Subsidiaries
7.9/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
Dark brown, tones of red, minimal head. Fruity malts aroma. Dark fruits, plum. Some herbal hops in the aroma. Malts are there for sure, but a strong bite of spicy hops hits the tongue unexpectedly! I didn't get as much hop in the nose, and then bam! Like many West coast beers, its a bash of intense hoppiness and heavy malts. As well, if not better, balanced than most. I'll have to say I'm surprised at the 10.5% ABV, it was terribly drinkable!
Tried
on 04 Dec 2003
at 06:59
8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 9
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 9
Cloudy (yeast) red-brown color. rich creamy thick head. Rich caramel aroma with dark fruit (persimmon) and dried leaves. Extra smooth and filling in the mouth, huge body. Rich full malt, caramel and med fruit. Heavily hopped. Spicy and lightly citric hops. Resiny chewy feel through the finish. Reminds me of Bigfoot but smoother with a more balanced, more British hop bite.
Tried
on 04 Dec 2003
at 06:49
7.2/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7
2002 Bottle:
Pitch black in colour, fully opaque with a dense brown head with suspended tan particles. Aroma of roasted malt (perhaps oatmeal), dark chocolate and definately coffee. Medium-bodied; Sweet caramel flavour mixed with the roasted malt instantly masked by the coffee and chocolate characteristics. Aftertaste fully bittered from the combintation of chocolate and coffee tastes. Overall, a decent beer, not as good as it could be-the alcohol was still noticeable (a bit too much). I got this twelve ounce bottle purchased by my mom from Merchant's in Dearborn, Michigan and sampled it on 22-November-2003.
Pitch black in colour, fully opaque with a dense brown head with suspended tan particles. Aroma of roasted malt (perhaps oatmeal), dark chocolate and definately coffee. Medium-bodied; Sweet caramel flavour mixed with the roasted malt instantly masked by the coffee and chocolate characteristics. Aftertaste fully bittered from the combintation of chocolate and coffee tastes. Overall, a decent beer, not as good as it could be-the alcohol was still noticeable (a bit too much). I got this twelve ounce bottle purchased by my mom from Merchant's in Dearborn, Michigan and sampled it on 22-November-2003.
Tried
from Bottle
on 03 Dec 2003
at 19:59
6.4/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 6.5
Dark brown colour with ruby highlights and a dense large-bubbled light brown head. Aroma of malt, nuttiness and an odd-off scented cheesy aroma! Medium to Full-bodied; Strong nuttiness mixed with some spices combined with a large malt backbone. Aftertaste left spicey and a bit nutty. Overall, a decent beer-but i'm not one for this style! I got this twelve ounce bottle purchased by my mom from Merchant's in Dearborn, Michigan and sampled it on 21-November-2003.
Tried
from Bottle
on 03 Dec 2003
at 13:52
8.5/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 9
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 9
Pours extremely viscous, nearly "lijmend" (Sacch. viscosus?); disparate foam, yellowish; opaque dark orange-brown. Very vinous nose, rich & complex; woody, blue grapes, slightly coriander, also parsley. Luscious fruit, bitterish taste, spicey and bitter chocolate. Everything which can be good in a beer. Very hoppy-bitterish palate covering malty richness. Fruity as dark plums, preserved oranges, etc. Warming up, the coriander gives some soupy connotations. Viscosity also in the mouthfeel, very thick & syrupy. Long bitterish, spicey aftertaste (black chocolate with nutmeg and coriander). No barley wine could do better than this. love it. Many thanks to J. Mallett from the brewery for bringing this to Belgium!
Tried
from Can
on 29 Nov 2003
at 13:26
8/10
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Appearance 10
Aroma 9
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 8
There is a lot going on with this beer. My first impression of the aroma form the bottle was, "Blatz." After pouring the aroma was more like that of a high quality pils. There are flavors of sweet malt and light fruit. Also some great herbal characteristics. Appearance is of a heavily carbonated hefe weizen. orange, cloudy, thick white head. For some reason the label is upside-down. What's the deal with that? Anyway, this beer was a great surprise.
Tried
from Bottle
on 20 Nov 2003
at 21:26
8.6/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 9
Texture 10
Overall 8.5
There are lots of good things about this beer. The aroma of coffee and roasted malt is well done but not unexpected. Black, thick. Light carbonation. Flavor is medium-sweet with some fruit, lots of coffee, some chocolate. Wine and brandy-like alcohol are present as the beers warms, along with enhanced fruit flavors. Some sourness. Light coffee in the finish, and a dryness that won’t go away as if I just had a cigar. Rich and heavy.
Tried
on 14 Nov 2003
at 22:14
7/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7
I believe this is the 2002 bottling. To be honest, this beer reminds me of a strongly floral, sweet and fruity pale ale. Pours a cloudy yellow-orange with a creamy off-white head. Zesty, fruity and spicy aroma. Flavor is fruity and definitely spicy, but earthiness and the characteristic bitterness of this brewer's Pale Ale and Third Coast Beer tend to dominate the flavor profile. I suspect the yeast phenols produce this quality (even the abundant yeast sediment in the body reminds me of the Pale and Third Coast). Flowery hops noticeable too. A touch of alcohol in the aftertaste. Decent, but not one of my favorite Belgians.
Tried
on 14 Nov 2003
at 20:03
6.4/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 6.5
A few bottles of Batch 5000 still occasionally appear on shelves, and I was lucky to find a few that were most likely returned to the shelf to herald the arrival of Batch 6000. This was one smoky beer. Aroma? Smoke. Appearance? Smoke. OK, not really- poured murky red-brown with a thin off-white ring of foam clinging to the glass, and plenty of yeast sediment in the body. Flavor was dominated by the smoke aspect, and I also detected nuttiness, wood, a touch of dark, sweet fruits, and caramel. Alcohol was suprisingly subdued, as I didn't realize how strong this beer was until reading its description here. Complexity exists in the body, but I found the smoke overwhelming. Would best be served in small quantities.
Tried
from Bottle
on 14 Nov 2003
at 15:02
7/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7
On tap at the Eccentric Cafe. Poured cloudy yellow-orange with a creamy white head. Aroma of orange peel, spice, and banana phenols. Strong cloves, orange peel and banana in the flavor, but the earthy tang of an American wheat cuts the smooth body, creating an interesting dichotomy in the palate. Nicely carbonated. Nicely done.
Tried
from Draft
on 14 Nov 2003
at 14:56