9 | Aroma - 8.5 | Flavor - 8.5 | Texture - 9 | Overall - 8.5

0.355l bottle from Beer Republic. Aroma of chocolate, cinnamon, roasted malt, nuts and coffee. Pours pitch black color with thin creamy light brown head and average sparkling appearance. Taste starts with light sweet and rich roasted malt, cinnamon and liquor, following is earthy, ashy and woody, mouthfeel is warm and spicy, while finish is average bitter. Full body, thick texture and lively carbonation in palate. Better to have KBS than KFC…

7.9

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