8.4/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
12 ounce bottle into tulip glass, bottled on 6/9/2015. Pours nearly opaque dark brown color with a 1 finger dense tan head with good retention, that reduces to a thin cap that lingers. Light spotty soapy lacing clings around the glass, with some light streaming carbonation. Aromas of big raisin, prune, fig, date, light banana, pepper, clove, caramel, toffee, brown sugar, toasted biscuit, nuttiness, light chocolate, and yeast/toasted earthiness. Damn nice aromas with good balance and complexity of dark/bready malt and fruity/spicy yeast notes; with good strength. Taste of big raisin, prune, fig, date, light banana, pepper, clove, caramel, toffee, brown sugar, toasted biscuit, nuttiness, light chocolate, and yeast/toasted earthiness. Good amount of peppery yeast spiciness on the finish; with lingering notes of raisin, prune, fig, date, pepper, clove, caramel, toffee, brown sugar, toasted biscuit, nuttiness, light chocolate, and yeast/toasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Fantastic complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/bready malt and fruity/spicy yeast flavors; with a great malt/yeast spiciness balance and zero cloying flavors after the finish. Medium carbonation and medium-full bodied; with a very smooth, moderately creamy/slick, and lightly sticky mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is very well hidden with only a small warmth lingering after the finish. Overall this is an awesome Belgian strong dark ale. All around great complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/bready malt and fruity/spicy yeast flavors; and very smooth to sip on for the big ABV. A highly enjoyable offering.
Tried
from Bottle
on 21 Aug 2015
at 20:16
6/10
Tried
on 20 Aug 2015
at 21:30
8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
12 ounce bottle into pint glass, bottled on 6/24/2015. Pours hazy golden orange color with a 2 finger dense and rocky white head with great retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lingers. Nice dense soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation retaining the head. Aromas of mango, melon, pineapple, pear, lemon zest, orange peel, coriander, pepper, clove, wheat, cracker, light honey, herbal, grass, and yeast earthiness. Very nice aromas with good balance and complexity of fruit/spices, earthy yeast, and pale malt notes; with good strength. Taste of big mango, melon, pineapple, pear, lemon zest, orange peel, coriander, pepper, clove, wheat, cracker, light honey, herbal, grass, and yeast earthiness. Light-moderate herbal bitterness/yeast spiciness on the finish; with lingering notes of mango, melon, pineapple, lemon/orange peel, coriander, pepper, clove, wheat, cracker, and herbal/yeast earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Very nice robustness, complexity, and balance of fruit/spices, earthy yeast, and pale malt flavors; with a good malt/spice/bitterness balance and no cloying flavors after the finish. Medium carbonation and body; with a very smooth, moderately creamy, and lightly sticky mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is very well hidden with minimal warming present after the finish. Overall this is a damn nice fruited witbier style. All around great complexity, robustness, and balance of fruit/spices, earthy yeast, and pale malt flavors; and very smooth and easy to drink. A very enjoyable offering.
Tried
from Bottle
on 24 Jul 2015
at 20:32
6.8/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7
Poured from a bottle. Aroma is balanced between malt and hops. Moderate toasted bread and light caramel with some light cracker and honey. Moderate grapefruit and pine resin with some light tropical fruit. A bit floral. Pours a cloudy, hazy, orange copper with e medium large, moderately thick, slightly off white head head that slowly recedes to a thin film, thicker on the edges that lingers for quite some time. Medium light lacing and medium small legs. Flavor is moderately sweet with moderate caramel and toasted bread notes. Some light cracker malt as well. Moderately strong bitterness with moderate hop notes. Hops are mostly grapefruit and resin with some lighter floral and spice notes. A hint of the alcohol. Mouthfeel is medium bodied with medium carbonation. Low astringency and low alcohol warmth. Overall, a pretty malty IPA without much hop character. This is definitely not my preferred style of IPA.
Tried
from Bottle
on 20 Jul 2015
at 23:48
7.8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
12 oz bottle. Pours a very deep brown to black with a tan head. Raisiny plum aroma, molasses and a bit nutty. Nutty raisin flavor (black raisin with a bit of green), molasses, with a yeasty edge, and even a nice late alcohol touch. A well-executed Belgian dark.
Tried
from Bottle
on 03 Jul 2015
at 01:48
8.4/10
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Appearance 10
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
12 ounce bottle into pint glass, bottled on 5/20/2015. Pours hazy deep golden yellow color with a 2 finger dense and rocky off white head with fantastic retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lasts. Nice dense soapy lacing clings down the glass, with a good amount of streaming carbonation retaining the head. Incredible appearance. Aromas of big lemon, pear, apple, light banana, orange peel, coriander, clove, wheat, cracker, light honey, herbal, grass, and yeast earthiness. Damn nice aromas with good balance and complexity of fruity/earthy yeast, spices, and pale malt notes; with good strength. Taste of big lemon, pear, apple, light banana, orange peel, coriander, clove, wheat, cracker, light honey, herbal, grass, and yeast earthiness. Light herbal bitterness/yeast spice on the finish; with lingering notes of lemon, pear, apple, light banana, orange peel, coriander, clove, wheat, cracker, light honey, and herbal/yeast earthiness on the finish for a while. Damn nice robustness and complexity of fruity/earthy yeast, spices, and pale malt flavors; with a great malt/yeast/spice balance and zero cloying flavors after the finish. Medium carbonation and body; with a very smooth, moderately creamy, and slightly sticky mouthfeel that is great. Alcohol is very well hidden with zero warming present after the finish. Overall this is a highly excellent witbier. All around great complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/earthy yeast, spices, and pale malt flavors; and very smooth and easy to drink. A very enjoyable offering.
