This is dark brown, almost black, as dark as most Porters. Tall creamy head. Sweet rich malty raisiny aroma. Smooth and creamy , with a flavor profile that follows the malty sweetness found in the aroma. A nice brew!

2005 bottle huge thanks to Beeryum for the bonus. Sampled on 11/6/05 with the Montreal Crew. Dark sandy to mahogany browns swirl about against a deep chocolate brown backdrop. Clear and filtered, however, with a small beige head, low to moderate retention, no lacing. Easy to get along with coffee nose, has a light mocha and cream suggestion to it, a touch of sweet graham crackers and milk chocolate. Aroma somehow comes across as lightly watery, not sure how to explain that, the aroma sort of wavers in and out, not very strongly, with light compost notes and some dry, bland, vapid notes. Flavor has a chocolate atop biscuits note to start, sugary and with a hint of toasted grains. Sweet toffee and low hops (touch of floral, green flavor) with more graininess (almost a bland, sandiness) on the end. Lightly bitter black chocolate and roast notes come in to play. The mouthfeel has a forced carbonation prickliness, but nowhere near the level of some of the bigger offenders. Medium body, touch of wateriness on the end.

Bottle Pours a clear redish amber with a very modest off white head. Subtel slightly roasted malt aroma and little in thy of hops is evident. Pleasant woody malt flavor, still very little hops. Moderate palate and fairly fizzy. lacking any real bitterness and while plain and unexciting, a nice easy drinking brew. Wish I could say as good for the picture on this page.

Cloudy light amber colour. Dull earthy aroma. Light body for style, with hints of caramel and toffee. There are some fresh fruity notes to keep things at least a little bit lively but this beer is pretty bland.

Hazy amber colour. Caramelly, earthy aroma with light esters. Chewy caramel malts. That’s about it, really. Fairly earthy but really simple beer.

Bottle. I’ve had this several times on tap, but htis is the first time from a bottle. Not quite the IPA I remember from the past and I expect more from this brewer. Huge head over a hazy dark yellow body. Sweet malt and gentle pine aroma which certainly isn’t overdone, but o.k. Balanced flavor need mor eintensity. This makes a fine APA but falls short of being a top IPA.

Bottle from Hop and Leaf Feb 2005. Another striking pour (like the Cottonwood IPA) with a deep burnished copper body, bright and tinted with orange and gold. Clear, with a smattering of white head. Aroma and flavor give off strong hops and lightly fruity yeast notes. Very dry and bitter notes up front, with a strange, dry bready finish. The mouthfeel is good though. It starts off moderately carbonated, but finishes much more smooth and lightly creamy. I’m still not thrilled about it, due to the finish. Tastes like an APA to me, strong bitter hops, very dry, with a dry pale malt body.

An opaque brown beer with a huge tan head. The aroma is sweet roasted containing lots of chocolate. The flavor malty with strong notes of chocolate, but a sourness lingering in the back and the body is thin.

2004 bottle compliments of Jay (Springslicker) procured in an awesome trade, thanks! Dark black-brown color, mostly clear after it settles, with ruby highlights near the edges. Aroma of strong oats, light roast, some ash and perhaps brown sugar. Flavor is surprisingly very dry to start, but as it warms, some light caramel notes come on. Throughout there is ample oatmeal characteristic, smooth, creamy and lightly milky. Body is medium, with perhaps a touch of thinning. Dry barley on the finish. Low hop character, no alcohol. After it sits and warms fully, it is tremendously smooth, creamy and lightly sweet (toffee, caramel). Notes of more oats and a good amount of chocolate on the finish. Moderate carbonation. A bit too dry and less body than I would prefer overall.

Black with a deep mocha colored head. Smoky, roasty aroma. Medium body brings along flavors of roast malt that stops short of being too bitter yet enought to impart a pleasant dryness, preventing it from being too sweet. Very well balanced and smooth. Worth seeking out.