Location: 12 oz bottle from Central Market, 9/16/13, I'm not too happy I'm in Houston today, but if I have to be, might as well enjoy some beer.

Aroma: The nose is clean and hoppy, pine, resin, grapefruit, and some caramel as well
Appearance: It pours a clear rich orange color with a small lasting sheet of white head
Flavor: The flavor isn't anything crazy, just on-style and hoppy, mid-bitter and lightly sweet
Palate: The body is light-medium, it has a crisp, clean feel, soft carbonation, and a dry finish
Overall Impression: Chalking up Montana ticks, this gets me to 3! This is a right on-style, tasty IPA. It isn't an amazing IPA, but it is a really really solid one. If I lived in Montanta I'd have no problem sessioning this on the regular.

Pours a clear dark ruby - fizzy, soda like carbonation out of the bottle, but is fails to kick up a head and looks almost still after a few minutes - sweet and heavy maltiness in the nose, with notes of toffee, christmas pudding - light acidity and a touch of spiciness try to balance - low carbonation, medium to full body - an early acidity makes way for fairly rich malt character - a lot of toffee, plum - lacks the earthy and peaty notes often associated with the style, so not as complex as it could be, but decent (aside from looking pretty unappealing).

A- this pours a deep copper-red with a 2 finger head of foam. It looks gorgeous.

S- lots of malt in the smell...caramel, some toffee, a bit of a nutty aroma.

T- heavy on the toffee, lots of sweetness, huge grain note, light nuttiness. That grain and sweet malt is a bit overpowering.

M- I’d call it full bodied with the right level of carbonation.

O- aptly named brew...Heavy. Too heavy on most counts and not something I’d buy/drink again.

Bottle. Coffee black with beige head. Aroma is a bit restrained, coffee and malt. Medium bodied with lots of coffee and roast malt. Some toffee and more coffee in finish.

Bottle #254/1200 sent by JohnGalt1, thanks man! The first time I’ve broken a cork in half... whoops, overwhelmed with the giddiness. Pours a light chestnut color with a short-lived beige head. Aroma is delicate and hints at barleywine. Notes of sherry, toffee, and faded citrus hops. Sweet and inviting. A very soft mouthful and a bit watery feeling. The faded citrus hops are a minor player up front, a little toffee, and then a warm fusel alcohol takes over. I feel like there are Belgian spices and yeast in the background, but the abv burns right through it. Sweet, but not cloying. Interesting take on this being a BSA or BW, take your pick. The label calls it a dark tripel and that seems like a fair description. I just don’t pick up the Belgian spices or yeast that are expected from a Belgian style. **I refrigerated about a third of the bottle overnight; now it just reeks of barleywine. Smooth and potent, I’m actually enjoying this a little more the day after.

Pour to snifter. Light, golden color. Nothing complex--thin on fruit or spiciness. Just OK.

Bottle, 2012 vintage. A loud pop when the cork was popped... huge pillowy beige head. Settles after a bit, leaving about an inch of the fluffy stuff. Ripe aroma of malt and what I associate with faded citrus hops. Also honey, florals, and fusels. Feels soft and silky, but finshed with signs of a bigger abv. Wheat, grain, florals, and more fusels. Honey seems to have gone by the wayside... still sweet though. A bit cloying even.

On tap at Wine Burger Phoenix. Deep brown with a generous beige head that clings to the glass all the way down. Aroma is big chocolate and coffee. Lots and lots of sweetness but controlled well with the hop bitterness.

12 ounce bottle into tulip glass, best before 7/12/2013. Pours hazy bright golden amber color with a 2-3 finger fluffy white head with great retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lasts. Spotty foamy lacing clings around the glass. Aromas of lemon, pear, apple, clove, pepper, grass, banana, bread, wheat, floral, herbal, light bubblegum, and yeast earthiness. Very nice aromas with good balance and complexity of yeast ester notes with light malt balance; and good strength. Taste of lemon, pear, apple, clove, banana, pepper, wheat, bread, pepper, grass, floral, light bubblegum, herbal, and yeast earthiness. Lingering notes of light fruits, clove, pepper, bread, wheat, floral, grass, herbal, and yeast earthiness on the finish for a bit. Very nice balance and complexity of fruity/spicy yeast ester flavors with a light bready malt balance; and zero cloying flavors after the finish. High carbonation and light-medium bodied; with a very crisp, prickly, and smooth mouthfeel that is great. Alcohol is very well hidden with no warming noticed after the finish. Overall this is a very nice saison! All around nice balance and complexity of yeast ester flavors; and smooth and crisp to drink. A very enjoyable offering.