7.4/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 6
Overall 7.5
Got in a trade with The-Adjunct-Hippie. 12 ounce bottle into tulip glass, bottled on 2/14/2019. Pours hazy very dark reddish brown color with a 1 finger dense and fluffy khaki head with great retention, that reduces to a thin cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of caramel, milk chocolate, cocoa, medium roast coffee, brown sugar, toffee, vanilla, cream, roasted nuts, toasted biscuit, and brown bread/crust; with lighter notes of dark fruit, smoke, herbal, grass, pepper, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness. A bit too fruity/yeasty aromas, but not overwhelming. Nice and pleasant aromas with good balance and complexity of dark/roast/bready malts, cocoa, coffee, vanilla, and light fruity yeast/earthy hop notes; with solid strength. Taste of big caramel, milk chocolate, cocoa, medium roast coffee, brown sugar, toffee, vanilla, cream, roasted nuts, toasted biscuit, and brown bread/crust; with lighter notes of dark fruit, smoke, herbal, grass, pepper, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness. Light herbal, grassy, peppery, roasted coffee bitterness; and acidic tang/tartness on the finish. Lingering notes of caramel, milk chocolate, cocoa, medium roast coffee, brown sugar, toffee, vanilla, cream, roasted nuts, toasted biscuit, brown bread/crust, dark fruit, smoke, herbal, grass, pepper, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Very nice complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malts, cocoa, coffee, vanilla, and light fruity yeast/earthy hop flavors; with a nice malt/bitterness and tart/tangy balance; with no puckering/astringent flavors after the finish. Lightly increasing dryness from lingering bitter/tartness. Medium carbonation and body; with a very smooth, moderately creamy/silky/bready, and lightly sticky/chalky/acidic/tangy mouthfeel that is good. Minimal warming alcohol for 6.8%. Overall this is a very good flavored American brown ale. Getting some Lacto infection for sure, but it didn't take over the beer. All around nice complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malts, cocoa, coffee, vanilla, and light fruity yeast/earthy hop flavors; very smooth and easy to drink with the mildly bitter/tart/drying finish. Nicely soft feel. Balanced rich malts, vanilla, cocoa, and fruity/nutty coffee complexity; with solid earthy hop presence/balance. Mildly sweet with lingering dryness. A very enjoyable offering and good style example; aside from the off flavors.
Tried
from Bottle
on 29 May 2019
at 02:36