Had during a sampler at the restaurant. They told us it was the recipe for Sawtooth that accidentally had the Venom Pale Ale hops added to it. The aroma was excellent, nice and hoppy but not overpowering. Had a golden color with a longer lasting white head than either of it’s component beers. The flavour was fruity and citrus, but again not overpowering. This would have been my favorite ale of theirs if not for the astringent finish on the beer which mirrored that of the Venom. Funny this was a mistake for them and turned out more complex and refined than either of it’s parents.

Pleasant aroma of nuts and coffee. Flavor is mildly sweet with toffee, with slight nuts and some hazelnut. It had a nice brown color with minimal head. Definitely something I’ll order again.

Thanks to the person who brought this to share at kp’s Cellar Party. We debated whether the tall, flip top bottle was filled as a growler or bottled as a regular bottle by the brewery. Black pour with a long lasting, creamy, tan head. Complex aroma of sweet and roasted malts, a bit of licorice, some coffee and vanilla. The flavor was complex like the aroma and came across the tongue with a creamy dryness that was a bit chalky.

on tap-pours a creamy light tan head that laces with copper color. Aroma is crisp hops, secondary medium malt. Taste is a good, biting hops, medium malt. More IPA than APA. Good carbonation.

on tap-pours an offwhite head with red color. Aroma is malty. Taste is nice balance of malt then hops. Slight flat bite. Good effervescence.

on tap-pours a white head with yellow color. Aroma is grain. Taste is slick, biting hop, some grain/malt, some sweetness. Good carbonation.

Dark date colour. Chewy, slightly toffeeish aroma is fairly mild. Soft, sweet flavour, lightly accented towards caramel malts. Clean, tasty, if a little light and straightforward.

Dark brown colour. Coffee leads the aroma with raspberry and chocolate nuances. Medium body. Smooth. Milk chocolate sweetness with light raspberry and mild background coffee. It’s only those three elements, really, but they are well-structured. However, as a dessert beer it could probably use a bit more heft.

2003 Batch:
Dark amber coloured body with a small tan head. Aroma of pit fruits, caramel and toffee-very nice! Medium to Full-bodied; Strong sweet flavour with good prunes and caramel in the taste. Aftertaste sweet and not bitter at all. Overall, a real treat-great to try, especially as the first beer to the RB Party! I sampled this 75 cL bottle at the November RB party at Founder’s in Alexandria, Virginia on 20-November-2004. Rating for this sample (original): 8,3,8,4,16 2015 Vintage: Nice crisp copper coloured body with a rather large, four to five centimetre tall tan head that shows nicely, even after all this time. Aroma of rich malt, caramelised sugars, fresh fruit, pure carmel and toffee and a dose of fresh hops. Medium-Full-bodied; Strong flavour at first, mostly from the malts, but some hops are noticeable, somehow noticeable after all this time. Aftertaste shows pungent alcohol, rich sugars throughout, but still goes through quite easily and doesn't have any harsh flavours or difficulties to make this an easy drink, regardless of which styles you like best. Nice to sampled this after two years of holding on it personally to age. Rating for this sample: 8,4,8,4,16

2004 growler @ the gathering. Compliments of Scraff. Aroma of rum, prunes, some light bourbon notes, light toffee, raisins, light wood. Light brown appearance, a bit fizzy, no head ( I also did have the bottom of the bottle, but lots of it). Hazy. Very light caramel flavor, light bourbon, some alcohol. Finish has alcohol, and some nuttiness. High bittering hops apparent. Medium body, rather thin. Hmm, definitely needs more body and some more balance. Reminds me of New Holland Dragon’s Milk in that it is surprisingly light on the palate, with a big dose of bourbon that seems too dominant.