8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Tap at Vine Street - thick black pour, with a frothy, dark tan lace - March 2009 vintage - slick, thick mouthfeel - intense roast and bitterness reminiscent of coffee - bittersweet chocolate - alcohol warmth, but nothing I would consider heat - chewy, but easy-drinking for the style - a bit of cocoa and continuing warmth through the dry finish - very good.
Tried
from Draft
on 26 Feb 2010
at 16:45
6/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 6
Nitro and Vine Street - my wife got excited about this one, but it was rather watery and boring - some muted roasted malt and mild chocolate, along with faint cherry syrup flavors - nothing really comes together, and the fact that some many of the flavors are indistinct does not help at all.
Tried
on 14 Feb 2010
at 17:16
7.1/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 6.5
Tap at Vine Street - first of all, I love thin mints, so you hand me a beer that tastes just like them, and I am excited before I even taste it - as expected, it really does taste like mint chocolate, with a nice balance of dry cocoa to balance out the sweetness - as it warms, the mint become less noticeable, and the sweetness stronger - the novelty also wears off a bit, so I found it hard to finish a pint, but this was interesting and tasty.
Tried
from Draft
on 14 Feb 2010
at 16:50
6.9/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 6.5
I was excited about this beer, but it doesn’t really come together well - strong cab presence up front, along with moderate oak - gets a little sour at times - a little watery through the middle - some dry, bitter, roasty black malt arrives late - this character doesn’t work that well with the wine qualities imparted by the barrel - bitterness intensifies as it warms - eh, it’s decent.
Tried
on 12 Feb 2010
at 16:58
7.1/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 6.5
This beer reminds me of flavored pipe tobacco - that sounds bad, but it isn’t - creamy, full mouthfeel - strong vanilla flavors - the toasted oak chips simply amplify this flavor - a hint of smoked malt adds equal parts campfire, tobacco, and toasted marshmallow - I like it, but the vanilla is too strong.
Tried
on 12 Feb 2010
at 16:53
8.2/10
—
Appearance 10
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Oh hell yes! - love this beer - love it - thick, viscous, full mouthfeel - intense but balanced coffee flavor - lots of fresh-roasted whole bean flavor, with the oily character one expects from a properly brewed, strong cup of quality coffee - warming, spicy alcohol that never becomes overpowering, even as it warms - a touch of balancing vanilla sweetness - delicious.
Tried
on 12 Feb 2010
at 16:50
6.5/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 6
Tap at Vine Street - your standard hoppy american red here - enough hops to add a spicy kick to a semi-sticky base of malty caramel flavors - I thought I tasted a hint of rye - the hop bitterness is kind of astringent on the tail end, and the fairly present alcohol doesn’t really help this - pretty flawed, which is surprising from this brewery.
Tried
from Draft
on 29 Jan 2010
at 16:32
6.4/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 5.5
Tap at Vine Street - given how much I like their Java Porter, I was excited for this one - relatively creamy, medium body - an equal balance of roasted and smoked malts - a little less smoky than the somewhat meaty aroma suggests - a touch of vanilla sweetness, but not much else going on - a slightly vegetal quality on the back end - a bit disappointing, but drinkable.
Tried
from Draft
on 11 Jan 2010
at 16:58
7/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7
Tap at Vine Street - not all that Saison-like - it falls somewhere between a belgian ale and a wit - hazy golden pour - quite a bit of lemony tartness and a yeasty quality reminiscent of a wit - moderate sweetness - buckwheat substitutes for the dry, spicy character one expects from the style - it makes things a little more interesting - a decent beer, but if I were rating more the style, it would probably get a lower rating.
Tried
from Draft
on 11 Jan 2010
at 16:55
6/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 6
8th October 2008. On tap at the Falling Rock. Hazy amber brown beer. Sharp aromatic hops - not much else. Not too bitter. An ’In Your Face’ IPA!
Tried
from Draft
on 10 Jan 2010
at 14:16