Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5
Draft taster. Brewmaster Tim gave me a sample before it was to debut at last night’s Chef & Brewer’s Dinner. So the name may change if any leftovers go on the board. The shift manager said it was the nitwit infused with lemongrass. Well, this is a very cloudy yellow, dark in the middle, with a thin layer of white foam. The glass was too tall to get a good whiff, just a light lemony smell, with a bit of yeast. The taste does show some lemon; not overdone like some Pledge flavored beers I’ve had, more like a lemon zest. A bit grassy and earthy, too. Quite dry, with very little bitterness, and some wit spice coming through, too. So, not very sweet or malty, and not a lot of hop bitterness. I can see why they would serve this during the seafood course. I never cared for seafood, but I can see that’s a good match.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8
Draft Snifter. My 100th Rock Bottom Yorktown beer! Well, Brewmaster Tim slipped me a taste of the lemongrass nitwit for tonight’s Brewer’s Dinner, but I’ll wait til it’s properly "introduced." This, meanwhile, comes with a black body and a ring of brown foam on the edge. Syrupy bourbon smell, like the filling of a bottle-shaped chocolate with liquor filling. That pretty much described the initial taste, too. Milk chocolate surrounding a center of oak-aged bourbon. Even with its warming alcohol, it’s not harsh at all. Long aging period has mellowed it out. Goes down quite smoothly. Slight bitter chocolate aftertaste. (I now see that this is my 151st beer from all Rock Bottom restaurants).
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7
Mug Club nitro pour. Black stout color, with some brown at the edge. Dense, creamy brown head, still one finger thick after sitting for 10 minutes as I drank my Eradicator sampler. Nice chocolate mocha smell, but still with some stout roastiness. The nitro pour gives it a smooth, creamy texture. Chocolate taste is not upfront, more like bittersweet cocoa. Strong coffee notes start in, then a bit of stout sourness midway through. A little rough for a drink with "chocolate" in its name, but not out of line for a stout. Mouthfeel thins out toward the end. But there is a nice chocolatey aftertaste.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8.5
Sampler at lunch, RB Yorktown. Don’t want to go back to work after a whole mug of this. Opaque brown in the small glass, with a thin layer of bubbles. Smells of honey, even some Belgian tripel before the bourbon comes in. Seems barrel-aging really scrubs out the yeasty bite of some small brewer’s lagers. Taste starts out like an English barley wine: low on hops, sweet tasting malt with again, honey, plus toast, oak and bourbon. Very nicely balanced for an "extreme" beer.
Anders37 (30296) reviewed Cappatown from Rock Bottom Yorktown 15 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8
Draft @ FoBAB 2009, Chicago, IL. Pours a dark brown color with a small tan head. Has a roasted malty chocolate and raspberry aroma. Roasted malty chocolate and caramel flavor with hints of coffee and raspberry and hints of bourbon barrel. Has a warming roasted malty chocolate finish with hints of raspberry and bourbon in the aftertaste.
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8
Draft @ FoBAB 2009, Chicago, IL. Pours a dark reddish brown color with a small off-white head. Has a caramel and dark fruit aroma with some hints of bourbon. Has a sweetish malty dark fruit and vanilla flavor with hints of bourbon. Also some hints of caramel. Has a sweetish malty caramel and dark fruit finish with hints of vanilla.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5
12 oz. snifter. The snifter shows more bubbles on the side of the glass than the sample tumbler of Wit du BreAnn I just had. Thicker and bubblier head, too. That’s quite a difference a choice of flavoring can make. Light apricot nectar smell. First taste is surprisingly — chocolatey! No idea why I get that impression, but there it is. Or maybe carob? Maybe the sun-dried tomatoes in my ravioli have something to do with it. Further investigatory drinking brings out more apricot character, darker and a teensy bit smokey, like dried apricot or fruit leather. But the idea of chocolate never goes away. Hey, I’m not complaining.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 6.5
Sampler. The second of four in brewer Tim Marshall’s "Small Batch Spiced Series;" we all missed the first one, it appears. Hazy wit color with a thin layer of fine foam.. Smell of lavender and rose hip may make some think of soap. Taste keeps the floweriness spreading around my sensory organs. There is "just right" grassy note that complements the warm spring day outside. Faint but distinct tart background. I can more easily pick up the coriander in the base beer. too.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7
Mug Club draft. Slight orange smell from the mug right after pouring. Hazy orange color, with a half-finger of angel food textured white, lacy foam. Sniffing up close shows a big Pacific hop load of pine and grapefruit. Taste is not as BIG as, say, an Alpha King. It’s a nice pale ale malt backing, letting its pile of hops work its magic. Nice an warming, enough to settle down any excitable hop head.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8
12 oz. goblet. Yes, this is yet another variation on Tim’s Argus: There’s been a Bourbon Barrel Aged Argus at 6.5%, but not a BBA Imperial Argus. This has one more abv point over the regular Imperial Argus, and is blended to boot. So. Smell is malty with a dose of Hennessey. Brownish black in the goblet, with a thin ring of foam around the edge. Taste has toasted oak and some herbal notes, like a root beer or sarsaparilla. I had a sample or the regular argus for comparison, and found that to have a big hop bite that’s much subdued in the aged ale. The UltraMega has a smoother quality, aided by its bourbon notes, and a slightly dry finish. I never cared much for coconut, if it’s here, I must be detecting it as a thread of vanilla. Alcohol stays understated, making this a nicely sippable and relaxing brew.