Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7
tap at the brewpub last summer - Pours near black with a small tan head. The aroma of mainly of chocolate malt. The flavor is dark roast malt and bitter chocolate with a medium body and a roasted malt finish. Pretty solid.
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 4 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 5
Nip bottle shared by Sean, thanks! Poured a deep brownish amber with no head whatsoever. Aroma was strong bourbon with underlying sweet grains, caramel and a hint of bread. Flavor was extremely thin with a hint of bourbon and sweet grain. A bit more flavor came out as The beer was completely flat as well.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 4 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 5
On tap at MBG Summer Festival. Poured black with with a thick brown head. Aroma was like a sweet coffee drink, not mocha though. Flavor was very sweet and over powered the darker coffee flavors that were underneath.
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5
On tap at the brewpub/restaurant. Mostly opaque brown body, thin buff head. Aroma of burnt caramel, butterscotch, and milk chocolate. Silky milk chocolate body with caramel and brown sugar notes. Rather thin but soft and palate-pleasing.
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 5 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 5
Cask at GRBC. Medium copper hue, creamy off-white head. Light herbal nose with light bitterness. Peculiar apple characteristics dominated the body, with notes of more typical herbal, grassy hops. Creamy. Decent mouthfeel but tainted by off-notes.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7
2008 MBG Winter Beer Fest. Medium-bodied barleywine with strong buttery oak and bourbon characteristics, backed by caramely, toasty malts and modest hops. Based on the previous review, I suspect this is a different batch, as this was a pleasant sipper.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 5
Growler courtesy of a traveling friend. Pours flat black with a medium and foamy beige head that dissipates steadily. Thin rings of lacing on the glass. Smoky aroma with hints of chocolate and toasted malt. Medium, slick body with a smoked character and flavors of peat, malt and mild chocolate. The finish is dry and malty with a hint of light hops. Disappointing overall.
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7
On tap at GRBC. Dark, opaque brown-black body, thin off-white head. Good roasty aroma with chocolate and burnt sugars. The body had good heft, with milk chocolate and coffee paired with the roasted malts. No thin, woody acidity here, although the body thins towards the finish. A solid beer that does justice to the style.
Silphium (4309) reviewed Lite from Grand Rapids Brewing Company 18 years ago
Appearance - 2 | Aroma - 4 | Flavor - 3 | Texture - 2 | Overall - 3.5
On a night of exceptionally bad local craft beers, this one took first place. The appearance was worse than a Budweiser, with the clear straw body featuring messy soda-like fizz, akin to a Vernors Gingerale. To top that off, there was a strange jolly rancher-like artificial sweetener flavor that coated the sour, soapy, watered-down cereal notes. Unimaginably bad. Truly awful. Harrowing, as well.
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 4 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 4.5
On tap at GRBC. Deep red body with non-existent head. Light, sweet toasty aroma with earthy hops, but served way too cold to develop properly. The body was bitter with a hollow, thin malt backbone that reminded me of sewage. Sometimes I just don’t understand what the point is...