6.1/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 6.5
Can shared in London - cheers to Tips. Pours hazy gold with a creamy, white head. The nose has some crunchy hay, grass, pale grains. Light sweet flavour with assertive grassy bitterness, husky grains, orange peel. Medium bodied with fine carbonation. Grassy finish, more citrus peel and grain husk, some alcohol. So so.
Tried
from Can
on 08 May 2018
at 19:31
7/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7
Can at L6. It pours hazy orange - gold with a small white head. The aroma is sweet, doughy, Victoria sponge cake, gooseberry fool and icing sugar. The taste is dry, crisp, bitter, flower, grapefruit, pine dust, varnish, grapefruit, floury bread, wood, grassy and some rawness with a drying finish. Medium body and fine carbonation. Not so bad.
Tried
from Can
on 08 May 2018
at 19:28
8/10
Tried
on 08 May 2018
at 19:24
7.2/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7
Draught at the brewery, 12/29/17.
Clear auburn-mahogany. Good-sized beige head shows moderately-strong retention.
Nuts, caramel, mild roast, toffee and moderately fruity esters in the nose with minimal hops, no alcohol or flaw.
In the mouth it shows strong toasted malt character with big caramel, vanilla and nutty notes. Light milk chocolate on the end with dry, bready specialty malts balancing the sweet base malt. Minimal bitterness, good dose of fruitiness from the yeast and a soft, fairly malty texture with proper attenuation and moderate, engaging carbonation.
Clear auburn-mahogany. Good-sized beige head shows moderately-strong retention.
Nuts, caramel, mild roast, toffee and moderately fruity esters in the nose with minimal hops, no alcohol or flaw.
In the mouth it shows strong toasted malt character with big caramel, vanilla and nutty notes. Light milk chocolate on the end with dry, bready specialty malts balancing the sweet base malt. Minimal bitterness, good dose of fruitiness from the yeast and a soft, fairly malty texture with proper attenuation and moderate, engaging carbonation.
Tried
on 08 May 2018
at 13:33
8.1/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
Draught at the brewery, 12/29/17.
Dark ebony, undetermined clarity with a light tan head atop showing moderate-to-low retention.
The nose is really crazy and shows tons of what seems to be light orange zest or even softer orange oil/orange essence. So much so that I was sure there had to be some in here. But nope, this is all hop-derived. Pretty cool, even though I don't get the Galaxy, the Cashmere is soft and oozing with oily, green, dank character. Nothing aggressive and only a pinch of light cocoa in the background from the malt. Doesn't overwhelm with stout-like character. No resin, alcohol, pine tar or anything else that usually turns me off from this style.
In the mouth it's light, soft, pleasantly hoppy and only offers up light chocolate and minimal roast, with hints of honey, caramel and vanilla melding seemlessly with the hop notes to create a moderate citrus character. Low-to-moderate, balancing bitterness and a well-attenuated but malty texture with engaging carbonation. Hops outdo the black malts/roasted barley by a good margin and the base malt shines through nicely. An actual black IPA, not a hoppy stout. Very nice.
Dark ebony, undetermined clarity with a light tan head atop showing moderate-to-low retention.
The nose is really crazy and shows tons of what seems to be light orange zest or even softer orange oil/orange essence. So much so that I was sure there had to be some in here. But nope, this is all hop-derived. Pretty cool, even though I don't get the Galaxy, the Cashmere is soft and oozing with oily, green, dank character. Nothing aggressive and only a pinch of light cocoa in the background from the malt. Doesn't overwhelm with stout-like character. No resin, alcohol, pine tar or anything else that usually turns me off from this style.
In the mouth it's light, soft, pleasantly hoppy and only offers up light chocolate and minimal roast, with hints of honey, caramel and vanilla melding seemlessly with the hop notes to create a moderate citrus character. Low-to-moderate, balancing bitterness and a well-attenuated but malty texture with engaging carbonation. Hops outdo the black malts/roasted barley by a good margin and the base malt shines through nicely. An actual black IPA, not a hoppy stout. Very nice.
