7.5/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 8
Draft. Milky clouds in a yellow wit-like body, lacy foam. Smell carries mostly warming alcohol, but at the same time it’s not overwhelming. The first taste already starts to numb my lips. Seems a lot of the Belgian sugars have managed to ferment away. Low levels of spiciness keep the alcohol warmth coming through. I simply missed the described spices, but still, this is a great pale winter warmer.
Tried
from Draft
on 23 Jan 2009
at 11:56
7.6/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Roasty brown color with a foamy head in my Mug Club mug. Nice brewhouse smell of fresh malts hiding a light toffee note. First mouthful already feels nicely filling. A warm mix of crystal malt, sweet with a bit yeast that’s still settling. Basic peppery German hops in background, as this is a beer for tasting malts. Warming alcohol much in evidence. A great wintertime... or rather, Easter time beer.
Tried
on 31 Dec 2008
at 23:04
7.9/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 10
Overall 8.5
Muddy brown color in a draft snifter, with a white ring of foam struggling to hold the edge. First sniff is heady bourbon followed by malts, and – surprise – still some hops in the mix. Taste brings an immediate impression of vanilla bean, while its fizziness distributes that malt goodness all around my mouth. Bourbon notes follow, with some plum, and then a soft caramel creme. Yes, a great sit-down beer that happened to do a great job of quenching the fire from my RB BBQ Chicken Pizza.
Tried
from Draft
on 17 Dec 2008
at 13:40
7.9/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Mug Club draught, 11-30-08. Brewer Tim told me he always has trouble with this style. But this seems just fine to me. Malty and slightly heady smell from a mug 2 feet from my nose. Dark chocolaty body with a half-inch bubbly head. Plenty of caramel and nut brown malt taste, but it’s surprisingly light in mouthfeel. Either it’s very attenuated to reach that 8.1% abv, or the hop balance is straight on. A fine, light whiskey impression and just a tiny bit of peat.
Cask, 12-5-08. The cask pull brings me a sample slightly warmer than from the tap. This gives it a more prominently fruity nose. The thin, slight mouthfeel makes it taste more like a whiskey and water.
Cask, 12-5-08. The cask pull brings me a sample slightly warmer than from the tap. This gives it a more prominently fruity nose. The thin, slight mouthfeel makes it taste more like a whiskey and water.
Tried
from Cask
on 30 Nov 2008
at 18:00
7.2/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7
Taster, Nov. 12. Head is more persistent than the B-A Pritchard, and more lacy. Smell is somewhat subtle, with more of the base ale character coming in. Taste is plummy, maybe like a Christmas pudding. Along with a standard beer carbonation is a nice, smooth, sippable bourbon texture. The overall sensory experience is enhanced by the smell of grains being mashed in the brewhouse. Still a bit of yeast in this glass. Finishes like a vanilla wafer.
Tried
on 20 Nov 2008
at 09:07
8.1/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
Draft Taster. Of course, the foam in this tiny glass of dark matter gives up rather quickly. Yet a lot of lace shows up, go figure. Sweet vanilla and whiskey taste that actually overruns the original’s strong stout character. Makes this beer fall into the category of a light apéritif. A tiny bit of sourness. Not as heavy as other barreled stouts, making for a more enjoyable drinking experience.
Tried
from Draft
on 20 Nov 2008
at 09:03
7.1/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7.5
Mug Club nitro pour. Creamy thick nitro head over a black body, with a bitter unsweetened cocoa smell. Taste is a textbook smooth oatmeal stout, with an edge of coca. Slight trickle of bubbles provides a welcome smoothness. Just enough bitterness to wave as it goes down. A big dollop of foam is the last thing in the glass, like getting the foamy dregs from a root beer float.
Tried
on 22 Oct 2008
at 14:31
8.2/10
—
Appearance 10
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Draft goblet. Dark brown, almost black body, with a quarter-inch cappuccino foam head. First sniff sends a shot of piney hops across the bow, with a volley of grapefruit to follow. Taste is about the same, in fact, I think I swallowed a piece of hop leaf. No "coffee" or "chocolate" malts as the menu card claimed, just a pile of nutty brown malts. It can’t compete with this hop-head’s wet dream, so it stays somehow separate. Stickiness on the lips, some alcohol, but not too warming. It’s like drinking three beers in one—a brown ale, a hoppy IPA and a strong ale!
Tried
from Draft
on 15 Oct 2008
at 22:04
6.9/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 6
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 6.5
Generous looking even for a Mug Club pour. Hazy dark yellow, with a pillowy weizen head. Smells slightly sweet and malty, few esters. Taste does have that citrus quality, some of which may be from yeast as well as hops. Light wheat spiciness works with a mellow malt sweetness. Worthy end-of-summer beer for a last-minute tap-filler.
Tried
from Draft
on 03 Oct 2008
at 08:58
6.8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 6
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 6
Mug Club Draft. Full amber color, a nearly creamy head. Scent of fruits and a bit of nutty roast, then the usual weizen esters and some coriander. Sharp contrast between fruit and banana with nut brown malt and some Bavaria/Bohemian hop mix. The banana taste can wear on you if you are not that into it. Nice malty finish for a very solid tap beer.
Tried
from Draft
on 20 Sep 2008
at 16:51