7.9/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
22 ounce bottle into pint glass, bottled in 8/2016. Pours pitch black color with a 2 finger dense dark brown head with great retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings down the glass. Aromas of big hazelnut coffee, milk chocolate, cocoa, caramel, toasted dark bread, light vanilla/cream, herbal, and roasted earthiness. Very nice aromas with good balance and complexity of dark/roast/bready malt, hazelnut coffee, and light earthy hop notes; with great strength. Taste of big hazelnut coffee, milk chocolate, cocoa, caramel, toasted dark bread, light vanilla/cream, herbal, and roasted earthiness. Light herbal/roasted bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of hazelnut coffee, milk chocolate, cocoa, caramel, toasted dark bread, light vanilla/cream, and herbal/roasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Very nice complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malt, hazelnut coffee, and light earthy hop flavors; with a great roasted bitter/sweet balance, and zero cloying flavors after the finish. Medium carbonation and medium-plus body; with a very smooth, moderately creamy/silky, and lightly chalky balanced mouthfeel that is nice. Minimal warming alcohol as expected of 6%. Overall this is a very nice English style coffee stout. All around nice complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malt, hazelnut coffee, and light earthy hop flavors; very smooth and easy to drink. A very enjoyable offering.
Tried
from Bottle
on 08 Sep 2016
at 21:27
7.6/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
22 ounce bottle into pint glass; no bottle dating, but is a recent release. Pours fairly crystal clear deep reddish brown color; with a 1-2 finger dense and rocky khaki head with good retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lingers. Nice dense soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a moderate amount of streaming carbonation retaining the head. Aromas of dark roasted coffee, chocolate, cocoa, caramel, toasted brown bread, light nuttiness, herbal, wood, light dark fruit, and roast/toasted earthiness. Nice aromas with good balance and complexity of dark/roast/bready malt, coffee, and light earthy hop/fruity yeast notes; with good strength. Taste of big dark roasted coffee, chocolate, cocoa, caramel, toasted brown bread, light nuttiness, herbal, wood, light dark fruit, and roast/toasted earthiness. Light-moderate herbal hop and roast bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of coffee, chocolate, cocoa, caramel, toasted brown bread, light nuttiness, and roast/toasted earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Very nice complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malt, coffee, and light earthy hop/fruity yeast flavors; with a great roasted bitter/sweet balance and zero cloying flavors after the finish. Light dryness from roast/coffee bitterness as well. Medium carbonation and body; with a very smooth, moderately creamy/bready, and lightly sticky/chalky balanced mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is very well hidden with minimal warming present after the finish. Overall this is a very good English coffee brown ale. All around good complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malt, coffee, and light earthy hop/fruity yeast flavors; and very smooth and easy to drink. A very enjoyable offering.
Tried
from Bottle
on 11 Apr 2016
at 22:09
8.1/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
22 ounce bottle into snifter; no bottle dating, but is a recent release. Pours slightly hazy deep ruby red color with a 2 finger dense and fluffy khaki head with great retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings around the glass; with a moderate amount of streaming carbonation retaining the cap. Aromas of big tangerine, apricot, mango, raisin, plum, fig, date, apple, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, toasted biscuit, light nuttiness/chocolate, herbal, floral, and yeast/toasted earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of citrus/floral hops, fruity yeast, and dark/bready malt sweetness; with great strength. Taste of big tangerine, apricot, mango, raisin, plum, fig, date, apple, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, toasted biscuit, light nuttiness/chocolate, herbal, floral, and yeast/toasted earthiness. Moderate herbal/floral/spicy bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of tangerine, apricot, mango, raisin, plum, fig, date, apple, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, toasted biscuit, light nuttiness/chocolate, herbal, floral, and yeast/toasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Damn nice complexity, robustness, and balance of citrus/floral hops, fruity yeast, and dark/bready malt sweetness; with a great malt/bitterness balance and zero cloying flavors after the finish. Light dryness from bitterness as well. Light-medium carbonation and fairly full bodied; with a very smooth, creamy/bready/silky, and lightly slick/sticky balanced mouthfeel that is awesome. Alcohol is very well hidden with only a light warmth lingering after the finish. Overall this is a really excellent English barleywine style! All around great complexity, robustness, and balance of citrus/floral hops, fruity yeast, and dark/bready malt sweetness; and very smooth and easy to sip on for the ABV. A very enjoyable offering.