Tried
on 07 May 2018
at 21:43
7/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7
On nitro at the brewery, 12/29/17.
Dark ebony, undetermined clarity. Fluffy, nitro-induced, dark beige head atop showing strong retention.
A big snort of whiskey breaks through even the stiff nitro head. Oak, ash, char and dry raisin/prune with more stiffness all-around to it, than the un-barreled version. Rich and even lightly salty, as the char and oak contribute the light saltiness. Alcohol still well-concealed, though the calvados does add some sharpness to things.
In the mouth it's full of oily oak and vanilla, with a long barrel presence on the end, plentiful tannin and moderate chocolate and char lingering. Soft alcohol and/or calvados notes pepper the finish, as well. Definitely different and heavily influenced by the barrel aging, unsurprisingly. It sharpens and enriches things and it's tough to say which one I prefer. Again, very dry and English with tons of dark fruit character.
Dark ebony, undetermined clarity. Fluffy, nitro-induced, dark beige head atop showing strong retention.
A big snort of whiskey breaks through even the stiff nitro head. Oak, ash, char and dry raisin/prune with more stiffness all-around to it, than the un-barreled version. Rich and even lightly salty, as the char and oak contribute the light saltiness. Alcohol still well-concealed, though the calvados does add some sharpness to things.
In the mouth it's full of oily oak and vanilla, with a long barrel presence on the end, plentiful tannin and moderate chocolate and char lingering. Soft alcohol and/or calvados notes pepper the finish, as well. Definitely different and heavily influenced by the barrel aging, unsurprisingly. It sharpens and enriches things and it's tough to say which one I prefer. Again, very dry and English with tons of dark fruit character.
Tried
on 07 May 2018
at 18:21
7/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7
Draught at the brewery, 12/29/17.
Dark ebony, undetermined clarity, with a charred beige head that is small-to-medium-sized and spotty.
The nose provides light roast, soft, lightly sweet chocolate and hints of prune and molasses. Alcohol is well-concealed and it's neither too dark, roasty nor fudgey-sweet/cloying.
In the mouth it's surprisingly very easygoing. Low malt sweetness with both attenuation and light ash and moderate roast seeing to that. Raisins, figs, prunes and light molasses hints provide good acidity and the beer is soft, lightly malty and shows low carbonation and no alcohol or flaw. Very much in the English vein here, with impressive attenuation and drinking much lower than its size. Lots of black pepper, light char and dry vanilla lingering which really keeps it incredibly dry (too much so?) and moderately bitter on the finish.
Dark ebony, undetermined clarity, with a charred beige head that is small-to-medium-sized and spotty.
The nose provides light roast, soft, lightly sweet chocolate and hints of prune and molasses. Alcohol is well-concealed and it's neither too dark, roasty nor fudgey-sweet/cloying.
In the mouth it's surprisingly very easygoing. Low malt sweetness with both attenuation and light ash and moderate roast seeing to that. Raisins, figs, prunes and light molasses hints provide good acidity and the beer is soft, lightly malty and shows low carbonation and no alcohol or flaw. Very much in the English vein here, with impressive attenuation and drinking much lower than its size. Lots of black pepper, light char and dry vanilla lingering which really keeps it incredibly dry (too much so?) and moderately bitter on the finish.
Tried
on 07 May 2018
at 18:15
7.2/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7
Draught at the brewery, 12/29/17.
Heavily hazy-to-soupy, lime-tinted bronze-maize. White bubbles immediately dissipate.
Yet another supposed primarily Hallertauer Blanc where I'm getting more of a Simcoe/Mosaic character. Lots of pine and light earth with a bit of a sulfur or rustic character to it. Not terribly juicy, with more green vegetal character than anything else. Nectarine, pineapple and spruce are strong but it's low on resin and very sparse on malt with no alcohol noted.
