 CharlesDarwin (1379), State College, Pennsylvania, USA
Jun 1, 2006
750 mL Bottle. Heavily fruited aroma, with incense of curry leaves, candied lemon peels, fragrant epazote, light rosemary bread and a swift flow of esters. Pour of lightly hazed orange peach, with a tinge of rose and fringes of gold. Rim of swirling white. Flavor is a well sugary sweet apple candy chew, with strong runs of candied raisins, plum pudding, light fruitcake, tufts of cotton candy, and copious bready yeasts, with spice a plenty, mostly in cinnamon, capsascin and toasted fennel. If any faults, belie, cloying sweetness is the one. Finishes with a rich blast of warm fusels, alighting the sinuses and dripping corn syrup raisin malts. In there, a tinge of light hop dryness and wicking cotton apple smack. Well built, but a little light on the carbonation and overtly sugary.
Praetorian (48), Los Angeles, California, USA
Aug 26, 2008 Pours golden with an average sized off white head with good lacing. The aroma is of citrus, malts, and caramel: slightly like a heferwizen. The flavor is of citrus and spices with an orange peel finish. again, similar to a heferwizen. The texture is syrupy. It’s not a bad beer by any means, but nothing to write home about.
theisti (1034), Leawood, Kansas, USA
Aug 18, 2008 750 ml Bottle purchased mail order from South Bay in Imperial Beach, California. Pour is hazed golden yellow with a two inch slightly off white head. Nice settling on the pour. Head falls fast, with ok lacing. Aroma of spicy coriander, candi sugar yeastiness and some grainy earthiness. Taste is the sugary yeastiness, coriander, honey, raisins and only a faint amount of alcohol, which is well integrated. The finish has some hop bitterness as well. Tasty. Palate is medium, decent carbonation makes this pretty drinkable. Thanks for selling mail order, Joey, and sharing the AleSmith love around the country!
1_2many (219), Ohio, USA
Aug 17, 2008 Bottle. A hazy golden color with a small but decent looking head. Aroma of light malt, spice, yeast, and alcohol. Flavor is mostly sweet with some spiciness balanced in nicely. Nice mouthfeel, good moderate carbonation, and a clean finish. Pretty good.
SQNfan (436), Wheaton, Illinois, USA
Aug 15, 2008 Golden in color with a thin head that fades away. Aromas are of caramel, spice, yeast, light chocolate and some citrus. In the mouth it is medium to full-bodied and concentrated with some light noticable alcohol. A somewhat strange combination of lighter/fresher aromas and flavors but heavy and thick palate. Not my favorite AleSmith.
Ughsmash (2984), Waukesha, Wisconsin, USA
Aug 13, 2008 750mL bottle, at least a year old, probably a bit older.. labeled as 11% ABV. Poured brighter orangey-golden with champagne-like effervescence and a long-lived cap of sticky white head. The aroma was spicy with distinct coriander and black pepper over dry toffee and candi sugar.. warmth with some prickly bananas on the back of the nose. The flavor had dry paler fruits and a touch of sour skins at the core with pepper and coriander notes surrounding.. pale malts with some candi sugar on the finish with peppery alcohol warmth.. just not a whole lot of malt character at the end, otherwise tasty. Medium-bodied with lively carbonation and excellent spice array.. warm and satisfying. Excellent brew!
Brief notes from 1999 "Belgian Strong Ale" from RBSG: Far less aggressive carbonation and coriander (and other spice) character.. oxidadation was plenty evident and the malts became more cohesive.. very dry on the palate.. past its prime but still an enjoyable and challenging drink.
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