7/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7
Tap at Hess. It pours very dark brown, with a thin tan head. The nose is roasted malt, toast, coffee, chocolate, liquorice, smoked cheese and ham. The taste is roasted malt, chocolate, coffee, brown sugar, umami aspect, leather, smoked ham and cheese and caramel, with a long dry-roasted finish. Over-all it’s pretty savoury. Full body and moderate carbonation. An interesting brew.
Tried
from Draft
on 19 Mar 2012
at 06:11
7.6/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
On tap at the brewery. Pours with a black body with a thin, tan-nish to yellow head. Aromas are floral, estery, alcohol, spicy with some fudge notes. Interesting, different and complex. Spicy, tea notes and a bit dank hops. Flavors are really pretty balanced with a slightly dry leaning, some floral notes. I don’t say this often (at all) but there is an interesting house flavor to this one (take that as you will, smells like the bathroom air freshner a bit). Bitter, lightly fruity, very bitter chocolate notes. Medium bubbles, big bodied. Serious beer. Unique RIS but quite good.
Tried
from Draft
on 24 Oct 2011
at 22:32
7.9/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
On tap at the brewery. One dimensional (per se) but a great beer. Pours with a near black hued body with a lasting tan head. Aromas are quite rich, dark cocoa, rich coffee, creamer and vanilla. Flavors are completely coffee with creamer (one of those beers, but well done none the less). Vanilla, chocolate, great coffee flavor. Roasty and lightly bitter, medium bodied with medium to light carbonation. Great beer.
Tried
from Draft
on 24 Oct 2011
at 22:24
4.8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 5
Flavor 1
Texture 6
Overall 6
On tap at the brewery, labeled at 11.5% (instead of the currently listed 11.3%). I saw San Diego Pale Ale, and I was excited thinking of a Session IPA (San Diego Session Pale Ale?), nope, saw the 11+% ABV, interesting. Pours with a lightly hazed golden body with a large and fluffy off-white head. Sadly it gets less pleasant from here. I liked most of this small but tenacious brewery’s offerings, not this. Aromas of crystal malt, tea, floral and lightly citrus (orange hops), alcohol, fusel and lemon custard (sometimes I associate stressed yeast/fusel + diacetyl with lemon custard, I hope I’m wrong). Flavors are heavy on the diacetyl (which confirms the lemon custard aroma thoughts), butterscotch, boozy, fusel, a bit harsh. Bitter. Floral and orange. Lively mouthfeel, a bit sweet in the finish with a lot of fusel. Yeast seems very stressed on this one (at least this batch). I look forward to trying a more tuned batch of this.
Tried
from Draft
on 24 Oct 2011
at 22:09
7.2/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7
On tap at the brewery. Pours with a near black body with a large, fluffy, off-white head. Aromas are of cocoa, coffee, roast, spice, citrus, pine, hops, light leather. Flavors a bit too roast forward for my taste in Black IPA’s (or whatever you want to call them)(I’m picky in that respect), that said it is just barely too roasty. Flavors of roast, leather, citrus, pine and some dankness from the hops. Medium bubbles and body. Dry and nicely bitter.
Tried
from Draft
on 24 Oct 2011
at 22:03
6.6/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 6.5
Tap at the brewery. Pours with a hazed amber body with a large, creamy off-white head. Aromas are estery, odd bready notes, malty, caramel, munich notes, and brown sugar. Flavors are malty, tea, oddly (aggressively) bitter for the style. A bit astringent at that. Bready and grainy. Medium to lively bubbles with medium carbonation. Noticeably astringent malt flavor in the finish.
Tried
from Draft
on 24 Oct 2011
at 22:00
6.8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 8
Overall 7
On tap at the brewery. Pours with a clear golden hued body with a big, foamy white head. Aromas are hugely pungent with floral honey notes, citronella and lemon verbena. Tea. Very pleasant despite those descriptors. Flavors are spicy, floral, honey, curacao, and grainy. Pretty good. Light bodied, medium dry with slightly livelier bubbles.
Tried
from Draft
on 24 Oct 2011
at 21:58
5.9/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 5
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 6.5
On tap (both nitro and regular) at the brewery. FYI, this isn’t a cream ale in the slightest. Pours with a very deep brown body with a large off-white head. Aromas are lightly roasty, very bready and clean with a hint of coffee/roast. Maybe a light sour note?. Flavors are a little bit spicy (rye?), and even a touch of acidity. Prominent flavors are malt: grainy, roasty and bready. Dry mouthfeel, a bit thin with medium to slightly light carbonation.
Tried
from Draft
on 24 Oct 2011
at 21:55
6.5/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 8
Overall 7
On tap at the brewery. Pours with a hazed yellow body with no real head to last. Aromas are grainy, floral, earthy and bready with light tea notes. Flavors are nice but kind of (oddly) sharp. Bready, floral, grassy, and grainy otherwise. Medium bubbles and dry.
Tried
from Draft
on 24 Oct 2011
at 21:48
6.8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 8
Overall 7
On tap at Hess. Pours with a hazed amber body with a lasting off-white head. Aromas are very atypical for the style. Aromas are lightly spicy, estery, pepper, over ripe fruit, caramel, vinous and some brandy boozy notes. Flavors are earthy, grainy, malty, caramel, vinous with light alcohol notes. Medium to slightly lively carbonation for a big Scotch ale. Fuller bodied. Not a bad beer, but very out of style with a strange yeast character/presence.
Tried
from Draft
on 24 Oct 2011
at 21:44