Tap - hazy amber - very unclean nose and flavor - a lot of huskiness, vegetal notes and mild diacetyl - some toasty grains and a mild hop bite on the end - rough and tough to enjoy.

12 ounce bottle into tulip glass, best before 4/15/2013. Pours lightly hazy ruby red color with a 1 finger dense light khaki head with good retention, that reduces to a thin cap that lingers. Spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation retaining the head. Aromas of pear, apple, golden raisin, caramel, toast, molasses, brown bread, floral, light chocolate, toasted earthiness, and yeast ester fruitiness. Nice and pleasant aromas with good balance of malt and fruity ester notes. Taste of apple, pear, raisin, caramel, toast, chocolate, molasses, brown bread, floral, toasted earthiness, light nuttiness, and yeast ester fruitiness. Slightly tart fruitiness on the finish; with lingering notes of light fruits, caramel, toast, molasses, chocolate, brown bread, floral, light nuttiness, and toasted earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Nice complexity of dark malt and fruity esters; with a solid malt/fruity flavor balance; and zero cloying flavors present after the finish. Medium carbonation and medium-full bodied; with a creamy, slick, and lightly syrupy mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is very well hidden with hardly any warming noticed after the finish. Overall this is a nice doppelbock. A little too fruity, but has good malt complexity; and is very smooth to sip on. A nicely enjoyable offering.

Location: 12 oz bottle from State Line, 2/13/13

Aroma: The aroma is apple mostly, with some other tart fruity notes, light yeast, and spice
Appearance: It pours a hazy golden-orange color, with a half inch sheet of lasting white head
Flavor: The taste is a little sweet and a little tart, it also finishes somewhat acidic
Palate: The mouthfeel is just off and it isn't clean, it has too much carbonation, and an odd finish
Overall Impression: Only rater #36 of a Tommyknocker beer? Weird. Anyway, I don't know if I got an infected bottle, but it seems likely. It's like a cross between a mediocre Saison and an accidental sour. I wouldn't recommend anyone rushing out for this one.

12oz bottle pours clear copper with a thin tan head of foam that leaves behind sparse spotty lacing. The faint aroma feebly offers up a sense of malts and citrus. Unlike the timid aroma the flavor offers up some fairly nice notes. I get a decent degree of citrus hop flavor mixing with some sweet malts with just a mild resiny hop bitterness in the background. Fairly smooth unchallenging IPA that, if found fresh, isn’t a bad choice for a tasty IPA.

12 ounce bottle from Total Wine Virginia Beach. Pours a dark rust color with a medium sized frothy tan head. Good head retention. Aroma of caramel, pumpkin, apples and that molasses really comes through. The taste is earthy notes, pumpkin, brown sugar, faint hops and a spicy finish. Medium bodied. Nice beer.

Bottle as shown. Pours a dark brown with a medium frothy beige head that quickly diminishes to nothing. The aroma is a strong cocoa and chocolate roast. Thin mouthfeel with a light roast and vanilla with watery finish. Aroma was promising but not much going on with this one.