8/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 9
After picking up the seasons current offering, I'm obliged to come back and redo my previous rating and evaluation. I'm not sure if the recipe changed, my palate changed, I had a weird bottle, or I was just insane, but last time I swear I detected loads of hop flavor. However, in the current sampling, there is nothing of the kind other than a very mild background of hop bitterness. Instead, this is a rather malty offering, with a clean sweet nose, and full malty sweet flavor. Nice medium body. A bit on the cloudy side, but otherwise a nice brownish amber color with a good head.
Tried
from Bottle
on 06 Feb 2001
at 22:22
9.6/10
—
Appearance 10
Aroma 9
Flavor 10
Texture 10
Overall 9.5
Poured syrupy thick and very very dark black, with a brown head. Nose rich, malty, with hints at plums, dates, and vanilla. Flavor more of the same, and superbly balanced between the dark fruit malts and a roasted bitterness. Outstanding Imperial Stout, and a must have for any lover of the style.
Tried
on 01 Feb 2001
at 09:59
7.9/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
Def tasted young to me - would like to age this. Intense malt profile, with notes of dates, pear, and a general ripe fruit sweetness. Call me crazy, but this tastes a whole lot like Thomas Hardy's ale, but just a couple of degrees milder in the alcohol strength department.
Tried
on 31 Jan 2001
at 10:00
6.8/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7
Amber-brown colour. Rich chocolate, earth aroma. Earthy, chocolatey body with a light nuttiness. Good balance throughout and an earthy finish.
Tried
on 22 Jan 2001
at 12:15
8.1/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
Great balance - like raspberry sorbet topped with melted chocolate and whole coffee beans. Now that's a dessert beer.
Tried
on 22 Jan 2001
at 12:14
8.5/10
—
Appearance 10
Aroma 7
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 9
Warming, with a slight nuttiness and toasted flavor. Nice deep dark brown color, although no head or lace. Unusual aroma difficult to identify (some roasted malt in it). Overall, a pretty good winter ale.
Tried
on 20 Jan 2001
at 22:10
7/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7
Bright golden-amber with thin head. The aroma is sugary with a deep fruitiness (date, raisin, dark cherry) and all kinds of chewy malts. Sweet palate and full body. A little bit sticky. Lots of sugars, but they are soft, not cloying. The fruitiness is still present, but less prevalent. There is some light caramel and toffee, along with apple and light raspberry notes. Sweet, long barley wine. Finish is sticky, with a blast of alcoholic dryness.
Tried
on 18 Jan 2001
at 14:40
5.1/10
—
Appearance 4
Aroma 5
Flavor 5
Texture 6
Overall 5.5
Big malt, syrupy in fact. Cherry and plum flavours emerge. Fresh from the brewery, it is far too young to drink. I'll have to check back in a few years.
Tried
on 14 Jan 2001
at 14:22
8.6/10
—
Appearance 10
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 10
Overall 8.5
Whoa...if you're a heavy stout fan, then you should def try this. Very hearty, thick, rich and chewy, and on the sweet side; plus a definite raspberry overtone. Extremely dark and nearly as opaque as a beer can get. Roasted malt aroma.
Tried
from Can
on 10 Aug 2000
at 20:04
7.5/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 9
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 8
A good American wheat. Slightly spicy, with some lemon/clove hints in the aroma and flavor - but by far the strongest flavor component is bananas. This is the most bananaish wheat I've ever had. Very interesting and good. Its just a wee bit too sweet though, making it less refreshing and less drinkable than some of the classic hefeweizens. Color- dark gold, a little too dark. As it finishes, an unfortunate aftertaste develops - perhaps because it paired quite poorly with my steak.
Tried
from Can
on 13 Jun 2000
at 18:02