Mug Club draught. Okay, Tim says it’s an Oatmeal Stout. Does that mean enter it as a "Stout" or "Sweet Stout." At first I thought it was a Milk Stout before I talked to him, so I go the "Sweet" route. But he says a Milk Stout version with the same grains and hops is up next.
Dark creamy brown at first, while the bubbles separate out. Brown/tan head with a bit of fluff. Nice, slightly sweet smell that I detect while I’m still copying the description. Taste: this goes down way too easily for a beer with this much alcohol. Oatmeal creaminess and some sweetness over a nice malt roast, but then that near-APA level dose of hops. A big contrast at work here that can either turn you on or off. I think most fellow beer will be turned on. Once I can get my nose into the mug, there’s a note of Guinness sourness, too. Citrusy hop aftertaste.

Mug Club Draft. Brewmaster Tim says he made the 2008 edition an "American Style" ESB because he had some Fuggles hops available. I think that’s how a lot of brewpub creations are going to be decided on for some time: "What can we make with the hops on hand?"
Be that as it may, here’s a beer that pours a cloudy reddish-brown with a nice short but stiff head. I suspect Tim’s keeping the color close to the prescribed "red." Toffee malt smell punctuated by a dose of English hops and, for no reason that I can figure, a whiff of green chile pepper(?). Taste is pretty rich and hearty, with chewy but not sweet malts, settled by a punchy fresh hop taste (Tim says he also used Nugget, Centennial and Cascade). Rides the border between ESB and a "red" ale, but bitterness proves it. Very sessionable, I even enjoyed it in the chilled mug I got.

Draft snifter. While I’m copying this beer’s description, its sweet smell of both raspberries and Belgian malts has been wafting to me from the snifter. Nice! Color is brown to black, thin ring of foam around the edge. Taste really works the raspberries to best advantage: they stay a part of the beer instead of overpowering it, so a nice mix of Belgian malts can work its magic. Just a little tart, but also a nice, even sweetness. A light flourish of bourbon with just a little bit of alcohol heat.

Draft goblet. Lovely cloudy russet color, thicker in the center, with a thin but clingy white head. Smell is just loaded with big pine resins, hop citrus and sweet malts. The taste still shows a bit of trub (just tapped yesterday), otherwise very citrusy hops again, also that cat taste I associate with Amarillos. Still, well balanced by a big malt bill. Good dose of alcohol, but not "hot," more like a triple filtered vodka. A great, big beer.

Taster. Try dropping the phrase "bourbon barrel aged Baltic porter with pomegrante" at work and see if you can avoid being sent home. At least I’ve been drinking pomegranate at home, so I knew what to expect. A pom smell right up front, overlaying the scent of "dark" malts. Porter color with thin clots of foam up top. Interesting taste; the pom never quite melds with the malts; they’re just two tastes sharing an apartment. Then some impressions of yeast and a baked vanilla bean curd. Not as tart as claimed, except for a bit of pucker in the finish. I give it extra marks for being my first beer with pomegranate and for carrying it off well.

Mug Club nitro draft. Starts out light brown as the "Guiness cascade" worked its magic, settling to a hearty black stout color with a thick tan head. Light chocolate nose with a touch of alcohol. Tastes sweet and creamy to start, with a light caramel malt taste. The hints of hop with earth and light citrus. Very clean to start, some astringency might come in at the end. A bit of yeast further down, but it just needs to settle some more. Very clean with a slight bitter finish. Goes down more easiliy than even the slightly elevated abv would attest.

Mug Club. Boy, that’s hazy! Murky like a brown Hacker Pschorr, if you will. Maybe it will settle and look a little more appealing later. Tim just told me it was "accidental" too, so I’m missing the story behind that. But actually, a nice smell: a bit of wit with the advertised orange peel. Taste brings out the wit base and some milk, too. More lemon on the tongue than orange, but the orange does build up toward the finish. Light wheat spices and an idea of honey from the amber malts. I agree with Cornfield, this would be great in the summer, but for now it’s a decent wit with a funny look.

New batch, 7/31/08. Coffee, porter and stout smell, almost totally black with a lace of brown foam. Taste is notably "dry" with much stoutness and little sweetness. Lots of rye spice can be picked up pretty easily, and sweetness comes up a little further down my Mug Club glass. Sits very lightly on the tongue, but definitely a dessert beer, not a summer beer.
Draft, 1/3/08. In a full Mug Club mug, it’s got a cappuccino colored, 1/2" thick, lacy head, over a black body. Smell reminds me of a Guinness or dry stout, with roast malts and chocolate overtones. Smooth texture when sipped, like milk chocolate, but with spicy prickles on the side of my tongue. No "staled stout" sourness or astringent roast. When checked against another cask taster, the cask version, being stored and served warmer, shows a lighter head and a few more ale esters. Both finish clean with a hint of café au lait. Notably alcohol warmth. A real treat that should be one of Tim Marshall’s signature brews. Original rating: 6-4-7-4-16, total 3.7.

Cask taster, 12/29/07. This sat in the glass for several minutes while I tried other beers, but the creamy brown head stayed around, unusual for a cask beer. My nose was getting too stuffed for a good whiff, I’m afraid. Black body. Taste it pretty crisp, with a light chocolate malt strain. Spiciness apparent, like both a wheat and rye beer hidden here. Goes down nice and easy. I will definitely come back for a full pint.

Mug Club mug. Cloudy yellow with white fluff on top, like an egg. Lemony yeasty smell. Taste has that citrus note that resolves slightly to orange, with notable coriander. I’d think I could spot chamomile in my beer, but not quite here. Nice dry taste, with hops definitely there, though in the background like a good Pilsener. Wheat and oats add to a nice soft texture, and a bit of american wheat taste. A bit light for a winter beer, but very nice.

Draft goblet, tapped 12/20/07, tasted 12/27. Hazy copper penny color with a thin layer of bubbles. Interesting malt smell; use of Caramel malts is well noted. Hops are still fresh here, offering lots of German type hop spice stacked against the pine resin and citrus of its NW Aerican cousins. Meaning, it’s a great American barley wine with flavor and bitterness that cuts through my sore throat.
Cask taster shows much more powerful malts than the draft version. Hops are actually over matched here. Still yummy. Can’t for the barrel version of this, maybe next fall.
Barrel-aged, tasted 10/2/08. Mellower of course. Strong enough not to have picked up much of an impression from the wood. Still plenty of hops, not too sticky. Alchol is very smooth.