Bottle. Pours reddish amber. White head. Nose/taste of citrus, caramel malt, boiled hop, resinous pine and earthy resin. Medium body.

Shaker filed to the broom, Cellar Door. Rather slight amber malt smell at first, cloudy brown body under a foamy Ale head. Taste did differentiate this one, as it turns out. There is the slightly roasty more of amber malt, then vanilla arrives in a separate mailing. Vanilla gives the impression that this beer has more alcohol than it lists. After half the glass, I do get the off - centered bitter aftertaste from vanilla. But then it’s settled by malt sweetness. The only red Ale you need for St. Patrick’s weekend.

Bottle. Pours dark brown tan head. Nose/taste of bourbon, roast chocolate, roast coffee, vanilla bean, molasses cookie and rum raisin cookie. Medium body.

From a 22 oz bottle courtesy of Adam and his cats. Aroma has a nice, fairly strong coffee character with a hint of a nuttiness, but mostly a darker roast. Light oak note with moderate dark chocolate and light vanilla. A hint of a peppery spice, but not green bell pepper. Some dark burnt sugar notes as well. Pours black with a moderately sized, moderately thick, dark mocha head that exhibits alright retention as it recedes to the edges where it clings in clumps. Light lacing and medium sized legs. Flavor has a nice moderate sweetness with some good dark and milk chocolate notes upfront. Some burnt sugar and molasses as well. Mid palate you get a light oak note with some vanilla which is then followed by a moderate coffee note with more molasses and burnt sugar. Coffee is again a darker roast character. Moderate bitterness. Mouthfeel is medium full bodied with medium carbonation. Low astringency and low alcohol warmth. Overall, a pretty nice beer with a nice coffee character that works well with the malts. The oak also adds a nice complexity, especially with the vanilla notes it brings to the table. I like that this is also only 9% as opposed to the 13% of BCBS or the 18% of Mocha Wednesday.

Bottle. Pours black tan head. Nose and taste of whiskey, roast chocolate, oak, vanilla, alcohol soaked dark fruit cake. Medium body.

Bottle. Pours black with tan head. Nose/taste of black coffee, brown sugar, espresso, molasses and toasted chocolate bread. Medium body.

Growler courtesy of Anndiesel. Filtered golden-orange body. Foamy glass lacing head. I was a little weary about the inclusion of Rye, but in this case it is really well integrated and doesn’t come off thick or heavy handed at all. The general malt feel is really clean, but with more depth than a blank slate golden ale, has some pleasant biscuity chewiness. The hops are steady rolling, a lot of mellow citrus depth. Pretty awesome beer overall, the filtration makes it quite refreshing and palatable. Good stuff.

Sample at Great Taste of the Midwest on 08/09/2014: Pours black with a thin light beige head that diminishes steadily to a wispy film. Small patches of lacing. Aroma of oak, malt and berries. Medium body with flavors of mildly tart raspberries, coffee and subtle bourbon. The finish is fruity with an oak and berry aftertaste. Decent overall.