7.9/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 7
Texture 10
Overall 7.5
Had heard this was a bit of a mess but I actually enjoyed it. Pours syrupy black with good mocha head in the beginning. Very thick consistency. Aroma has roast malt, hops, black licorice and caramel. Booze aroma surprisingly light for style. Taste is bitter and a little sweet. Nice.
Tried
on 10 Mar 2013
at 13:29
7/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 6
Flavor 5
Texture 8
Overall 9
toast, earthy, amber, clear, minimal head, medium sweetness, heavy cloying sweetness, full body, creamy, long finish, bitter,
Tried
on 08 Mar 2013
at 15:15
7.2/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7
From a 22 oz bottle at the Outer Banks of NC. Pours a hazy amber with a massive white head that slowly recedes leaving lots of lacing. Citrus and resiny hop aroma. Flavors of pine, grapefruit zest and some floral notes. Carbonated mouthfeel. Bitter, bitter finish.
Tried
from Bottle
on 08 Mar 2013
at 15:04
8.1/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
22 ounce bottle into snifter; Batch 1, bottled on 3/6/2012. Pours nearly pitch black; hazy very dark brown color with a 1 finger dense khaki head with great retention, that reduces to a thin cap that lingers. Light spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass. Aromas of big raisin, fig, date, caramel, molasses, toast, toffee, dark bread, chocolate, rye, bourbon, vanilla, oak, light pepper, and roasted earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of fruity, malty, and barrel notes. Taste of raisin, fig, date, prune, molasses, toast, toffee, caramel, dark bread, chocolate, rye, bourbon, oak, vanilla, light herbal spiciness, and roasted earthiness. Lingering notes of dark fruits, molasses, toast, toffee, chocolate, rye, bourbon, oak, vanilla, and roasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Damn nice flavor complexity and balance of fruity, malty, and barrel notes; barrel strength is just enough without being overpowering; with some slight cloying sweetness present after the finish, but not bad at all. Light-medium carbonation and fairly full bodied; with a very slick, creamy, and lightly chalky mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is very well hidden with only a slight warming noticed after the finish. Overall this is an excellent barrel blended strong ale! Great balance and complexity of fruit, malt, and barrel flavors; and extremely smooth to sip on. A very enjoyable offering.
Tried
from Bottle
on 07 Mar 2013
at 20:12
7.1/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7.5
New Beer Distributors, NY 650ml ($7): Pours dark brown with a brownish head. Aroma is pretty much just chocolate, vanilla, and cinnamon. I think chocolate is pretty much the main draw here. Taste is slightly bitter and much less sweet than was expected. Basically, the taste has a load of bittersweet chocolate with some spicy tinges on top. Vanilla is present in the long lingering aftertaste. Alcohol is well covered. Not exactly my preferred style but good.
Tried
on 06 Mar 2013
at 20:24
7/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7
Crisp copper coloured body with a hint of a ruby tint and a little bronze showing as well with a nice three centimetre tall tan head. Aroma of earthy and soapy hops, some malt and a little nuttiness. Light-bodied; Nice fresh hop flavour at first with not much malt at all, a little earthiness and a very mild and subdued sweetness. Aftertaste is a bit of herbal and grassy hoppiness, and not much else - perhaps the faintest amount of malts. Overall, a nice and very easy to drink beer still with some decent flavours and a bit of hops. I sampled this twelve ounce bottle purchased from Ramsey Liqours in Ramsey, New Jersey on 22-February-2013 for US$1.99 sampled at home in Washington on 05-March-2013.
Tried
from Bottle
on 05 Mar 2013
at 23:04
7.2/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 8
Total Wine, Fairfax 650ml ($7ish): Pours a dark brown with a brownish head. Aroma is a good bit of chocolate, dark fruits like figs and stuff, liqueur (although not quite booze), fruitcake, and malts. Taste sweet, with a bit of pretzel. Hoppage is pretty minimal, but there is definitely a minor bitterness, but I feel as though the hops are adding something substantial to the taste as well. Mouth feel is sticky. Beer is gloopity gloop. Alcohol is miraculously covered in all this malt. However, it does have a warming burn towards the finish. I don’t know what I was expecting, but this is not a bad surprise. That being said, gloop isn’t really my thing when it comes to beer.
Tried
on 02 Mar 2013
at 17:59
6/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 6
Bottle in NYC. Pours brownish gold with a fine, white foam head. Lots of caramel, brown sugar and leaves in this guy. Medium sweetness, moderate bitterness. Toasty bread. Medium bodied with average carbonation. Some earthy, toasty and piney hops at the end. Might be a little out of shape.
Tried
from Bottle
on 01 Mar 2013
at 04:54
5.4/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 5
Flavor 5
Texture 4
Overall 5.5
Jet black, nice lasting brown head. Nose of molasses and alcohol. Thick very sweet palate of molasses,malt and licorice with harsh alcohol heat Not particularly pleasant
Tried
on 26 Feb 2013
at 21:00
5.1/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 5
Flavor 5
Texture 4
Overall 5.5
Bottle 65 cl. Courtesy of fiulijn. Pours a deep dark brown with a vague tint of orange and a creamy beige head. Cloyingly sweet vanillaish milk chocolate aroma. Medium body, dry and dusty cocoa powder with a rather bitter, roasty finish. Not really a favourite. 230213
Tried
from Bottle
on 24 Feb 2013
at 10:42