In the mouth it's quite dry, very highly attenuated and straddles the line between having enough malt and being overly dry. I think in the end it works out with tight carbonation and a good light juiciness from the hops. Pineapple, spruce and nectarine are strong with lemon and other light citrus notes. Hints of black pepper and other oddities from the H. Blanc. Much more of a light pale ale with a refreshing, zesty, dry, green hop character. Doesn't have the malt character or big flavors of an IPA. Still, it's quite enjoyable.
Heavily hazy-to-soupy, lime-tinted bronze-maize. White bubbles immediately dissipate.
Yet another supposed primarily Hallertauer Blanc where I'm getting more of a Simcoe/Mosaic character. Lots of pine and light earth with a bit of a sulfur or rustic character to it. Not terribly juicy, with more green vegetal character than anything else. Nectarine, pineapple and spruce are strong but it's low on resin and very sparse on malt with no alcohol noted.
In the mouth it's quite dry, very highly attenuated and straddles the line between having enough malt and being overly dry. I think in the end it works out with tight carbonation and a good light juiciness from the hops. Pineapple, spruce and nectarine are strong with lemon and other light citrus notes. Hints of black pepper and other oddities from the H. Blanc. Much more of a light pale ale with a refreshing, zesty, dry, green hop character. Doesn't have the malt character or big flavors of an IPA. Still, it's quite enjoyable.
Tried
on 07 May 2018
at 17:05
7.4/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Draught at the brewery, 12/29/17.
Ultra-clear, light brass-white peach color with no head/retention.
Smells of gentle/light peach essence and a bit of cereal and/or wheat character behind it. Low on the lactic character; thankfully that matches the lightness of the fruit and malt. No flaw or alcohol. Not massively aromatic, but the peach character is authentic and not overdone.
In the mouth it shows a substantial cereal and wheat-like presence of both flavor and texture. Much moreso than you'd expect from both the abv and the aroma. Neither sweet nor tangy/punchy; low on the kettle sour aspect. Perhaps a bit loose on the carbonation, but otherwise clean, gently fruity, very drinkable and well-done.
Ultra-clear, light brass-white peach color with no head/retention.
Smells of gentle/light peach essence and a bit of cereal and/or wheat character behind it. Low on the lactic character; thankfully that matches the lightness of the fruit and malt. No flaw or alcohol. Not massively aromatic, but the peach character is authentic and not overdone.
In the mouth it shows a substantial cereal and wheat-like presence of both flavor and texture. Much moreso than you'd expect from both the abv and the aroma. Neither sweet nor tangy/punchy; low on the kettle sour aspect. Perhaps a bit loose on the carbonation, but otherwise clean, gently fruity, very drinkable and well-done.
Tried
on 07 May 2018
at 15:26
6/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 5
Canned 11/18/17, drunk 12/23/17.
Dark ebony black body of undetermined clarity. Lacey, dark beige head is small.
Smells quite bready and very full of specialty malt, peanut-laden black malt and even after a month, plentiful, glue-like booze.
In the mouth it's heavy on the cocoa and dark chocolate character, with light fudge-like notes as the base malt mixes in. Lots of peanut butter-like character from the black malt. Seems to lose some of the heavy bread, glue and other phenol-like notes with warming. But it's still a bit too much on the sweet side, with very soft malts and low carbonation working against the balance. Oily with tar and light ash lingering alongside fudgey chocolate.
Dark ebony black body of undetermined clarity. Lacey, dark beige head is small.
Smells quite bready and very full of specialty malt, peanut-laden black malt and even after a month, plentiful, glue-like booze.
In the mouth it's heavy on the cocoa and dark chocolate character, with light fudge-like notes as the base malt mixes in. Lots of peanut butter-like character from the black malt. Seems to lose some of the heavy bread, glue and other phenol-like notes with warming. But it's still a bit too much on the sweet side, with very soft malts and low carbonation working against the balance. Oily with tar and light ash lingering alongside fudgey chocolate.
Tried
from Can
on 06 May 2018
at 15:03