Bomber drunk on 6/28/07
Very nice to see that this one (unlike the monks mistress cabernet) actually produces a large, resilient head (dark beige in color) that is very slow to recede and laces lightly. The mahogany brown liquid has slight auburn hints and shows a medium-high clarity and plentiful carbonation.
Hmmm, that’s definitely bourbon in the nose. Spicy and well attached to the dark malts, which give it a sort of vanilla-cola sort of feel. Sharp wood notes and some alcohol heat round out the picture, with a light fruitiness playing about in the background. Not quite as lively as the base beer, with the wood and bourbon morphing the more lighthearted esters in to a sort of black cherry-meets-black pepper note that is decidedly less suited to a Belgian beer (IMHO). Still, I’ll certainly agree that this isnt as egregiously over-barreled as the cabernet version, which practically beat you to death with the wine character. Strong, lasting aroma, and quite thick to-boot, the strength of the bourbon and the underlying maltiness seeing to that, no doubt.
Heavily carbonated texture (though moderately tight) leads to a very, very creamy and full-bodied beer, with streaks of dry chocolate running from start to finish and interacting with oily wood tannins, clove, cinnamon and vanilla bourbon notes to produce a very well-homogenized flavor that still preserves the dry, wondrously fruity character of the base beer, to some extent. Light hints of chewy caramel stick to the palate and the alcohol warmth and bourbon character slowly gain steam, eventually overwhelming my palate (with help from the acidity present in the beer). Dates and raisins, with more oiliness emerge with warmth, and the malt sweetness grows in girth (this beer is very sweet when young and though it’s been aged, it still seems to be a sweeter batch, perhaps purposefully). While the bourbon isnt nearly as overpowering here, I still think it’s slightly overdone and seems to insert itself in to all aspects of the beer. Perhaps another 6 months and some of the sweetness will subside, though I wonder where that will leave the bourbon flavor (perhaps even more in control).

Aroma is not overly strong, seems floral, maybe a bit of citrus. Reddish amber color with a beige head that stays awhile. Medium bodied. Creamy carbonation. The hop is not super strong, and seems to be be citrus. There is medium roasted malt sweetness. The impact overall is a bit harsh rather than smooth. Nice retention of bitter into the finish, but it may never be very balanced at any one point. Finish is not all that dry at first. Very nice impression though. Heat is never very noticeable. Leaves the palate fairly clean.

Bottle Pours a clear deep chestnut color. rather darker than I expected. Very big, thick creamy off-white head with lots of blocky persistant lacing. Aroma is malty and woody. Hops are definately there but not very bright or citrusy. Flavor is big and lots of rich deep malt flavor. A bit ddissapointed on the hoppiness. Or lack of. Some bitterness is there but cant quite counter the malt profile. Likely I have a several month old bottle that has faded a bit in this area. ABV is noticeable but appropriate for the big flavor and the big rich heavy palatte. Feels great going down. Creamy and soft with just the right modest carbonation. Nice big beer.

Aroma of chocolate underlaid by dark fruit. Opaque brown/black color with a very tan head that filmed pretty fast. Full bodied. Slightly fizzy. Carmel/sugar sweet. Dark malt flavor, but it isn’t burnt. A slight sour, like plum skin. The finish is something like chocolate with some bitter, with a dark fruity sweetness all over the mouth. That said, it is relatively dry. Contradictory might have been a good alternate name for this one. The dark malt does take away some of the traditional Belgian aspect. Interesting way to broaden the beer horizon.

Cloudy blond color. The aroma has some spices. The flavor is quite true to style, dry, spicy (coriander), but also with a very light sourness (wrong).

Malty, caramelly aroma. Dark reddish color, like it’s almost opaque. Beige head. It didn’t leave, but it didn’t lace. A bit thin bodied. Caramel sweet. A hint of citrus sour. Kind of grotty, like dirt and mushrooms have been here. The finish is sort of dirt. Not a lot of bitter. It will do. Newcastle Brown it’s not. Good. Just a bit too smooth for the grotty characteristics. A contradictory sort of brown, which makes it unique? Hey, it’s very, very drinkable.

I think Skyview brought this to the RBSG 07. Black in color. A very simple, one dimensional beer. The aroma has malt and some fruit. Flavor is sweet malt, just a little bit of roasted character, and fermenting fruit. Very dark beer for a Belgian ale.

Aroma of citrus and floral hop. Coppery amber color with a ferocious beige head. Flavor of ripe stone fruit, a little citrus, and some slightly roasted malt. Medium bodied, and decent carbonation without a bite. Must be unpasteurized at least. Later sips are sweet fruit and bitter hop. The finish is fairly dry, and it is extremely tasty. Something of a rye note in the end.

Bottle courtesy of Bu11zeye: Poured a slightly cloudy bright yellow color ale with a super huge foamy pure white head with great retention and great lacing. Aroma of spices (pepper?) and floral malt is quite enjoyable. Taste is surprisingly dominated by spices, sweet floral malt and huge alcohol which really destroyed the beer. Body is about average with some aggressive carbonation and alcohol is way too prominent. If there was a way too take some alcohol out of there and reduce the level of carbonation, I believe I could have found one good trippel with a good balance between floral notes and spices.

Reddish brown,small tan head. Toasty malt nose.Somewhat astringent sweet carmel malt taste. Somewhat stale, confirmed by the bottling date of Oct 06