7.5/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7.5
Flavor 7.5
Texture 7
Overall 7.5
Reviewed from notes.
Can to becher glass.
Appearance: somewhat hazy golden orange to copper color with a sturdy two finger white foamy head which dissipated nicely to leave some light lace
Aroma: mixed citrusy to dark berry-ish and pineapple hop notes; light clean malts
Flavor: meshes the prior noted aromas to a rounded sweet quality; finishes somewhat citrusy and berry-ish
Texture: light to medium bodied; sessionable; some smoothness with not much distracting anywhere, subtle hop bitterness assertiveness
Overall: it works as an AIPA, mostly.
Can to becher glass.
Appearance: somewhat hazy golden orange to copper color with a sturdy two finger white foamy head which dissipated nicely to leave some light lace
Aroma: mixed citrusy to dark berry-ish and pineapple hop notes; light clean malts
Flavor: meshes the prior noted aromas to a rounded sweet quality; finishes somewhat citrusy and berry-ish
Texture: light to medium bodied; sessionable; some smoothness with not much distracting anywhere, subtle hop bitterness assertiveness
Overall: it works as an AIPA, mostly.
Tried
from Can
on 27 Apr 2026
at 23:50
7.5/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7.5
Flavor 7.5
Texture 7
Overall 7.5
Reviewed from notes.
Bottle to snifter.
Appearance: dark brown close to black color with a finger and a half's worth of off-white foamy head which dissipated nicely to leave some light lace
Aroma: roasty malts, piney hops, citrusy hops, black coffee and a super light honey whiff far down under
Flavor: melds the prior noted aromas to a roasty to bitter and slightly sweet quality; finishes slightly roasty with a touch of bitter and low key dryness
Texture: medium bodied; leaning towards being a sipper; low smoothness with appropriate dryness but also that honey seems to prevent the dryness from becoming "too much."
Overall: though I expected the "palate wrecking" capabilities to be there for the style, I guess I can't be "too" harsh on rating this since Pipeworks said there's honey in this.
Bottle to snifter.
Appearance: dark brown close to black color with a finger and a half's worth of off-white foamy head which dissipated nicely to leave some light lace
Aroma: roasty malts, piney hops, citrusy hops, black coffee and a super light honey whiff far down under
Flavor: melds the prior noted aromas to a roasty to bitter and slightly sweet quality; finishes slightly roasty with a touch of bitter and low key dryness
Texture: medium bodied; leaning towards being a sipper; low smoothness with appropriate dryness but also that honey seems to prevent the dryness from becoming "too much."
Overall: though I expected the "palate wrecking" capabilities to be there for the style, I guess I can't be "too" harsh on rating this since Pipeworks said there's honey in this.
Tried
from Bottle
on 27 Apr 2026
at 23:23
7.9/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7.5
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Reviewed from notes.
Can to becher glass.
Appearance: burnt copper color/slight chill haze to it and a two finger white foamy head which dissipated nicely to leave some light lace
Aroma: sweet meaty to bacon smoky tones with a smooth malt backbone and a light note of white bread
Flavor: melds the prior noted aromas to a rounded meaty to bready sweet maltiness; finishes savory sweet with smoky meatiness
Texture: light to medium bodied; sessionable; good smoothness with nothing distracting; good carb level
Overall: I say good smoked lager worthy of coming back to.
Can to becher glass.
Appearance: burnt copper color/slight chill haze to it and a two finger white foamy head which dissipated nicely to leave some light lace
Aroma: sweet meaty to bacon smoky tones with a smooth malt backbone and a light note of white bread
Flavor: melds the prior noted aromas to a rounded meaty to bready sweet maltiness; finishes savory sweet with smoky meatiness
Texture: light to medium bodied; sessionable; good smoothness with nothing distracting; good carb level
Overall: I say good smoked lager worthy of coming back to.
Tried
from Can
on 27 Apr 2026
at 23:11
8.4/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8.5
Texture 9
Overall 8.5
Wow. Big maple smell as soon as I pop the top, almost too much. Pours brownish-black, with a fizzy tan head that fizzes out almost instantly. Once I get my nose in the glass, the maple smell is not so large, and I can get more bourbon barrel and some of that vanilla. THICK BBA syrup taste, a bit of spice on the roof of my mouth. Going to take a while to get through this, but anyway, it tastes like a lighter stout more than a Scotch ale. Got this at Malloy's Finest in Lisle, another nice store that I need to add as a venue for having this.
Tried
from Can
on 21 Apr 2026
at 03:00
8.3/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 9
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Can at ash's. Pours black, nose is chocolate, peanuts, coffee, roasted, vanilla, taste is chocolate, roasted, creamy vanilla, bitter finish. 8/9/8/8/8
Tried
on 18 Apr 2026
at 10:33
6.9/10
—
Appearance 7
Aroma 7.5
Flavor 6.5
Texture 6
Overall 7
Pint can from Trader Joe's. Dark brown/black porter beer body under a "pond scum"layer of tan foam. More smoked malt in the nose than any pepper. Also getting mostly Bamberg smoke in the taste. Or maybe the chilis are just there to support the smoked malt.
Tried
from Can
at
Trader Joe's - Downers Grove
on 30 Mar 2026
at 03:38
7.3/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7.5
Texture 7
Overall 8
Can, from Trader Joe's, Chicago IL. Pours hazy dark yellow with a small foamy beige head, mango-citrus aroma, adequate carbonation, mildly bitter mango-citrus taste, faint pineapple, smooth thin body, long finish. Tasty brew.
Tried
from Can
at
Trader Joe's - Chicago
on 22 Mar 2026
at 23:48
8.8/10
—
Appearance 9
Aroma 8.5
Flavor 9
Texture 9
Overall 8.5
Can @Luppolo Station (Rome). Nera, densa, impenetrabile, schiuma color cappuccino leggera, non molto persistente. Al naso leggero etilico, quando si scalda tira fuori note di botte fantastiche, legno, vaniglia, cioccolato, caffè. In bocca è equilibrata in maniera magistrale, attacco abboccato con note di cioccolato, cocco, e chiusura amara, caffettosa leggera. Corpo pieno, oleosa al palato, carbonazione medio-leggera. Straordinaria, un capolavoro.
Tried
from Can
at
Luppolo Station
on 21 Mar 2026
at 12:41
7.6/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 7.5
Texture 8
Overall 7
On tap @Luppolo Station (Rome). Nera, densa, impenetrabile, schiuma color cappuccino, non molto persistente. Al naso note di cacao, cannella, peperone, cocco, sciroppo d'acero. In bocca è equilibrata, attacco abboccato con chiusura leggermente amara, ma un po' "too much" per me. Corpo pieno, carbonazione medio-leggera. Si beve, ma stanca.
Tried
from Draft
at
Luppolo Station
on 15 Mar 2026
at 12:37
7.3/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7
Long time apart in reviews for this one it appears. The label has changed as has the abv as my can shows 9.3% and a born-on date of 12 Nov 25. A Buffalo Bayou snifter ready, I make the pour. I see a dark caramel brown liquid with a wispy but steady skim of light tan-silver foam. The smell is quite malty with dark fruit and bread. I take a drink and call it decent. Hops, red plums, grain and a touch of toffee. I find the hoppiness somewhat dominating, not a feature I care for in a barleywine.
Tried
from Can
from Half Time
on 26 Feb 2026
at 01:34