5.4/10
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Appearance 4
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 4
Overall 5.5
Muddy amber colour. Very malty aroma, with some cherry. Strong alcohol presence interferes with the palate. Rich toffeeish malts abound, but without form nor complexity. Vague fruity notes are pleasant, but for a beer so reliant on the malts, I needed those to be better-extracted. It almost tasted like it was too old.
Tried
on 22 Jun 2004
at 19:56
7.6/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 8.5
This is a very unique beer, unlike any I have ever tried before. This was my first baltic porter but it is definitly better than any porter. It has a rich flavor but is not a heavy beer. Smells and flavors of sweetness, with a beautiful black color. Well worth drinking again.
Tried
on 07 Jun 2004
at 16:06
8.1/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
Clear dark copper/burgundy colour with a nice brown highlight and a thin tan head. Aroma of honey, yeast, curacao, figs, peaches, cinnamon and malt. Medium to full-bodied; Sweet malty mouthful with the fruit and alcohol prominent. Full flavour that lasts for quite a while. Aftertaste shows some astringent bitterness and some fruity qualities-so all is not perfect nor flawed. Overall, a great beer-better than Roche 10 in my opinion...a bit different, but still damn good. A nice treat from Phil (haddon90) who got it from AustinPowers as a 75 cL bottle! Thanks again Phil! I sampled this on 23-May-2004.
Tried
from Bottle
on 24 May 2004
at 00:31
8/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 9
[Bottle 289 - the one pictured] An unclear dark red beer with no head. The aroma is sweet with notes of hops, grass, and alcohol. The flavor is sweet and very hoppy and grassy, so much that it bites the tongue. A very nice beer. Thanks to Jeppe (Bierkönig) for sharing this bottle.
Tried
from Bottle
on 09 May 2004
at 06:36
6.6/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 6.5
Cloudy golden color. Nice grassy and spicy aroma, and a light wheat fruitness. Quite simple taste, some malt, high liquorice level, yeasty and spicy; strong final bitterness. Average…
Tried
on 03 May 2004
at 03:58
6.4/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 5
Texture 6
Overall 6.5
An unclear golden beer with a huge lazing white head. The aroma is very hoppy with notes of sweet malt. The flavor is of coriander and hops and with a dry end. This is an OK beer, leaning towards average. I’m suprised to see the very high overall rating. Thank to Jeppe (Bierkönig) for sharing this bottle.
Tried
from Bottle
on 02 May 2004
at 06:17
7.4/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
[draught] Looks strikingly like the French Christmas - sticky, lasting lacing - earthy aroma of hay, some light fruits - this is quite hoppy for a biere de garde, perhaps too much so - I would argue with Jokes about them balancing the beer - the creamy, malty flavors of honey, caramel and some barnyardy graininess are quite present, but there is something about the hops (perhaps the style they used) that don't seem to go well with the other flavors for me - I love SH, and this is still quite a good beer, but this is shy of a hit for me. [re-rate] had again from a growler and was a bit more impressed - hops seemed to dominate a bit less and the dry, somewhat fruity finish was quite enjoyable.
Tried
from Growler
on 10 Apr 2004
at 08:33
8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 10
Overall 8
This beer is really unique and hard to pin down - deep amber in color, with a moderate white lacing - sweet and malty aroma, with hints of fruit and pastries - tingling carbonation greats the tongue - flavor profile is much like and IPA or an ESB at first, moderately hoppy, with a slight malt presence underneath - this malt presence then swells on the tongue, the hops disappear, and an extremely chewy, sweet, sticky malt explosion says hello, with healthy doses of raisins, figs, cherries and even a touch of strawberry - a touch of cookie dough - hops return in the finish in perfect harmony with the other flavors - my lips feel sticky - unique, delicious and hard to categorize.
Tried
on 28 Feb 2004
at 22:39
7.8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 8
Dark amber with excellent lacing - musty, cellared aroma, with toffee, grapes and caramel - initial flavors introduce tartness, damp leaves (sounds odd, but that's the only way I can describe it) and earthiness - these gradually fade to reveal many layers of subtle complexity - sweetbread and various other pastries - toffee and chocolate - bananas foster - plums and brown sugar - finishes with the earthiness it starts with - this is a refined ale with a unique style that grows on you.
Tried
from Can
on 11 Jan 2004
at 21:36
7.1/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 8.5
Cloudy orange. Full creamy head. Orangey caramel malt aroma, coriander hanging around the sides, but not an actual ingredient? Grapes present but not in a vinous fashion in the nose, but definitely vinous flavor. Surprisingly light palate.
Tried
on 05 Jan 2004
at 12:01