Consumed a pint of this stuff during a very tasty tasting hosted by Degarth (thanks Joe) and in the company of Quake1028. A big thanks to eboats for this tasty brew.

Poured clear copper in color with lasting thin tan head. Inviting aroma with sweet caramelized malts mixed with pine hops. The smell is sweet pine, which is odd when I think about it. The flavor starts sweet malts and pine that creates a sweet pine flavor much like the aroma. Then as the taste precedes the pine bitterness builds. Nice IPA.

Consumed a pint of this stuff during a very tasty tasting hosted by Degarth (thanks Joe) and in the company of Quake1028. A big thanks to eboats for this tasty brew.

According to eboats rating this appears to be a 1999 Vintage. Pours murky brackish brown with thin off white head that fades to nothing in about a minute. This beer has a huge aroma of dark fruitiness with sweet caramel around the back of the smell. Very nice. The beer has a nice thick syrupy mouth feel that’s seems just right. The dark fruity taste is composed of smooth silky cherry compote to apricot to dates. There’s also sweet malt and caramel that go very well with the fruitiness. Very enjoyable barleywine.

(Handbottled 35,5 cl) Pours completely black and opaque with a pretty much absent head. Also the carbonation pretty much got lost in the handbottling process. Fat aroma of roasted malt and dried fruit - very vinous, sort of like the Amarone of the beer world. Extremely full-bodied, pours thick like tar. Wonderfully complex woth lots of raisins, sweet roasted malt, oak, vanilla, bourbon and a burning alcohol. Even without the carbonation this is a grand beer indeed. Wauw. 191206

Hand-bottled by Csbosox and generously delivered to myself. A 2005 growler of an early 2005 or late 2004 brewing? Consumed 9/7/2005. HUGE head, tan, thick, dense with very fine bubbles rising on the edges. Good and creamy. Great retention and provides tons of lacing as it recedes. This stuff was bottled from a growler, about 3 months ago and then sent to me, held for 3 more weeks and here it is, pouring a huge, well-retained head. That’s just incredible.

Smells of raisins, slight vinousness/grapeskins, rich roasted barley and dark berries. Faint coffee and very modest hops, just lightly floral and fresh. Thick and English-like, with prunes, raisins and dark chocolate galore! And all this while the head is still concealing much of the aroma! Ultra-opaque body, can’t even see red or violet tinges on the edges, though I know they must be there. Smells a lot like a rich Oatmeal stout, moreso than what you would think an American Imperial to be, but then, this is no cookie-cutter American Imperial, as I see from the description.

First sip introduces sweet caramel and toffee, with lightly bitter molasses in the back, to balance. Very English. Prunes, butter toffee, light coffeeish roast. Not as thick as I was expecting and quite dry on the end with some oily vinousness and roast, combining with lightly bitter, tastefully done hops. Almost like an English Barleywine, it’s rich, dark fruits and low hops apparency make it tremendously drinkable. Tiny bubbles have lost some steam, no doubt, but how this must have been fresh, I only dare to dream. The more it warms, the more a pleasing bitterness grows in the back of the mouth. Mouthfeel is silky, not oily or chewy, just luscious and lightly tickling as it goes down. One drawback is that right upon drinking, there is a bit of a gap in the flavor. Complexity dosent explode on the palate. Oh but that finish! The chocolate dipped prunes and green, leafy, juicy hops just come alive and stick in the back of your throat. An incredible IS, and so unique and elegant. Free State knows what’s up! Thanks so much Chris!