Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7
Tap at Barcade - I tried this not long after I sampled the liquid gold at another bar, and I was suprised at how similar it was - very spicy, floral hop aroma, with notes of vanilla and honey - overly sweet flavor, almost balanced out by some white pepper and light spices, but not quite - a honey-sweet quality overtakes the other subtle flavors, becoming more dominant with every sip - a nice attempt, however.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7.5
Tap at Shoreline Bev, poured into 10 oz take home glass. Getting the bottom of the keg again, got a whole lot of sediment, I mean a lot. When I finally let it settle, I had about 3/4 of an inch. That being said its very murky for Pale Ale (I know its the bottom of the keg). But otherwise an orang-y golden color and absolutely no clarity. Aroma is very present - a nice hop aroma, all over but not over the top. Definitely west coast inspired but with an East coast sensibility. Tropical fruits, mainly I would say. Taste is subdued, while its hoppy its not getting in the way of the subtle malt aspects. Finishes with low bitterness and a hoppy faint fruity aftertaste. Carbonation is slightly subdued.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8
Tap at Barcade - a solid, full-bodied, hop-heavy pale ale that could easily pass for an IPA - full cascades in the aroma and flavor - quite earthy throughout - slight buttery sweetness to balance out the rough edges - really nice.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7
Tap at Barcade - strong, bready malt backbone, with a slight biscuity driness - mild sweetness couples with the citrus qualities from the hops to give a mild orange and apricot flavor - a solid double IPA in a market saturated with good double IPAs - sigh!
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8
2006 750mL bottle shared by Mkobes or EDA (I think) at BCTC ’06.
Chestnut with some light crimson and maroon tinges on the edges and sediment in the bottle, but decanting with medium to medium low clarity. The head is medium-dark beige, small, but well-formed and stable, providing spotty lacing at points.
Soft clove is painted atop sliced banana bread and then swiftly dunked in cola. But it’s not as disjointed or overt as that sounds, and plenty of caramel and sweetened hazelnut-paste-like malt notes intermingle, soothing the nostrils. Yeast esters enter the mix on the finish, stretching the aroma and adding lively dark fruits to the mix. A dry hazelnut roastiness pervades, perhaps a touch too strongly, all the while and warming produces sweet cinnamon-cookie dough notes that really push the boundaries of how sweet you want your dubbel, but in the end, I don’t expect a massively sweet/underattenuated beer based on the nose. Furthermore, no alcohol is apparent.
And upon first sip, I’m pleasantly surprised to find it even less sweet than expected. Soft, but supportive is the body, with light caramel and raisin sweetness sticking to the sides of the palate initially. As the light phenols slowly creep in, a dry breadiness works hand-in-hand to balance the beer, while plum and dark berry esters keep things lively. Very well extracted is the malt, leading to a wonderful mouthfeel and the carbonation is so fine and engaging that I could hardly ask for more from it. It’s certainly a rock solid rendition and one that any Belgian brewery could be proud of. Alcohol is not a factor. The zesty, lively fruits and dry phenols seem to only go as far as to balance, without adding astringency problems. Nor does heavy clove build up at any point. Hops stay out of the way as they should for a dubbel and are true to style. A touch more attenuation and more musty/funky yeast nuances and this would be near perfect.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5
[draught] - a nice, full-bodied porter, with a subtle dry character and light smokey flavor that cuts the light chocolate sweetness, with a gentle woody quality that binds it all together - nice to see more brewers in the NY area, especially when they can make porters as good as this one.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5
[re-rate - there is a lot more complexity than I remember - chocolate and carmel thick in the aroma - flavor of overripe apples and pears covered in caramel - lightly acidic finish, with some more fruity esters - still not the best of dubbels, but quite nice] Hazy amber pour, with somewhat frothy lace - aroma of toffee, raisins, black cherries - spicy and peppery up front, followed by some earthy, nearly tart qualities, quickly cut off by a sugary, caramel sweetness, dark fruit and slight bready malt - a little thin in the finish, with a distinct, alcohol burn which becomes a little unpleasant - not bad for such a young brewery, though.
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5
Cask @ the Hop Devil Grill. Poured into a pint glass with about a 3/4 inch head. The color is a translucent brown color, can only make out shapes through it. Aroma is very unique for a Dubbel. A strong orange-like aroma. Similar orange presence in the flavor, leaves a Clementine sweetness-like aftertaste. I feel this beer is too young. The cask may not be the best way to taste it. I would love to try a bottled version that has sat a bit. 7/3/7/3/14.
Rerate 7/25/06. Got my chance with a 750 ml bottle. Poured into large wine glass. Small head and a deep brown and cannot see through the beer. Aroma is present. I get a lot of pine, not hoppy pine but actual pine tree mixed with a Belgian sweetness. Taste is a lighter dubbel, low sweetness. Medium body. A good stab and very different from the cask version. 7/3/8/3/15.
Rerate: 7/11/07. 750ml bottle (batch 2). Again this is just so underwhelming, too young, too estery, lots of sour tangerine, thin, watery. Oh man, this batch is very similar to the cask version I first tasted in May 2006. 6/3/6/3/13
Re:rate on 5/24/10, almost exactly 4 years after my first taste of this beer. This is a rating for batch 2 750mL bottle that is now 3 years old and wow this has improved. This beer was by far my least favorite bottled beer from CL. However, age has done a wonderful thing. All the weird esters have gone away. This beer is full of plumy, dark, actual dubbel-like characteristics. Plumy-dark-bread with a wonderful full mouthfeel with a slightly subdued carbonation. This was a joy to drink. No sign of oxidation at all. 8/3/8/4/17. Overall rating is a composite of the different versions. Side note: I had batch with 3 years on it as well last summer at BCTC and that was amazing as well.
Bottom Line: Concerning batch 1 & 2, very young and green when fresh, beautiful with 3 years on it.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 9 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 8
I am glad these beers finally got added. Had this beer twice before and remember it clearly. The first time I tried it the brewer Scott brought growlers to a NYCHG meeting. At the time, he said he wanted more smoke and thought there was not enough in it. However, I felt the smoke in the taste. While the aroma was chocolate-y and more like a regular porter. The taste balanced well between the smoke and chocolate. The second time was on Cask @ the Brazen Head. The beer was a more intense version of itself. More chocolate, more smoke, especially in the nose. Medium body. I am sure each batch is going to be a little different for a little while.
Rerate 6/14/06. Just had this earlier tonight on tap at Jimmy’s. Well the aroma was even greater than before, all chocolate and roast. very strong. Poured extremely dark with a small head. I would not characterize this as a smoke, I actually could not feel it anymore. However, just such a great aroma and that is present in the taste. Mouthfeel was a bit watery.