From Aug 2008

I got this bottle in a trade with jwc215. Thanks Joe!

Nice slightly hazy golden amber in colour with a 1 finger head of foam. Good lacing.

The smell has a lot of different hoppy characteristics with fruity-citrus, grassy, and floral notes. There's some malt there as well but it's really faint to my nose.

The taste is bitterly harsh. Grapefruit, grass, spice, a faint bready malt presence just before the finish, err...this one is tres bitter and it actually puts some heat on the back of my throat.

It's light bodied and the carbonation is medium. It finishes with big bitterness and a slightish fruity tartness the latter of which I favour.
Btw, head retention is pretty good.

Overall, this is a decidedly difficult brew for me. I don't get any balance at all and the flavours go into territory that my palate doesn't like. Oh well, I'm still glad I got a chance to try it.

Sampled on draft at Tapped this beer poured a golden color with a large soapy white head that faded and left good lacing. The aroma was piney and a bit tangy with hints of orange and Pez. The flavor was bitter with pine and orange. Medium length finish finish with lingering bitterness. Medium body. Blah.

12 ounce bottle into pint glass, no bottle dating. Pours fairly crystal clear golden yellow color with a 1-2 finger dense and rocky off white head with good retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation retaining the cap. Aromas of juicy and lightly tart/tangy raspberries, lemon, citrus peel, wheat, cracker, bread, and light herbal. Nice aromas with good balance of fruit and pale malt notes; with good strength. Taste of juicy and lightly tart/tangy raspberries, lemon, citrus peel, wheat, cracker, bread, and light herbal. Mild herbal bitterness and fruit tang/tartness on the finish. Lingering notes of tart/tangy raspberries, lemon, citrus peel, wheat, cracker, bread, and light herbal on the finish for a while. Nice robustness and balance of fruit and pale malt flavors; with a nice malt/tartness balance, and no cloying flavors after the finish. Minimal dryness. Medium carbonation and body; with a creamy/bready, and lightly slick/syrupy/tangy/acidic mouthfeel that is okay. Feels really weird and not very smooth. Zero warming alcohol as expected of 3.5%. Overall this is a solid shandy. All around good robustness and balance of fruit and pale malt flavors; fairly smooth and easy to drink. Very flavorful for the low ABV. Balanced malts and fruits, but the mouthfeel ruins it; should be much more refreshing for the style. A fairly enjoyable offering.

12 ounce bottle into snifter; no bottle dating, but has a bottle manufacture code of 8/31/2014. Pours moderately hazy/cloudy deep ruby red, light copper/brown color with a small fairly dense cream colored head with good retention, that reduces to a thin spotty lace cap that lingers. Light spotty lacing clings around the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation retaining the cap. Aromas of big raisin, plum, cherry, fig, date, pear, apricot, red apple, caramel, brown sugar, brown bread, and toasted biscuit; with light notes of nuttiness, roast, peat smoke, leather, tobacco, herbal, grass, and yeast earthiness. Nice aromas with good balance and complexity of fruity yeast, dark/bready malt, and light earthy hop notes; with good strength. Taste of big raisin, plum, cherry, fig, date, pear, apricot, red apple, caramel, brown sugar, brown bread, and toasted biscuit; with light notes of nuttiness, roast, peat smoke, leather, tobacco, herbal, grass, and yeast/toasted earthiness. Mild herbal/grassy hop and roast bitterness on the finish. Lingering notes of dark fruit, cherry, pear, apricot, red apple, caramel, brown sugar, brown bread, toasted biscuit, light nuttiness/roast, leather, tobacco, and yeast/toasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Nice complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity yeast, dark/bready malt, and light earthy hop flavors; with a nice malt/bitterness balance, and no cloying sweetness after the finish. Minimal dryness. Light-medium carbonation and medium-plus body; with a very smooth, moderately creamy/bready/grainy, and slightly sticky/chalky mouthfeel that is good. Pretty thin for the ABV, but not bad. Minimal warming alcohol for 10.1%. Overall this is a nice scotch ale. All around good complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity yeast, dark/bready malt, and light earthy hop flavors; very smooth and dangerously easy to drink for the big ABV. This had some nice well rounded yeast/malt complexity and balance between the two. Just not as richly flavorful and full bodied as it should have been for the style. A nicely enjoyable offering, and good style example otherwise.

Bottle at home. From one of those beers of the month things that my company signed me up for. Poured a dark, almost ruby brown color. Aroma was dark, sweet malts. Flavor was about the same - a touch dryer than many Scottish ales, which made it more palatable than most in the same style.

This beer poured a very dark brown color with a medium sized foamy beige head that left minimal lacing. The aroma was toasty and yeasty. The flavor was soru and tart with vague dark fruits and yeast. Long finish. Medium body Meh.

Sampled on draft at Smokin’ Joe’s this beer poured an orange-honey color with a light reddish hue and a small foamy white head that faded and left minimal lacing. The aroma was sweet cherry juice. The flavor was tart and a bit astringent with sour cherries. Very long cherry finish. Light to medium body. Decent.