Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 8

Sample at Kalamazoo Beer Exchange. This beer pours a cloudy dark reddish-amber color with a medium off-white head that recedes steadily. Stringy lacing on the glass. Aroma of sweet malt, black licorice and yeast. Medium to full body with a dark malty character and notes of anise, yeast and chocolate. The finish is malty with a lingering black licorice aftertaste. Above average overall.

Licorice (anise) overpowers this. Love black licorice but.. Had on tap, maybe canned is more mellow.

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8

16 ounce can into tulip, no canning date. Pours crystal clear golden orange color with a nice 3 finger dense khaki head with incredible retention that reduces to a thick cap that lingers. Some decent lacing clings to the glass; with decent carbonation streaming up. Aromas of grapefruit, orange, caramel, pine, herbal, bread, and yeasty spices. Nice and well balanced aromas, but on the weak side. Taste of big grapefruit, caramel, pine, herbal, biscuit, orange, and yeast spices. Good amount of herbal bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of citrus, bread, and yeast spices. Great balance of hop flavors, bitterness, and Belgian character; with a hop character being a little more pronounced. Medium carbonation and body; with a slightly creamy and very smooth mouthfeel. Drinks fairly easily at 6.5%; with only a slight alcohol warming after the finish. Overall this is a damn nice Belgian IPA. Has the Belgian character without going over the top; and still retaining good hop flavor. I really enjoyed this one.

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 4

Draft at HopCat. Although this was advertised as a sour, it didn’t have any characteristics of a sour. It had a decent nose of vanilla and subtle bourbon, but the body was thin and flavor had no apparent funk. Oh well.

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 4

Draft at HopCat. Barrel ageing doesn’t help this one much. Nice vanilla aroma, but still lacks body and character. Simple not enough malt.

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 4

Draft at HopCat. Clear amber color, fluffy tan head, solid lacing. Nice aroma of grass and citrus. Taste is dilute grass and straw.

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7

Draft at Brewery Vivant. Deep slightly hazy orange-brown body, medium cream head. Sweet nose with brown sugar, fig, date and a touch of clove. Not much alcohol. Body thinner than expected, well-attenuated, with lots of clove esters in addition to dates, brown sugar, and alcohol, finishing with alcohol, hints of pepper, and aggressive clove. An interesting brew, but brash and young.

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7

Draft at Brewery Vivant. CO2 version. Deep faintly translucent garnet body, thick puffy light brown head. Nose of roasted malts and toast with hints of sweetness. Dry body, dominated by roast, coffee, and hints of licorice and brown sugar, cut by the brewery’s characteristic clove and dry esters. Subtle complexity.

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5

Draft at Brewery Vivant. Translucent straw to orange body, medium creamy tight cream head. Light nose with grain, grassy hops and metallic notes. Light, tangy body with light candied fruit, bitter grassy hops, and herbs. Hints of apple peel.

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7

Draft at Crunchy’s, East Lansing. Hazy medium orange-brown body, medium clumping cream head with nice lacing. Spicy hops nose of pine needles and bitter spicy candies. Body with sharp tannic, buttery white oak backed by softened bitter hops and toast; little sweetness. Finishes like a fresh white oak core smells. Dry but doesn’t bring a lot of alcohol heat. Pretty good.