5.6/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 6
Flavor 5
Texture 6
Overall 4.5
I’m not the biggest fan of the base beer, but by comparison, that beer is great - not sure what the hell happened, but this smells and tastes vegetal - smellslike celery and hops - the approach tastes like celery and peanut skin - wood comes later - it’s very dry and almost smoky - finish is tropical hops and intense bitterness - gets better as it goes, but the vegetal business up front totally ruins the experience.
Tried
on 13 Dec 2014
at 18:06
7.5/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7
Tap at the brewery - clear copper - a very clean, light-bodied ipa - moderate but clean sweetness, with a slight wheat malt character - heavier on the amarillo (earthy, a mild touch of garlic), but the citra explodes late with a burst of tropical and citrus notes in the finish - another solid ipa from them.
Tried
from Draft
on 13 Dec 2014
at 17:46
7.2/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7
A bit more smooth and complex than the regular Dark Star - slick.texture, full body - strong bittersweet chocolate flavor mix with the moderate booziness to create a sensation not unlike chocolate liqueur - a bit of smoke and roast - little Belgian yeast character, but there is some light plum - much more smoothed out alcohol than the regular dark star.
Tried
on 13 Dec 2014
at 17:33
7.1/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 6.5
Nose is toasty coconut and bourbon vanilla, along with light smoke - creamy texture - moderate oak, bitternsweet chocolate, moderate bourbon - there is a mild tartness that couples with the oak to make a subtle red wine character- I like it - not as aggressive as a lot of bourbon-aged beers.
Tried
on 13 Dec 2014
at 17:21
6.8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 6
I’m a big fan on the plum dubbel, so I was excited for this one - sadly, it’s not as complex - the plum has an earthy, almost funky complexity to it, but this is a bit more one-dimensional sweetness - moderate esters and very mild.peppery phenolics - some plum - somewhat watery texture - much prefer the plum, but this is serviceable.
Tried
on 13 Dec 2014
at 17:11
7.2/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7
Black pour - nose has a nice, earthy smoke to it, some bittersweet chocolate, toastiness - flavor is much more mellow than expected - mostly dry, with bitter.dark chocolate and a earthy smoke that really opens up as it warms - some toasted marshmallow in the finish - subtle - a good gateway to smoked beer.
Tried
on 13 Dec 2014
at 17:01
6.8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 6
Tap at the brewery - inky black - moderate off-white lace - nose of anise, dark chocolate, coffee, raisin, some boozy rum.character - dark fruit skins - creamy texture, hefty body - flavor is fairly hot and boozy, much more so than the aroma - the alcohol makes it harder to appreciate the nuances in flavor (raisin, dark chocolate, espresso, light tannic notes) - I taste the alcohol a lot, especially as it warms - that’s a dang shame - this is just a bit too young - that alcohol needs to quiet down - if this is still around in a few months (which I doubt), I’ll have to give it another shot.
Tried
from Draft
on 29 Nov 2014
at 14:04
7.2/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7
I’m a big fan of the base beer, but this is so very different (not necessarily in a bad way) - the creamy sweetness quickly makes way for strongly tart cherry, bordering on sour - thankfully the sweetness remains balanced - tastes like chocolate-drenched cherry pie filling - texture is a little thin, but this is nice.
Tried
on 29 Nov 2014
at 13:48
6.9/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 6.5
Tap at the brewery - lightly hazy orange - yet another new german varietal.these guys are experimenting with - cool - there’s a light dankness to this, but.mostly.the flavors are fruity, candied citrus (kumquat), cherry, strawberry - slight.grass and only light bitterness - a bit of melon.rind - I like it, but it’s not as stand out as some of the others in the.series.
Tried
from Draft
on 29 Nov 2014
at 13:39
7.9/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Tap at the brewery - turbid amber.- soapy head - aroma is a lovely mix of.complex dusty yeast, peppery phenols, mustiness, sweet plum, moderate spiciness - flavor is even better - nice mix of spiciness from the yeast, the tiniest bit of.clove, some other wintery spiciness - the plum is present, but does not overpower the complex yeast character - finish is warming spiciness, brown sugar, raisin, dark bread - loving this - perfect for this snowy day.
Tried
from Draft
on 15 Nov 2014
at 15:34