Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 5 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 5
Cloudy straw color with aroma of caramel and moderate hops - no head - decent taste, but lacks balance - sweet caramel flavors clash dramatically with a gradually swelling hop presence - both seem to fight for dominance, instead of finding harmony - hops completely take over the finish - it begins as a strong brown ale and finishes as an IPA - a beer that doesn’t know what it wants to be, and, as a result, confuses the palate.
bb (18428) reviewed Talon Barley Wine from Mendocino Brewing Company 21 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7
Bottle Darker amber color with an off-white head that sports a tinge of orange, Big sweet malt aroma. Caramel malt flavor with butter and a bit of burnt malt. Slight hop flavor. Body is a little light and just a little creamy in the mouthfeel. Clean, easy to drink. Hides alcohol well. Just needs a bit of complexity - not rich enough, too mellow.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8.5
An amber beer with no head. The aroma is primarily of alcohol, but also hops and grass. The flavor is sweet with notes of caramel and lots of hops. A lovely hoppy Barley Wine, that really gives the warmth on a chilly fall night.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5
Very dark opaque pour with a decent tan head. The aromas are nice. but subtle. I was hoping they would intensify with some warming. Roast malt, chocolate, some smokyness. The flavor was not overly sweet, roasty with a dry smooth finish, but a little thin. Not bad, very much on a par with the other Mendocino brews I have had.
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6
Clear straw body, thin off-white head. Body is somewhat tangy with earthy, slightly piney hops and biscuity malts. Sweet and resiny. Passable.
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5
Relatively clear copper body, almost no head. Caramel, sugar, dark fruit and piney hops aroma. Sweet body with plenty of malt sugars, tones of caramel and candy. Grassy hops with pine highlights are evident around the edges. Despite the apparent complexity, this beer is quite thin-bodied for an American Strong Ale and just doesn’t pack the "ooomph" better beers of this style do. That said, this isn’t bad.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6
This is a surprisingly hoppy Amber Ale with just enough underlying dark fruit and caramel/brown sugar malt character to make it quaffable. The malts even have a grape-like character, but the earthy, bitter hops prevail in the finish. I agree with the 55.7% style percentage- this is decidedly average.
JK (8181) reviewed Black Hawk Stout from Mendocino Brewing Company 21 years ago
Appearance - 10 | Aroma - 4 | Flavor - 4 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 4.5
It smells like popcorn. The appearance is the best quality of this beer. Black with a thick, creamy tan head. Flavor of coffee. Too bitter.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7
Deep brown/black body topped by a dense, puffy, thick tan head. Chocolate and roasted malt share billing with unusual sherry notes in the aroma. Body is rather thin with dry chocolate and a touch of tangy fruit, finishing on a bitter, metallic note. All in all not a bad stout. Suitable for session consumption.
bb (18428) reviewed Red Tail Ale from Mendocino Brewing Company 21 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 5.5
Bottle. Amber-copper color with a good white head. Aroma of caramel and some citrus hops. Well balanced beer with decent malt and some citrus and spice from the hops. Not bad for an amber beer, but nothing truly special. --- Beer merged from original tick of Red Tail Lager on 18 Oct 2008 at 19:31 - Score: Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 5 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 5.5. Original review text: Bottle. Amber beer with a whitish head. Bready aroma with a bit of grass. Buttery flavor with some spice and grass backed by a bit of malt and lemony citrus. Medium. Grass and butter linger with the malt.