7.9/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 10
Overall 7.5
Pours a clear pale copper with white head. The aroma has classic barleywine notes of figs, prunes and raisins mixed with sweet malts and caramel. There’s also a nice wood note in the nose mingling with a sense of the ABV. The taste begins with a bolt of carbonation punctuating the figs and sweet cherry notes. Then a malty sweetness mixed with a hint of wood joins mild caramel as the flavor moves to the finish. Smooth. Very nice caramel candy and wood notes linger at length in the after taste along with sweet dark fruity esters.
Tried
from Can
on 12 Dec 2007
at 21:18
7.1/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Pours a clear copper with weak off white head. The aroma is full of fruity esters like fresh ripe plums, figs, dates and prunes. A brief caramel malt note is noticed amid a background of port and wood notes that run the length of the aromatic experience. Very nice smooth tasting barleywine. It seems to begin with ripe cherries, sweet dark grapes, figs, sugar coated plums and stewed raisins. I then get port mixed with maple syrup and wood. The taste winds down on the sweet side with increasing maple syrup, alcohol warmth, wood, caramel and residuel dark fruity esters.
Tried
on 12 Dec 2007
at 21:16
8.8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 9
Texture 10
Overall 9
2005 Vintage. Pours clear copper with weak off white head. Without any effort a bold sweet malty and fruity aroma is offered up out of the glass. Upon further investigation sweet plums, prunes and figs are noticed backed up by molasses, wood, a hint of caramel candy and booze. The taste experience begins with an initial medium bodied mouth feel that grows thick and viscous into the finish. The fluid ushers in some wood and malty sweetness first before the dark fruity esters take over with sugar coated plums, figs, prunes and stewed raisins. About midway the fruitiness becomes more sweet boysenberry like. The malts seem to go from the initial sugary malt sweetness to caramel candy, mildly roasted malts and then toward molasses and maple syrup. Toward the finish the wood, maple syrup and sweet caramel malts mix with a sense of booze. I get a lingering sense of all the flavors going deep into the after taste. Very nice.
Tried
from Can
on 12 Dec 2007
at 21:14
7.6/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Sampled from a 9.3 oz bottle, 2005 vintage. Poured a slightly murky copper color, almost no head to speak of. Lots of floaties. Aroma was pretty subtle in terms of alcohol, with notes of dark fruits including raisins, lots of malts, molasses.
Tried
from Bottle
on 09 Dec 2007
at 14:37
8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Sampled from a 9.3 oz bottle, 2005 vintage. Poured a slightly murky copper color, almost no head to speak of. Lots of floaties. Aroma was pretty subtle in terms of alcohol, with notes of dark fruits including raisins, lots of malts, molasses, and a smokey touch. Tastes like a decent whiskey. If I have any further vintages I’ll have to average them in.
Tried
from Bottle
on 09 Dec 2007
at 14:37
7.8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 8
Vintage 2004. Pours liquid caramel in color with a light, wisy tan head. Sweet malts, molasses, brown sugar, plums, raisins, alcohol, some oak in the aroma. Body needs to be chewed. Very smooth. Awesome flavor on this one. Sweet dark fruits, molasses, malts, plums, risins, and candied fruits, smokey wood. Finish is sweet, and the whiskey really stands out here. An outstanding brew. I’m not gonna try to put into words how much I enjoyed this beer. An excellent welcome back from the sea.
Tried
from Can
on 06 Dec 2007
at 04:28
6/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 5
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 6
Bottle at home ... nice copper colour ... uninspired caramel hop nose ... sweet toffee fruity little syrupy ... odd metalic linger that lets it down a bit --- Beer merged from original tick of Moonraker (Cask) on 24 Oct 2012 at 04:29 - Score: Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 9. Original review text: cask at sordeer ... dark brown black ... thin tan head ... soft dark malts ... light plum roast ... sweet roast ... mellow malts ... light coffee roast ... very soft and smooth ... very nice
Tried
from Bottle
on 17 Nov 2007
at 15:21
7.2/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 8
16.9oz bottle-pours a light brown head with bubbles and dark brown color. Aroma is caramel/toffee/molasses-dark/medium malt, some earthy. Taste is caramel/toffee/molasses/dark fruit/licorice-dark/medium malt, some earthy/bitter hops. Medium/full body. Good cold weather beer. OK carbonation. Thanks jwc215 for sharing.
Tried
from Bottle
on 11 Nov 2007
at 11:01
8.1/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
Bottle. Thanks to bu11zeye for this one. Vintage 2004. Pours a dark amber color with an off-white head. Sweet malty and slightly alcoholic dark fruit aroma with some hints of apples. Sweet malty alcoholic dark fruit flavor with some weak hints of calvados. Sweet malty finish. Thanks again Markus.
Tried
from Bottle
on 06 Nov 2007
at 16:41
8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
The owner of Aldgate pulled this bottle out and shared it with the few of us at his pub that night. Black with deep tan head. Aroma is roasted malts, plums, raisins, caramel, and some sherry. Full, smooth body. Flavor is similar to the aroma with the dark fruits really showing through. Roasted caramel malts, tobacco. I couldn’t get enough of this brew.
Tried
from Bottle
on 05 Nov 2007
at 06:41