Cask at GBBF Very dark brown. Coffee and roasted malt on nose, more chocolate than coffee really, not a big fan of this.

Cask @ GBBF Some hop and fruit, bit of tea, dryish hoppy finish intensifies. Amber colour, not bad, but after half a dozen USA IPAs the sickly cloying nature of them becomes a bit much

Deep brown body, large, puffy light tan head. Chocolatey aroma with molasses, hints of dark fruit (plum), and roasted, charred malts. Toasty body with salty, soy-like characteristics (rather like a Baltic Porter), as well as molasses, chocolate, and hints of raisins. Slight tartness on the finish. Medium-bodied, quite complex, and quite delicious. Thanks OldGrowth for the bottle!

[Cask at GBBF 2004] An amber beer with no head. Both the aroma and flavor are sweet with the totally dominating note being hops.

2004 bottle at Julio’s Spring Beer Fest, 04/02/05. Dark, muted mahogany, with some lighter yellow-ambers and a tinge of red. Foamy white head is well-retained. Aroma of sweet, nutty malt and light yeast, with soft leafy, juicy hops, a bit of dirtiness, but I dont mind. Doughy and substantial nose continues as you drink. Flavor is sweet and malty, with a caramel and light berry sweetness, soft floral hops and a rich, creamy butter-toffee-meats-fresh-hops finish. As opposed to the usual effect of Berkshire’s beers, which is to start out flavorful and then quickly water down and die out on the finish, this one starts out light but builds up a creamy, doughy body, finishing rich and flavorful, with a wonderful balance of hops and malt. Nothing mind-boggling as far as complexity goes, but just a superb balance and mouthfeel. Medium-full body. Surprised that it is 6.3 abv, I couldnt tell. One of the better beers I had all day. Will certainly buy more of this.

Growler, Julio’s Spring Beer Fest, 4/02/05. A dark copper-amber, with dark yellow and light brown notes, slightly hazy, small white head, mostly dissipating to a small ring. Aroma is very fruity, but there is also some citric bitterness, though it is greatly toned down from a West Coast IPA. A bit of soap detracts, but there is some grassiness, cara-pils like malt sugariness, a bit of crystal malt and slight sour-like yeast. Odd aroma. Flavor is floral and lightly minty, with a relaxed hops bitterness. Dry pale malt proves to be a bit too papery, while the yeast adds a note of sour-fruit, very light. It wants to be malty, pale and a little caramel, but ultimately gets VERY watery and loose (very low carbonation) in the middle and finish. Dry hops bitterness on the aftertaste.

From a growler, at Julio’s Spring Beer Fest, 4/02/05. Pale gold, little bit of straw yellow with a small amount of bubbly white head. Aroma of light wheat, hay, dry pale malt and a touch of yeast. Some faint lemon and orange notes. A bit of flowery, soft hops, little bitterness. Flavor is very dry, with a slight lemon and wheat body to it, low bitterness, moderate carbonation and a hint of yeast. Though it’s light bodied, it is not a watery mess. As usual, some sweetness would not kill it (why does a kolsch seem to mean zero malt sweetness to most American brewers?). No light honey, all dry grass and hay, with slight pepperiness on the finish.

2004 bottle. Good hazy chestnut brown pour, which also reveals light auburn tints when held to the light. Plenty of sediment left at the bottom. Smells of moderate roast, some milk chocolate, a hint of yeast in there as well. Flavor seems much stronger than the aroma lets on. Creamy chocolate silk, lightly oily roast notes, a hint of pale malt and some nutty notes on the finish. Low hops, there is some bitterness from them on the finish, but they add a light flavor more than anything. A bit tangy at the very end, with the yeast, hops and roast combined pretty well. Medium body, very smooth and silky. Low carbonation (I also let the bottle breath for a half hour).

2004 draught @ Redbones. Pours a deep chocolate brown with some dark beiges and amber tinges on the sides. Good light mocha colored head and a pretty strong coffee-roast aroma with hazelnuts and light chocolate. Flavor is chocolatey, moderately coffee-like and has a smooth roast that is pleasant and not too bitter or dry. A great balance of not overdrying the porter with no huge sticky sweet malt makes for a very drinkable porter. Body is not ultra thin, for once, with this brewery. Actually a bit of oaty-like chewiness and some chocolate stickiness. Light tinges of hops on the finish, more cocoa and roast.