Purchased at Knightly Spirits in Orlando. Pours a clear copper with zero head. The aroma starts with olive and red wine notes. Beyond that are wood, dark fruit and sweet caramel malts. The taste starts even and smooth then rolls into grapes and red wine. It then becomes tannin red wine like tartness entering midway then woodiness joins in along with dates, plums, raisins, sweet caramelized malts and more grapes. The body is a bit thin. Aside from the lack of carbonation this beer seems to have aged nicely.

1997 vintage bottle. Pours a amber color. Aroma is sweet, and to note almost too sweet. The flavor is about the same, not a lot of alcohol burn (go figure) but what alcohol there was is replaced by sweetness. I mean, for a 10 year old bottle it wasn’t bad, but it definitely wasn’t something to call home about.

Purchased at Embassy Liquors in Richland, MI 05/07. Pours a brownish murky copper with zero head. The aroma is pretty full with a mixture of red wine grapes, sweet plums, hints of over ripe cantaloupe, hint of olive brine, alcohol and a just a bit of earthy woodiness. The beer has zero carbonation creating an un beer like mouth feel. The bubble-less fluid starts with a slight olive note and then becomes fruity with dark grapes, sweet plums, tart wine tannin and cherries. Then an undercurrent of sweetness and caramel takes over briefly. As the finish approaches a dryness takes the moisture away with a red wine flavor and tannin tartness.

2006 vintage, tasted at my homebrew club meeting, Nov. 2, ’07. A sherry brown color. Somewhat oxidized, which shouldn’t be at this age, I’d think. Still a fine fruity ale smell. Taste builds on that with slight white pepper and notes of cinnamon. At this this one held its carbonation pretty well. Just makes me realize that cellaring ales, especially corked ones, is still a crap shoot. 2001 vintage came to me in a lovely trade, and stays in my cellar for now.

++++ RE-RATE 25 October 2011 ++++
Corked 275 ml bottle graciously given to me by mhill2079. Bottled in 1997, Bottle #1976. Cork breaks in half as I open. And then in half again, crumbling out. Pour is a murky brown ruby with only a few oily tan bubbles on the surface of the pour. Quite viscous, has legs on the swirl. Aroma is port like (raisins, prunes, grape skin), dried apple, some cinnamon, warm caramel. Mostly the port, though. Taste is pretty thin right off, with the raisin grape dried apple of the nose, turns a bit to a saltiness and just a hint of vinegar oxidation. This doesn’t sound great, but actually works with the Port flavors. The palate is thin, as mentioned, still, with the pleasant wine like finish. Picks up a bit of body as it hits full room temperature. Overall, this is a pretty interesting beer - despite the dry cork, in decent shape for its 14 years. Thanks Mike! (7,4,6,3,14 - 3.4)

++++ ORIGINAL RATING 2 November 2007 ++++
275ml bottle (Bottled in 1997) purchased at Blue Max in Burnsville, MN. Pour is a murky brown - ruby with absolutely no head. A few bubbles on top that migrated to the edge of the glass, and clung for the remainder. Aroma of sweet prunes or raisins. Almost a red wine odor (get some wood scents). Got some slight funk and a bit of musty earthiness as well. Taste is mostly sweet raisin/prune and malt with some funky yeast going on as well. This one may have oxidized a but, but it was still tasty. (7,3,8,3,15 - 3.6)

27.5 cL bottle (2005), thanks to faroeviking. Pours amber to deep orange with no head. Aroma is dark malty, slight dried fruity. Flavour is slight sour portish, still dry and also dark malty flavoured. Slight woody finish. Nice but somewhat too old in flavour.

Picked up this 2001 vintage at Ledger’s in Berkeley. The cork opened with a whisper and a rush of red wine aromas. It pours a murky brackish brown and no head. The aroma is big with red wine, sweet caramel candy, light dark fruitiness and more red wine notes. The beer seems thin and watery and brings in the flavors noticed in the nose. Nice, red wine, creamy caramel candy, dates, prunes, hint of olive and faint toffee. If the body wasn’t so thin this would be really nice.

(Bottle vintage 2002, White Horse, Parson’s Green, London, 11 Aug 2007) Reddish brown colour, slightly hazy, with brief beige head. Malty, fruity, murky nose with dried fruit, apples, wood, rubbery hops, earthy hints of cellar and some kind of old cheese hanging in the air. Malty, fruity taste with dark and/or dried fruit, fruitcake, oak and murky cellar. Vinous with acidic notes of rubbery hops, red-currant, raspberries. Rather harsh, earthy, dryish finish. Oh dear, complex is the word, but the flavours have’t quite come together. More cellaring would probably be interesting.