Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8.5
Can from Cap Tap. Pours very hazy, somewhat dirty, gold with a finely bubbled white head. Aroma is juicy - the fruits are much more than citrus. Med + body. Flavor is juicy and bitter. Mixed stone fruits with a light touch of citrus. It's not entirely dry, but it is well towards NW hoppy. Pleasingly bitter. Malt barely detectable, but clearly quite supportive. A very nice change from the NE style. Someone should have done this long ago.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 9
Waxed 500 from Cap Tap. Pours dark brown with a foamy tan head. Aroma is bourbon and earthy chocolate with some brown sugar and darkish treacle. Full bodied or nearly. Flavor is chocolate and bourbon and brown sugar. The malt is dark and somewhat treacly. Not getting definable hop flavor. It's not at all dry, but not syrupy. It's reasonably bitter, and the miniscule amount of heat may help with that. Seems to become increasingly bitter with each quaff. Chocolate goes earthier. This is amazing ale. Except for the chocolate I could think this was a FW blend.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8
Bottle from Total Wine in Sacramento, CA. Pours hazy gold with a white head. Not as hazy as the NE IPAs, but hazy. Aroma of pale stone fruit, citrus and wheat. Med body or so. Mildly juicy with pale stone fruit and citrus. Wheat in the finish. Fairly dry and bitter enough. Sessionable. Better than many a wheat ale.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 10 | Overall - 8.5
Can shared by Marcus. Pours dark brown with tan head. Aroma of cinnamon, vanilla and chocolate. Med body at least. Flavor is smooth dark malt, cinnamon, vanilla, chili, and most definitely chocolate. Not quite dry, but the spices balance the brew. This is very tasty. Highly recommended.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7
Bottle split at RB Best Encomium share, Santa Rosa, 30/01/16 - Many Thanks ! Light black with a decent tan covering. Nose is chocolate, vanilla, light roast, dark fruits. Taste comprises chocolate, vanilla, marshmallow, toasted brown sugar, black forest gateaux. Medium bodied with bite, fine carbonation, semi drying close. Decent stout.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8.5
Tap at Cap Tap. Pours hazy gold with a white head. Aroma is fruit juicy - tropicals and citrus? Med body. Bitter. Juicy. Hits like pineapple, tastes more like other tropicals and citrus. Pretty dry. Very tasty.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 9 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 8
50l bottle, 2017 vintage, blue wax. Very dark brown pour with a short-lived fizzy tan head. Quite a bit of oak barrel and pure bourbon in the nose, which is something I like! The taste follows those notes, tons of bourbon all over the place, oak, vanilla, macerated cherry bitterness, very light coconut. The smell is great, the taste is a bit unbalanced and harsh and the mouthfeel a bit too thin and very boozy indeed. I probably should have heeded the warnings and cellared this for a couple of years.
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7
Bottle. Orange golden pour. Aroma of pine, caramel, grapefruit, citrus and flower. Taste has caramel, bitter pine, grapefruit, citrus, floral herbs and a malty bitter finish. Solid.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8.5
Bottle at rbwg. Pours out black topped with a tan head. Nose is great chocolate cake fudge vanilla barrel and coconut. Taste is more of the big sweetness chocolate coconut lots of dessert on this one.