July 24 2003 bottling date. Pours a medium brown, some black and a light olive brown tinge on the edges. Bottle conditioned, but not opaque at all. Huge foamy tan head, that takes over the glass. Reminds me of Cisco brews. Especially in the nose, which is full of yeast and light vinous notes. However, the first thing I notice here, is the clean, smooth oaty notes, sugary and rich, with hints of chocolate, light banana and a touch of coffee. Good amount of prune-like fruit flavors. Flavor matches this well, starting out yeasty and oaty with a big prune wininess. Chocolate and light dry nutty malt on the finish, with a touch of English hops and a very lively carbonation. Body is medium to medium full. Well done, no touches of alcohol. An imperial in taste but not so in body or force. I like restrained not overdone beers and this one is no exception.

2004 bottle. Pours a bright yellow, with deep gold hues and a foamy white head. Aroma of lightly sour yeast and corn notes, with hints of earthy, hearty hops and rich white bread (unbleached flour). Flavor has hints of bitterness throughout but is mostly full of creamy, honey and dough-like malty sweetness. Good medium to medium full body, but still alot of attenuation making this seem like you are drinking a bigger beer.

A solid example of this style. +++Sampled from a 12 oz brown bottle the beer poured a bronze color with a small tan head. The aroma was sweet and malty. The flavor was strong malt, a hint of hops and a mild nutty taste on the finish. There was also a bit of a sour tang on the finish. A solid though not spectacular beer.

Deep copper color with hints of red. Thick creamy head. Virtually no aroma or flavor. Watery and thin. Needs more malt and hops.

12 oz. bottle Beautiful deep gold colored clear beer that holds up a long lasting frothy white head. The aroma is right on the money, mildly sweet malt, with a nice noble hop background. The flavor is crisp, very well balanced with a proper amount of bitterness. Very enjoyable Helles.

An unclear orange beer with a disappearing head. The aroma is of alcohol, oranges, peach, and honey. The flavor is dry with notes of honey and peach, on an alcoholic background.

Blind double tastingSampled August 2004. Bottle is dated 06/2003 so about 14 months old is this one. Pours a very thick brownish-grey, dark and muted. Good off-cream colored head. Aroma of sweet raisins, creamy oatmeal, tons of chocolate (milk chocolate) and a hint of yeast. Flavor is intensely chocolatey! Wow they nailed that aspect. Yeast is moderately apparent, with light banana/bubble gum. Grows even sweeter towards the end, with some notes of lightly dry, lightly spicy hops. I can find no fruit in my bottle however, which was my biggest problem with this one. The lightly bitter hops gave it away as not so authentic, as I drank this in a blind tasting. Very rich and caramelly tons of chocolate, good thick, almost creamy body, but where are the esters?? Gets very boring after having a glass of it. Still, I have to give credit to the malt and body, it holds up very well and is rich and smooth, just not terribly on style for a dubbel.

2004 bottle. Pours a medium dark copper-mahogany. Fine oat colored head. Aroma of light dusty earthen hops. Soft toffee and a light nuttiness. Flavor was soft, lightly bitter and quite mild. The malt is easygoing, mainly a caramel profile, with a bit of a loose, lightly watery texture. Finish was the best though, quite English, no use of highly bitter alpha hops, just soft and pleasing, with a nice clean end. Unlike the American take on these, this one is not that bitter, which is more authentic and more enjoyable to me. No huge complexities here, but a solid ale and quite drinkable.

This is very similar to their IPA but toned down to APA levels. Very nice. Good balance, nice hop character. Very similar flavor profile as their IPA.