Tried
from Bottle
on 27 Jun 2015
at 20:12
8.1/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
12 ounce bottle into tulip glass, bottled on 5/28/2015. Pours lightly hazy/cloudy golden orange color with a 2 finger dense off white head with good retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Nice soapy lacing clings around the glass. Aromas of big grapefruit, tangerine, pineapple, lemon zest, orange peel, pine, light caramel, bread, and floral/grassy earthiness. Very nice aromas with good balance and complexity of bright citrus/piney hops and light-moderate malt notes; with great strength. Taste of big grapefruit, tangerine, pineapple, lemon zest, orange peel, pine, light caramel, bread, and floral/grassy earthiness. Good amount of pine/citrus rind bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of grapefruit, tangerine, pineapple, lemon/orange peel, pine, light caramel, bread, and floral/grassy earthiness on the finish for a while. Damn nice complexity and robustness of bright citrus/piney hops and light-moderate malt flavors; with a crisp malt/bitterness balance and no cloying flavors after the finish. Medium carbonation and body; with a very smooth, sticky, and slightly creamy mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is very well hidden with minimal warming present after the finish. Overall this is an excellent IPA. All around great complexity, robustness, and balance of bright citrus/piney hops and light-moderate malt flavors; and very smooth and crisp to drink for the ABV. A very enjoyable offering. --- Beer merged from original tick of Live Wire IPA on 03 Oct 2019 at 19:56 - Score: 8. Original review text: Awesome. Clean classic C hops, balanced bready malts. Mild sweet w resin drying. Spot on Midwest style ipa.
Tried
from Bottle
on 25 Jun 2015
at 21:25
7.9/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
12 ounce bottle into pint glass, bottled on 6/3/2015. Pours lightly hazy/cloudy deep orange/amber color with a 2 finger dense and rocky light khaki head with good retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of grapefruit, lemon zest, orange peel, pine, caramel, toast, biscuit, light chocolate, herbal, and floral/grassy earthiness. Very nice aromas with good balance and complexity of bright citrus/piney hops and moderate dark/bready malt notes; with good strength. Taste of big grapefruit, lemon zest, orange peel, pine, caramel, toast, biscuit, light chocolate, herbal, and floral/grassy earthiness. Good amount of pine/grassy bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of grapefruit, lemon/orange peel, pine, caramel, toast, biscuit, light chocolate, and herbal/grassy earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Very nice complexity, robustness, and balance of bright citrus/piney hops and moderate dark/bready malt flavors; with a nice malt/bitterness balance and zero cloying flavors after the finish. Medium carbonation and body; with a very smooth, moderately sticky, and lightly creamy/bready mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is very well hidden with minimal warmth lingering after the finish. Overall this is a very nice hoppy amber ale style. All around good robustness, balance, and complexity of bright citrus/piney hops and moderate dark/bready malt flavors; and very smooth and crisp to drink. A very enjoyable offering.
Tried
from Bottle
on 23 Jun 2015
at 21:27
7.9/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
12 ounce bottle into snifter, bottled on 5/18/2015. Pours fairly pitch black color with a 1 finger dense tan head with good retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings around the glass, with some light streaming carbonation. Aromas of dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, toasted oats, dark bread, light smoke, herbal, and roasted earthiness. Very nice aromas with good balance and complexity of roast/bready malt and moderate earthy hop notes; with good strength. Taste of big dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, toasted oats, dark bread, light smoke, herbal, and roasted earthiness. Fair amount of herbal/roasted bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, toasted oats, dark bread, light smoke/char, and herbal/roasted earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Very nice robustness, complexity, and balance of roast/bready malt and moderate earthy hop flavors; with a great roasted bitterness/sweetness balance and zero cloying flavors after the finish. Medium carbonation and body; with a very smooth, moderately creamy, 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 oatmeal stout style. All around good complexity, robustness, and balance of roast/bready malt and moderate earthy hop flavors; and very smooth to drink for the ABV. A very enjoyable offering.
Tried
from Bottle
on 21 Jun 2015
at 20:23
7.9/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
12 ounce bottle into pint glass, bottled on 5/21/2015. Pours lightly hazy/cloudy deep golden yellow color with a 1-2 finger dense and fluffy white head with good retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a moderate amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of grapefruit, tangerine, pineapple, peach, lemon zest, orange peel, light pine, light caramel, honey, bread, and floral/grassy earthiness. Very nice aromas with good balance and complexity of citrus/tropical hops and moderate malt sweetness; with good strength. Taste of grapefruit, tangerine, pineapple, peach, lemon zest, orange peel, light pine, light caramel, honey, bread, and floral/grassy earthiness. Light-moderate pine/grassy bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of grapefruit, tangerine, pineapple, peach, lemon/orange zest, light pine, light caramel, honey, bread, and floral/grassy earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Very nice complexity, robustness, and balance of citrus/tropical hops and moderate malt sweetness; with a great malt/bitterness balance and zero cloying flavors after the finish. Medium carbonation and body; with a very smooth and lightly creamy/sticky mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is very well hidden with zero warming present after the finish as expected of 4.8%. Overall this is a very nice session IPA. All around good robustness, complexity, and balance of citrus/tropical hops and moderate malt sweetness; and very smooth and easy to drink. A very enjoyable offering.
Tried
from Bottle
on 14 Jun 2015
at 20:31