Tried
from Bottle
on 29 Feb 2016
at 21:52
8.1/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
22 ounce bottle into pint glass; bottled in 6/2015. Pours slightly hazy/cloudy deep ruby red/copper color with a 1-2 finger dense light khaki head with good retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Light spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a light amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of caramel, brown sugar, toasted bread, and light herbal hops; with big fresh/meaty red/green chile peppers, and herbal/spicy earthiness. Very nice aromas with good balance of dark/bready malt, chile pepper, and light earthy hop notes; with great strength. Taste of caramel, brown sugar, toasted bread, and light herbal hops; with big fresh/meaty/spicy red/green chile peppers, and herbal/spicy earthiness. Moderate amount of earthy pepper spiciness and light herbal bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of caramel, brown sugar, toasted bread, red/green chile pepper, and herbal/spicy earthiness on the finish for a while. Damn nice robustness and balance of dark/bready malt, chile pepper, and light earthy hop flavors; with a great malt/spiciness balance and zero cloying flavors after the finish. A moderate amount of pepper head builds on the finish as you finish the glass, but never becomes overwhelming. Alcohol is very well hidden with minimal warming present after the finish. Overall this is an excellent chile pepper amber ale style. All around great robustness and balance of dark/bready malt, chile pepper, and light earthy hop flavors; and very smooth and easy to drink with the the balanced pepper heat/spiciness. A very enjoyable offering.
Tried
from Bottle
on 27 Oct 2015
at 22:01
8/10
Awesome! Huge juicy mangos with med-full floral/citrus honey sweetness; light ester fruits. Slight tart/tangy and smooth/balanced finish.
Tried
on 26 Oct 2015
at 22:53
7.9/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
22 ounce bottle into snifter; no bottle dating, but was just released recently. Pours dense pitch black color with a 1-2 finger dense dark tan head with good retention, that reduces to a thin cap that lingers. Light spotty soapy lacing clings around the glass, with a light amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of big dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, vanilla, cream, toast, dark bread, light smoke/char, light licorice/dark fruit, and herbal/roasted earthiness. Very nice aromas with good complexity and balance of roast/bready malt, cocoa/lactose, and light earthy hop/yeast ester notes; with good strength. Taste of big dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, vanilla, cream, toast, dark bread, light smoke/char, light licorice/dark fruit, and herbal/roasted earthiness. Light-moderate herbal/roasted bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, vanilla, cream, toast, dark bread, light smoke/char, and herbal/roasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Very nice complexity, robustness, and balance of roast/bready malt, cocoa/lactose, and light earthy hop/yeast ester flavors; with a great roasted bitterness/sweetness balance and zero cloying flavors after the finish. Light-medium carbonation and full bodied; with a very smooth, creamy/silky, and lightly sticky/chalky mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is very well hidden with minimal warming present after the finish. Overall this is a very nice imperial milk stout. All around good complexity, robustness, and balance of roast/bready malt, cocoa/lactose, and light earthy hop/yeast ester flavors; and very smooth to sip on for the big ABV. A very enjoyable offering.
Tried
from Bottle
on 24 Oct 2015
at 22:54
8.1/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
22 ounce bottle into snifter; no bottle dating, but was released to bottles recently. Pours pitch black color with a 1-2 finger dense tan head with good retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Light spotty soapy lacing clings around the glass, with a light amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of big milk chocolate, cocoa, caramel, molasses, toffee, vanilla, toasted oats, dark bread, light nuttiness/coffee, light plum/fig, and herbal/roasted earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great complexity and balance of dark/roast/bready malt, vanilla/cocoa nib spice, and light fruity yeast/earthy hop notes; with great strength. Taste of big milk chocolate, cocoa, caramel, molasses, toffee, vanilla, toasted oats, dark bread, light nuttiness/coffee, light plum/fig, and herbal/roasted earthiness. Light herbal/roasted bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of milk chocolate, cocoa, caramel, molasses, toffee, vanilla, toasted oats, dark bread, and herbal/roasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Damn nice complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malt, vanilla/cocoa nib spice, and light fruity yeast/earthy hop flavors; with great balanced roasted bittersweet finish and zero cloying flavors after the finish. Light-medium carbonation and medium-full bodied; with a very smooth, creamy, silky, and lightly bready/chalky mouthfeel that is great. Alcohol is well hidden with only a light warmth lingering after the finish. Overall this is an excellent oatmeal stout style. All around great complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malt, vanilla/cocoa nib spice, and light fruity yeast/earthy hop flavors; and very smooth and easy to drink for the ABV. A very enjoyable offering.
