Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8
Bottle. Pours a hazy orange color with a small off-white head. Has a malty grassy hoppy pine needles aroma. Sweetish malty grassy hoppy bitter flavor with hints of citrus and also some piney hints. Has a sweetish malty hoppy bitter finish with a long bitter aftertaste.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8
Bomber courtesy of a trade with ditmier. I thought for a moment I got two Leafer Madness bombers (not a bad thing at all, really). Then I noticed the faint green stamp indicating this is the Hop Harvest version. Pours just like the regular version with hazy deep gold body and thin off white head. The aroma is similar as the regular version except it seems both smoother and a little milder in strength. It does emit more notes of grassy hops to go along with sweet malts in the background. The taste is heavier in grassy hop notes with tangelo, pine and pure resin bitterness bringing about a well rounded west coast hop profile. It seems to have smoother hops than the regular version. I was expecting it to be a little rougher if anything. It ends with some malt sweetness and tangelo hop flavor leading into lingering bitterness.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8
Bomber courtesy of a trade with ditmier. It pours a very nice IIPA hazy deep gold with thin off white head. The aroma has a pleasing mix of pine to grassy hops, citrus and resin hop bitterness. Some malt comes to the surface too from time to time. The taste is sweet with malts first then growing orange and pine hop flavor quickly moving toward hop bitterness. The bitter hops peak around midway with the solid hoppiness blowing away the slick sweet malts trying to get a foot hold on the flavor. It finishes with lingering hop bitterness and a mild warming sensation.
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 8
courtesy of ibrew2or3. Bottle with green cap. Pours amber, white head. Compared to the previous version, this one had a significant extra bitterness and hops to it. Aroma of fruity hops and citrus/herbal with a less emphasis on the malts. Taste, light bitter hops with slight notes of caramel malts. Definite extra hoppiness in this one.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8
courtesy of ibrew2or3. We tasted two versions of this beer, sadly the label didn’t really mention much difference but a date, this one had the yellow cap.Pours amber with white head. Aroma has good notes of caramel mixed with herbal hops nose. Taste, light caramel malts and nutty, some hoppy fruits (apricot / peach) almost spicy.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8
Sampled at the Hopsnobbery Collective Stout tasting on 01/16/09. This Imperial Stout pours solid black with a medium fluffy dark beige head that dissipates slowly. Top ring of lacing with spots underneath. Bold coffee and hops in the nose along with a bit of malt. Rich, dry body with an assertively hoppy character, and flavors of espresso and roasted malt behind it. Alcohol shines through pretty well too. The finish is moderately bitter coffee and hops that lingers. Overall a good beer and an interesting counterpoint to the Surly Darkness from earlier in the evening, highlighting how varied this style can really be.
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 5 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5
Pours with a small, off-white head over a hazy light amber body. Some lace. Aroma of light manure, light hops, grain, cereal, and caramel. Taste is caramel, lightly fruity with citrus hops, and toast. A bit fizzy and water like on the tongue.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7
Pours with a large, off-white head over a hazy golden orange body. Great lacing. Aroma of nuts, dirty water, citrus hops, and caramel. Taste is mellow with citrus hops and caramel. Light bubbles. Decent Pale.
Appearance - 10 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8
Picture sent in to be uploaded. Pours with a large, creamy off-white head that stays for a while. Cloudy orange body. Sheets of lace, no rings per sip, just a continuous curtain from the level of the first pour. Aroma is of dank and juicy hops, caramel and a bit of doughy bread. Taste is very bitter with a slight hint of alcohol, a bit of exotic fruit as well. Long duration, with a clean aftertaste and no real lingering bitterness. A touch of caramel too. Somewhat syrupy mouthfeel and warming. Moderate levels of carbonation.
Appearance - 10 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 8
Bottle, sent in a picture to be uploaded (as the current one is the regular Black Flag). Wow, this is hard to notes the small 2008 Hop Harvest edition stamp in white print. Green cap. I have passed this up before thinking it was the regular one without looking closely. Pours with a large, creamy light brown head and a black body with red tinges. Great lacing and full retention. Aroma is chocolaty with cereal, fruity hops and vanilla. Taste is really bitter with both hops and coffee. Very in your face and aggressive. Super bitter with espresso. Thinnish mouthfeel. I doubt this thing is 11% ABV. Light bubbles. This beer is a total assailment of hops and coffee bitterness.