Subsidiaries
6.1/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 5.5
Bomber, labeled as 10% ABV, from trade with realale420 (thanks, man!) - shared this at beastiefan2k’s place - not sure if anyone else from that party will rate this, but the consensus seemed to be pretty much against the grain for this beer so far (I think one person in attendance likened drinking this to drinking gasoline, or some other petrolium-based product) - dark, stout-looking pour, with small ring of tan lace - lots of alcohol wafting up from the glass, nearly overpowering the coffee and dark chocolate notes in the aroma (hints of black cherry as well) - oily mouthfeel - quite roasty, with espresso and cocoa being pretty dominant, with some dates/raisins, other dark-ish fruits - but the alcohol is much too dominant - it burns, man! - a phenolic, wood alcohol kind of burn, crowding out the other (otherwise pleasant) flavors - finish? - more burning, with some vanilla/nutty/rum stuff going on - on the up side, it probably killed so much of the bacteria in my mouth that I won’t have to brush my teeth for the next week - I can’t bring myself to give it lower then a 3, though, because it really has potential - maybe if some age mellows the alcohol.
Tried
from Can
on 18 Nov 2006
at 19:06
8.1/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 9
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
Draft at the Bistro’s Barrel-Aged Beer Fest 11/11/06 Nose of vanilla, light caramel, light barnyard, and tartness; Gold with a small white head; Flavor of vanilla, yeast, and caramel malts in a medium body with a tart finish.
Tried
from Draft
on 15 Nov 2006
at 21:09
8.4/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
Draft at the Bistro’s First Barrel-aged Beer Fest; Nose of coffee, caramel, bourbon, and woodiness; Opaque black with a small tan head; Flavor of bourbon, coffee, chocolate, and oak in a medium body.
Tried
from Draft
on 14 Nov 2006
at 22:12
6.5/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 5
Flavor 8
Texture 6
Overall 7
On Tap @ O’Brien’s. Clear golden color with no head. Very light aroma. Not sure if I smell anything. Flavor is a grapefruit pine combo that results in an almost pineapple zesty lemon tartness. Different. Early on in the sip some malty sweetness is apparent. By midway that vanishes in the face of hops. Crisp fresh tasting brew.
Tried
from Draft
on 02 Nov 2006
at 21:51
8.5/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 9
Texture 10
Overall 9
On Tap @ O’Brien’s. Murky, brackish, dirty brown color with thin tan head. Aroma is light with hop notes mixed with a snipped of malts. Tastes just as it looks. I’ve brewed many a beer that looks just like this. Feels right at home. Chewy caramel maltiness mixed with a pine, slightly citrus, slight green (wet) hoppiness. Great mix. Refreshing brew for an IIPA.
Tried
from Draft
on 02 Nov 2006
at 21:49
6/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 5
Texture 6
Overall 6
Draft. Amber beer with no head. Fresh citrus/grapefruit aroma. Grapefruit flavor with astringent malts. Lingering grassiness and grapefruit flavor. Medium bodied. Some sweetness as you get through it. I had this as 6.3% and finished with Chinook/Centennial.
Tried
from Draft
on 23 Oct 2006
at 15:43
7.2/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7
Hand-bottled #65. Reddish-brown body, medium cream head. Sweet aroma imparted with alcohol, toast, and touches of butterscotch, in addition to piney, grapefruity hops. Caramely, toasty body with citrusy, resiny hops, a bit stale and probably less bitter and potent than they were when the beer was fresh. Dense flavor profile; alchol nearly undetectable. Good but lacks character. A bit too conventional for the style.
Tried
from Bottle
on 27 Aug 2006
at 18:49
7.8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Draft. Ruby amber color with a nice off-white head. Grapefruit/appricot aroma. Big appricot flavor with grapefruit and pine backing. Just enough malt to balance. Lingering piney bitterness. Very good.
Tried
from Draft
on 07 Aug 2006
at 15:21
8.2/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 9
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Lightly hazed golden ale wuith a thick light moka head. Pleasant hops aroma, like a filed of hops and cloves. In mout, sweet honey malt, with nice crisp complex hops, citrus, treacle. Complex body and smooth. At EBF 2006.
Tried
on 18 Mar 2006
at 07:55
8.6/10
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Appearance 10
Aroma 9
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
Another one of which I’ve had numerous samples at different fests but have failed to review yet, so here we go. All have been draught samples, the most recent being at EBF ’06.
Just a stunning appearance, really. Dense, near Orval-like head is wonderfully well-retained. You have to be very patient to let it settle down so that you can unlock more of the aroma than what it gives off at first while the head is still large. The body is lightly hazy, amber-beige with light lemon-lime skin hues, miniscule bubbles and sheets of lace as it proceeds down the glass all too easily. The nose shows light tropical fruits, easygoing citrus (lemons, limes, red grapefruit), smooth undercurrents of honeyish malts and a splash of tangerines and almost wintergreen esters on the end. Profound and sinus-clearing, it is minty and herbal, yet at the same time citrusy and sweet.
The flavor is a cacaphony of hops, yet they seem wedded to the malt better than most examples. The carbonation effortlessly carries the bright and lively hop flavors and pale sugars, hand-in-hand, while light bits of lime tartness and a scratch of pine surface towards the end. Strong and certainly warming, but otherwise tremendously well concealed is the alcohol. Like the best in its class (in my mind), the hop flavor far, far, far exceeds the hop bitterness/acidity. Nor does the malt become cloying or overly syrupy. Lingering on the finish, I keep finding little hints of mint/spearmint/wintergreen, something like that mixed with a delectable hint of lime. I don’t find this to be extremely bitter at all. Medium-full to full body, tight, expressive carbonation, no wateriness or thinning whatsoever. Give me a bit more malt complexity and maybe throw in some more tropical fruits or something to further stand this one apart in the style and it would be perfect.
Just a stunning appearance, really. Dense, near Orval-like head is wonderfully well-retained. You have to be very patient to let it settle down so that you can unlock more of the aroma than what it gives off at first while the head is still large. The body is lightly hazy, amber-beige with light lemon-lime skin hues, miniscule bubbles and sheets of lace as it proceeds down the glass all too easily. The nose shows light tropical fruits, easygoing citrus (lemons, limes, red grapefruit), smooth undercurrents of honeyish malts and a splash of tangerines and almost wintergreen esters on the end. Profound and sinus-clearing, it is minty and herbal, yet at the same time citrusy and sweet.
The flavor is a cacaphony of hops, yet they seem wedded to the malt better than most examples. The carbonation effortlessly carries the bright and lively hop flavors and pale sugars, hand-in-hand, while light bits of lime tartness and a scratch of pine surface towards the end. Strong and certainly warming, but otherwise tremendously well concealed is the alcohol. Like the best in its class (in my mind), the hop flavor far, far, far exceeds the hop bitterness/acidity. Nor does the malt become cloying or overly syrupy. Lingering on the finish, I keep finding little hints of mint/spearmint/wintergreen, something like that mixed with a delectable hint of lime. I don’t find this to be extremely bitter at all. Medium-full to full body, tight, expressive carbonation, no wateriness or thinning whatsoever. Give me a bit more malt complexity and maybe throw in some more tropical fruits or something to further stand this one apart in the style and it would be perfect.
Tried
from Can
on 15 Feb 2006
at 15:32