Tried
from Bottle
on 05 Oct 2015
at 22:05
8.4/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
22 ounce bottle into pint glass; no bottle dating, but was released fairly recently to the area. Pours fairly pitch black color with a 2 finger dense and fluffy tan head with great retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings down the glass, with a moderate amount of streaming carbonation retaining the head. Aromas of big milk chocolate, cocoa, cream cheese, caramel, toffee, vanilla, light coffee, toast, dark bread, light herbal, and roasted earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great complexity and balance of dark/roasted malt, cream cheese/vanilla, and light earthy hop notes; with great strength. Taste of big milk chocolate, cocoa, cream cheese, caramel, toffee, vanilla, light coffee, toast, dark bread, light herbal, and roasted earthiness. Light herbal/roasted bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of milk chocolate, cocoa, cream cheese, caramel, toffee, vanilla, light coffee, and roasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Fantastic complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roasted malt, cream cheese/vanilla, and light earthy hop flavors; with a nice roasted bitterness/sweetness balance and zero cloying flavors after the finish. Light-medium carbonation and medium bodied; with a very smooth, moderately creamy/silky, and slightly chalky mouthfeel that is great. Alcohol is very well hidden with minimal warming present after the finish. Overall this is an awesome milk stout! All around great complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roasted malt, cream cheese/vanilla, and light earthy hop flavors; and very smooth and easy to drink. A highly enjoyable offering.
Tried
from Bottle
on 29 Sep 2015
at 22:12
8.1/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
22 ounce bottle into pint glass; no bottle dating, but was released fairly recently. Pours slightly hazy golden orange color with a 1-2 finger dense off white head with good retention, that reduces to a thin cap that lingers. Aromas of sweet/lightly tart raspberry, whipped cream, vanilla, cracker, bread, light honey, herbal, grass, light pear/apple, and yeast earthiness. Very nice aromas with good balance of raspberry/cream, pale malt, and light earthy hop/yeast ester notes; with good strength. Taste of sweet/lightly tart raspberry, whipped cream, vanilla, cracker, bread, light honey, herbal, grass, light pear/apple, and yeast earthiness. Minimal earthy bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of raspberry, whipped cream, vanilla, cracker, bread, herbal, grass, and yeast earthiness on the finish for a short bit. Damn nice robustness and balance of raspberry/cream, pale malt, and light earthy hop/yeast ester notes; with a good malt/bitterness balance and zero cloying flavors after the finish. Good amount of dryness after the finish, and also very clean with low levels of yeast ester fruitiness. Medium carbonation and light-medium bodied; with a very smooth, moderately crisp, and slightly creamy/bready mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is very well hidden with zero warming present after the finish as expected of 5.2%. Overall this is an excellent fruity cream ale style. All around great balance and robustness of raspberry/cream, pale malt, and light earthy hop/yeast ester flavors; and very smooth, crisp, and clean to drink. A very enjoyable offering.
Tried
from Bottle
on 23 Sep 2015
at 21:57
7.6/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
22 ounce bottle into pint glass; no bottle dating, but was released fairly recently. Pours nearly opaque dark brown/black color with a 1-2 finger dense tan head with good retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Light spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a moderate amount of streaming carbonation retaining the cap. Aromas of milk chocolate, cocoa, coffee, toast, dark bread, light nuttiness, light vanilla/cream, light smoke/char, herbal, floral, and yeast/roasted earthiness. Nice and pleasant aromas with good balance and complexity of roast/bready malt, moderate coffee, and light earthy hop/yeast ester notes; with solid strength. Taste of big milk chocolate, cocoa, coffee, toast, dark bread, light nuttiness, light vanilla/cream, light smoke/char, herbal, floral, and yeast/roasted earthiness. Light-moderate herbal/roasted bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of milk chocolate, cocoa, coffee, toast, dark bread, light nuttiness, light smoke/char, and herbal/roasted earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Very nice complexity, robustness, and balance of roast/bready malt, moderate coffee, and light earthy hop/yeast ester flavors; with a nice roasted bitterness/sweetness balance and zero cloying flavors after the finish. Medium carbonation and body; with a very smooth, moderately creamy/bready, and lightly sticky/chalky mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is very well hidden with minimal warming present after the finish. Overall this is a very good English style coffee stout. All around good robustness, compelxity, and balance of roast/bready malt, moderate coffee, and light earthy hop/yeast ester flavors; and very smooth and easy to drink. A nicely enjoyable offering.
Tried
from Bottle
on 15 Sep 2015
at 22:05