8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Pours a nice mahogany with reddish amber hues and tan head. The aroma is tart, cherry fruit, a bit of lemon peel, yeasty tartness and a sense of moldy citrus. The taste is tart and a bit crushed aspirin and lemon acidity with faint sweet fruity cherry notes in the background. 7 4 7 4 13
Another go-round courtesy of Sparky. Pours clear amber with light tan head. The aroma is full with cherries, prunes, spicy notes and cranberry infused molasses. The taste starts a bit sharp with cranberry, pomegranate tartness and with cherries and sweet malts in the background. Nice and pleasingly not over the top tart.
Another go-round courtesy of Sparky. Pours clear amber with light tan head. The aroma is full with cherries, prunes, spicy notes and cranberry infused molasses. The taste starts a bit sharp with cranberry, pomegranate tartness and with cherries and sweet malts in the background. Nice and pleasingly not over the top tart.
Tried
on 01 Dec 2011
at 21:24
8.4/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 10
Overall 8.5
Nonic pint draft at Cafe Twenty Eight in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Pour is an opaque deep brown with subtle ruby highlights and a frothy one inch tan head. Head falls with thick coating lacing. Aroma is fresh pine hops, bright tropical fruit, and a nice toasty roasty malt underneath. Taste is bright pine initially, turning towards the pineapple fruit acidity and sweetness of the nose, and clsoing with and ever so slight roast and malt. The pine and roast comes to the front as it warms, retaining great balance and softness. Palate is light to medium bodied, soft natural carbonation and a clean bright hop and dry mineral earth finish. Crazy drinkable. Really interesting and bright flavors. This is far hoppier than I remember Darkness being, and the second running really cuts the malt sweetness. Thoroughly enjoyed this, and was delighted to be able to try it.
Tried
from Draft
on 28 Nov 2011
at 11:58
8.9/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 10
Flavor 10
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
I’ve had this one (a 2009) for a couple of years; was going to drink it when the Vikings went to the Super Bowl with Brett Favre, but the Saints had something else in mind. Anyway, this is as good as I’ve been led to believe. Pours very black, thick, almost oily with a pretty thick head that takes a second or two to firm up. There’s coffee and fruit and chocolate in the aroma. And the flavor contains all those and more. There’s an almost sweet/sour fruity cherry tang to the flavor in addition to all the thick chocolate and coffee flavors. I only wish it was a bit easier to get ahold of a bottle of this stuff.**Update**: Now drinking a bottle of the 2011 batch. I think maybe this needs to age a couple of years? It’s good, but more "boozy" (i.e., definite alcohol flavor) than I remember the 2009 being. There’s a very strong licorice/anise flavor to this batch as well that I don’t recall from the 2009.
Tried
from Bottle
on 27 Nov 2011
at 14:35
7.9/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Can @ Exira Beer Summit II, courtesy of bnielsen13. Thanks Brad! Clear light burnt orange appearance with a cream colored head. Very potent resiny, piney, orange citrusy hoppy aroma. Rich sweet, a touch toasty pale malty, citrusy, orange, piney hoppy flavor. Citrusy aftertaste.
Tried
from Can
on 26 Nov 2011
at 14:58
8.1/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
16 oz can from a trade with CLevar. Pours clear burnt orange color with offf white head. Aromas of citrus and floral hops with some caramel. Bitter grapefruit and some pine flavors with a touch of malt sweetness. Medium body with average carbonation and a resinous mouthfeel. Excelllent! Thanks Caleb.
Tried
from Can
on 26 Nov 2011
at 08:36
7.1/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7.5
Sampled from the tap at 2011 FOBAB. Poured a deep dark reddish amber that was nearly clear and had an off-white heads that dissipated to the edges. Aroma had notes of tart red fruits with a bit of dark grain, raisins and a hint of funk. Flavor was full of slightly tart red fruit with backing dark grains and a hint of dryness in the finish.
Tried
from Draft
on 20 Nov 2011
at 19:22
7.2/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 8
16 oz. can courtesy of Tripplebrew. Used a mug. Deep mahogany color. Lively carbonation with thin, bubbly tan head. Light lace. Nose of roasted nuts and rich caramel. Taste follows with a touch of chocolate. Smooth and creamy mouthfeel. Medium body. Finishes a bit dry. When warm, touch of hops under the roast. Lots of flavor for a brown. The creamy, roastyness makes it highly drinkable. Ranks up high in the style.
Tried
from Can
on 19 Nov 2011
at 12:52
8.3/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 8
Zombie courtesy of evanlarkin, a huge thanks for scoring this one and hauling it back. Very dark brown, dark brown head, good lacing. Aroma of dark chocolate syrup, subtle booze, espresso soda. Taste is smooth chocolate and coffee liquer and brown soda bread. Nice!
Tried
on 18 Nov 2011
at 19:25
8.5/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 9
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 8
Bottle courtesy of evanlarkin, thank you sir! Almost completely black, bright contrasting white head that settles quickly to an edge. Aroma of vanilla, port wine, red wine, prunes, dates, plums. Taste is softly sour dark fruits, dates, raisins. Very nice.
Tried
from Bottle
on 18 Nov 2011
at 18:16
7.4/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Sampled from the tap at 2011 FOBAB. Poured a deep murky brown with a yellowish brown head that dissipated slowly to the edges. Aroma had notes of coffee with a backing creaminess, vanilla and dark grains. Flavor had a nice combination of vanilla and coffee with a hint of chocolate and barrel backing. Quite nice.
Tried
from Draft
on 18 Nov 2011
at 15:26