Murky amber in color, with minimal carbonation - aroma quite like an english barleywine (plum, fig, port) with prominent bourbon, strawberry and oak mixed in - kind of tart throughout, with a very heavy woodiness that almost overpowers the rest of the beer - slightly acidic, with very apparent alcohol - tastes kind of like a watered down barleywine with dominant bourbon in the finish - as others have noted, I’m not sure blending in their pale ale was such a good idea - I generally find Cisco beers underrated, but not in this case.

25 oz bottle-pours a foamy, four finger+ reducing to rocky with patches clinging to the side of the glass white head. Color is hazy yellow. Aroma is floral, fruity. Taste is spices, hoppy, grapefruit, sweet creamy, vanilla. Good carbonation.

25 oz bottle ink stamped on bottom 174 19:44 1122-pours a foamy, four finger+ reducing to rocky with patches clinging to the side of the glass offwhite head. Color is hazy yellow with effervescence. Aroma is musty, grain. Taste is sweet, fruity, musty, a muted tanginess. Different than the standard for a lager style. A mellow, fruity Duvel.

Pours nearly opaque with a massive, rocky, tan head - very dry, vinous, almost tart aroma, with hints of dark fruit - very dry and tannic, with just a hint of malty sweetness on the back end - a bit of sourness, combined with earthy, musty undertones - some roastiness, figs and dried cherries - a bit of coffee and cream in the finish - a very unique stout.

Deep brown ale with thick moka head. Explosive in character. Fruity chocolate with yeasty notes, very belgian in style. Good rich chocolate, not too sweet, a bit overcarbonated. Nice hops in finale. Rich bodied.

2005 bottle consumed on 12/22/05 with Rastacouere and Siroy, as Winter Vintage. Pours a lightly hazy (sediment on bottom) golden-copper color (though rather light on the copper) with a mountainous white head that is well-retained and creates plenty of lacing. Aroma of distinct yet tastefully done English hops (viney, leafy, soily almost). Thick house yeast is dusty and quite mineralesque and layered well on top of a rich dough and honey, with warm bready notes. Hops are dry in the nose, not spicy or sweaty and quite subtle. Flavor is immensely yeasty, with a thick dough sweetness, chewy and redolent of well water. But a light tanginess grows on the end, dry hops but yet a bit of floral or herbal character from them. Baked bread cooling on the stone hearth. Rustic as always, no wateriness and quite drinkable. Carbonation is actually quite low (for a Cisco beer!) but relative to other breweries, it is still a good dose of it. Natural, however, and rather expansive, but not obnoxiously so. Chewy, soft and playful texture. Perhaps some tart nectarine/peach skins linger on as interpretation of the hops. Perhaps the yeast gets in the way, a tad too much of this delicate style. I appreciate the fresh house character, but it dosent quite compare to a classic German example (or the Summer of Lager). Though, I don’t think this is supposed to be quite the same thing.
Earlier Rating: 6/18/2004 Total Score: 4.5
04 bottling, 750mL. Bottle conditioned bright burnished gold, hazy, fiery peach. Just amazing pour. The head begins dark, deep yellow and then mellows out to a beige. Aroma of lovely pilsener style malt, fresh lightly piney hops, some light citrus notes (lemon and tangerine). Wonderful flavor that is full bodied, hugely malty (cookie dough, light yeast, angel food cake) light but refreshing hops, juicy and fresh. Lots of honey, and orange blossom. Mouthfeel, true to cisco starts out hugely carbonated, but if you let it breathe, it mellows out some and really works for the style adding a zesty punch. Good moderate spice on the finish. Torn between giving this a perfect palate, but it came off just a tad bit too sweet for me. Still a wonderful flavor, aroma and appearance. I’d give this one a 6 for appearance. 8/5/8/4/17

Draught at Publick House, 5/20/15
Always loved this beer so I figured it was high time to revisit. I don’t follow much of what Cisco’s doing anymore, but I know this used to be a helles. It certainly is different than it used to be, though I’m not sure it’s quite a Czech Pils. That being said, it dosent matter. The beer is dry, very hoppy but a bit lacking in the maltiness. This used to have supportive, comforting, honeyed malts that helped balance and really set this apart from a lot of others (and made it quite authentic, almost as if it was decoction mashed). Seems a bit more stark and with a good deal more hop resin than I remember. Hops are heavily floral, lightly citric and well-done, but the beer just seems a bit bland. I always love Cisco’s bottle conditioning, so maybe I’ll revisit the bottle. Score is for this current sample.

12 oz bottle-pours a foamy white head with hazy straw-yellow color. Aroma from 3 feet away the nose is citrus hops. Closer up to the glass, add in malty and coffee. Taste is crisp, hops, then malt along with this beer’s only drawback, a flatness. Enjoyable.

Milwaukee YEHa!05, provided by JPDIPSO. Apricoty body, thin off-white head. Fruity aroma, with white grape and pear, quite phenolic, with lemon notes as well. Lemony body with earthy hops, biscuity and bready, with white grapes. Carbonation was a bit strong; this would have been better with softer carbonation, as the lemony, creamy body would have been emphasized. Still, this was a pretty nice lager.