Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 7 | Overall - 7

Old rating from 2017 - 355ml bottle with 'Coastal Extreme' label, brought back from my NYC visit, pours dark caramel with a white foamy head. Aromas & tastes of toffee, caramel, pine, resin, crackers, hints of stonefruit, earth & toasted malt. Moderate body. Slightly dry crisp mildly bitter finish

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7

Draft. Very hazy gold like grapefruit juice with a wisp of a head. Aroma is grapefruit and hops. Taste is the same.

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 5 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 4

Notes from 11/21/2008. Leftover notes from ABF leftovers. Best before date notched... err... no notch. : - Some dry gunk on the inside rim, but no gushing or odd smells on the pour. Emptied out into my Ommegang tulip for no particular reason. Inch an a half of oatmeal foam, leaving archipelago-like lace. A couple shades from black, ebony brown with a garnet hue around the edges. A little dank, with scents of red grape skins, sugary Hershey's faux chocolate, & a touch of smoke. Taste is a mix of ash, smoke, sharply rich malt, with lingering bitter roasted coffee, cocoa, & some citric acid on the finish. Alcohol is evident, but not the worst of it's melding problems. Body is a bit chalky, but offers strong & tight carbonation to help you push on. Average build. I did a couple. Nothing terrible, just uneven.

I’m not sure how much more New England I can get than fruity beeeeaaahhhs. My wicked Boston accent is going to come out so hard.

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 3 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 3

Notes from May 2009 Bottle brought back in late February. BB notch seems to have washed away in the condensation. Poured into my DFH rounded glass. Golden, vaguely cloudy grainy-looking brew. Half inch of wispy head leaves transparent uniform stitching. Smell is so obviously artificial. Much too strong & waxy. Along with the malt though, it comes off a lot like kid's cereal or $1 packs of Hostess blueberry-flavored pies. A little appetizing if just it's a bit nostalgic. Taste is plastic phenols & headache inducing/medicinal blueberry popsicle flavors. The grain is chalky & just totally lays down to die. Natural Flavor Added means it comes from a naturally synthesized chemical flavor plant in Jersey. Feel is like I said, chalky. Carbonation is alright. I prefer Wachusett's take on blueberry, which adds just a touch of earthiness, along with better pronounced malt. With Dark Horse's Tres being the only real pronounced, tart & earthy blueberry beer I've ever encountered. Blueberries should be the perfect accessory to a thirst quenching beer. This one doesn't work. Sickening quasi-natural beer additives only promote bad headaches & teenage pregnancy.

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 4.5

Notes from November 2009 Single from Charles St. Liquors. No notch, but from looking at the reviews, it seems like this was bottled up towards the end of May. Pint glass pour. Inch plus of off dough, off-white head with good staying power. Clear, slightly dulled, orange amber body. Smells of sticky beer residue & toffee upfront, bodied up with macerated Cheerios, crusty bread, & a couple of raisins. Light leafy hops sharpen up the nose towards the back. Taste is upfront with honey, lettuce, & dry toast. Feel is near terrible though. A jellied, & almost gritty feel. Sharper caramel as it goes. Very low carbonation. It does dry out at the end, but that required considerable endurance to swallow. Gentle sprinkle of bitterness at the end. The alcohol is very mellow, so I guess as a lager, that kicks back another half a point. Middle of the road, but it should of been better.

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8

Notes from January 2011 I'm not geeky enough to carry around a notebook, so I usually settle on writing my notes on bar napkins or on the back of coasters. Here's one: Bottle from Charles Street. Poured into a Duvel glass I bought there... which ended up being lopsided. If Benjamin were an ice cream beer, he'd be pralines and dick Huh? Bleached head, strong retention, spotty lace. Didn't bother with holding back the sediment, so it appears a bit like a muddy lake bed, hazy with sand & debris sloshing around. Soapy lime & cut grass. Bit of grainy sweetness; aerosol. Taste is chalky, dry biscuits & bitter herbs. Some sharpness through the middle. Touch of sweetness. Lingering grapefruit rind finish. Feel is frothy, not overly carbonated, dusty & leaning towards dry. Alcohol is a bit potent for an APA. Decent beer. A bit too brazen maybe.

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 8.5

Draft at Cranston Country club at annual country club. Hazy gold and herbal and floral nose. Strawberry, herbs, grass. Pretty goood

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 5

Can. Pours clear pale yellow with a small frothy whitish head that flops fast, faint grassy aroma, medium carbonation, mildly sweet malty taste, faint citrus flavor, thin body, medium finish. Meh lager.