12oz bottle purchased at Beverage Castle, Tampa, poured a hazy dull amber with thin off white head. The aroma starts off with a big dark fruity punch of plums, dates and raisins. Taking in more of the aroma yields spices and subtle tartness notes beneath the fruit. The tasting experience starts with the beer around 60F. The first mouth full ushers in the fruity flavors noticed in the nose with smooth juicy plums, dates, raisins and figs. Then the fruit is joined by spices that created a less smooth more punchy and bready sensation. Ends smooth, fruity and somewhat sweet. Very nice.

Bottle from eaglefan458; Nose of caramel, banana, cloves, and vanilla; hazy rust color with a small beige head; flavor of caramel, nutmeg, banana, and some alcohol (not much for 10%), body medium with a little alcohol warmth in the finish.

Grain and honey aroma. Amber pour thin head. Slight grain and hop flavor. Nice hop finish.

bottle - Pours clear copper with a thin head. There’s lots of citrus hops in the aroma and it’s very nice. There’s also a good, intense citrus hops dominated flavor backed by some pretty well balanced caramel malt. This medium bodied beer ends in a long, pleasantly bitter finish. Very fine IPA.

Bottle, a couple months old, drunk on 6/15/07
I guess they dose this with fresh yeast, at least it says so on the bottle. The head looks good anyways, cascading in to a dark beige, three-finger-sized giant and showing strong retention atop a mostly clear, mahogany-chocolate colored body. Light lacing.
Warm and endearing crystal malts are fully backed by pale malts and even a smidgeon of chocolate. Green, leafy, lightly juicy and even somewhat herbal hops help add balance to the sweetness, though the malt dries out considerably towards the end, with some dry, rather earthy yeast that takes away some brightness. Sweet vanilla emerges with warming, as does a light hint of alcohol. Medium to medium-high strength of aroma with no flaws.
Both bitter and yet oddly sweet at the same time, as citrus (grapefruit and orange, very straightforward) attack the palate, and choco-caramel sweetness rushes to balance. Some breadiness/ a slight overabundance of hard, medium malts builds up while a definite sourish/tacky yeastiness sits on the end. Pine breaks through and acidifies the palate somewhat, as well, on the finish, but the base malt sugars are notably soft and keep the beer drinkable. These "Imperial ESBs" are just inherently flawed, in my book, the harder, breadier, more dry and earthy malts dont match the hops and the drinkability from the amped up alcohol suffers greatly. But for what the brewer aimed to accomplish, it’s done quite well. Still should tone down the hop acidity though. Carbonation is light, yet fairly engaging.

Bouteille 12oz, courtoisie de Hogtownharry. De couleur cuivrée et transparente. Nez de houblon très floral et moyennement citrique (pamplemousse) et aux notes résineuses, fruité (abricots, léger d’agrumes, notes de poire et de pêche) ainsi que légèrement malté de caramel très doux. Moyennement ronde en bouche avec un pétillement moyen et une texture crémeuse et légèrement huileuse. Goût amer de houblon floral frais, citrique (pamplemousse) avec de petites notes résineuses et herbeuses (qui dure toute la gorgée) ainsi qu’un goût fruité (abricots, moyen d’agrumes, léger de pêche, notes de poires) lors de l’entrée en bouche auquel se rajoute un goût malté de biscuits sucrés et de caramel très doux puis en finale l’on assiste à un regain d’amertume plus asséchante, plus citrique et légèrement plus herbeuse accompagné de notes d’alcool doux et d’épices (notes de poivre et de menthe). Post-goût très long et sec, amer de houblon floral, citrique (pamplemousse), aux notes herbeuses et résineuses avec un léger goût fruité (pelures d’abricots) et de petites traces d’alcool très doux.

Pours crystal clear gold with half inch bright white head. The aroma comes off as both floral and citrus hops, some hints of malts sweetness and slight grainy malts. This beer has a crisp floral hop taste that grows into soft and semi sweet grapefruit hops. The hops are the main player in the flavor and aroma but they are not over the top like in a typical hoppy IPA. The flavor then blends into a malt sweetness creating a sort of sweet citrus and floral hop taste. It could use a bit more malt depth. But it is a good brew though.

Banana, lemon, and yogurt nose. Pours cloudy and golden with a thick head and good lacing. The taste, again, is banana and lemon of solid strength yet not overpowering. Comparatively weak finish of perhaps lemon peel. Fuzzy mouthfeel. This is one of the better hefes I’ve had lately. Add some hops and this could be a truly fantastic beer.