This most special of beers is consumed with much gusto and is raised in honor of a most exceptional “Friend, and just one fine Gentleman, I speak of Loren Verkovod, and as we affectionately know him Venom”, and a “Happy Birthday to you old friend”!<br /><br /> The beer evacuates the bottle a caliginous orange color, and it’s absolutely filled both in suspension and on the bottom of the bottle with “Tons” of dross, the head is smallish in size, creamy in texture and the color a dazzling light tan, the lace forms a see-through curtain to conceal the glass. The nose absolutely reeks of yeast, fusel alcohol, sweet malt, coriander and maybe some over ripe fruits like over ripe plums, what a treat for this tired old nose, crisp, inviting, and a hint of the pleasures to come, start is ambrosial, thick with malted grain, the top fat and chunky in its feel to the palate, Finish is rapturous in its spiciness, the acidity palatable, the aftertaste dusty dry, almost vinous, and the ABV leaves a delightful tummy warming sensation, what a special beer this is, and one well worth waiting the four plus years to sample, as this “Beauty” was brewed in late 1999, “WOW” what a “Hoot”!

<i>&#40;750 ml bottle: Stuffed Sandwich in San Gabriel, CA&#41;</i> For my 1500th beer on Ratebeer, I&#8217;ve planned my tastings around the rare and elusive AleSmith Weizenbock. Bouncing around like a kid on Christmas morning, absolutely giddy with excitement, I somehow removed the foil without ripping it, popped the cap, and unexpectedly found a cork to pull out as well. Scrambling for my corkscrew, I completed that task and poured about 12 ounces into my Duvel tulip glass, and have been rewarded with an amazing aroma wafting up to my nose. Sweet, malty, fruity &#40;raisins, apricot, botrytis-infected grapes&#41;, woody, wow, what a cacophony of heavenly aromas here. It smells almost like a dessert wine, reminiscent of a sherry, but with some beer-like qualities. The flavor is wonderfully "worty", malty and moderately sweet like the German malt-dominated beers I enjoy the hell out of &#40;but it&#8217;s not really wheaty like most weizen bocks&#41;, caramely, fruity, hints of molasses now and then, lightly tart for balance, quite vinous, lightly woody and earthy, mildly yeasty, I&#8217;m even getting the occasional hints of apricot and coconut here. As I drink this beer, I&#8217;m reminded of how "in heaven" I feel when I drink a quality dessert wine or sherry &#40;it is sherry-like, but obviously not as intense as sherry&#41;, and this is even more true after the beer sits on my undisturbed palate for ten to fifteen seconds, which means this is a total sipper. I keep mentioning dessert wines and sherries, which means this has evolved pretty far beyond or away from an authentic Weizen Bock, and though I love that style, I&#8217;m extremely happy with how this beer has transformed because I believe there are no greater elixirs on Earth than sherries and dessert wines. There is an ever-so-slight oxidation that is only perceptible as the beer warms to room temperature, but for such an old beer, I find the lack of oxidation quite amazing. Anyone who knows me knows I&#8217;m not a homer, but I&#8217;m sorry, this is absolutely incredible, and given the age, I&#8217;m in total awe. Well-carbonated, full bodied, sticky, slightly syrupy, but never cloying, the sign of a good dessert wine, and also the sign of a good "dessert" beer. A gorgeous, bright, ruddy orange in color, it&#8217;s also fully cloudy, with plenty of flaky yeasties circulating up through the center of the beer, and then down along the edge. The light-tan head pours to an initial height of about an inch, thanks to the narrowing of the tulip glass near the top. It gradually settles to a thin, broken layer atop the beer, but holds there. I&#8217;m sorry about gushing like this, but I&#8217;m totally into sherries and dessert wines, and this is truly a dessert beer. I&#8217;ll be going to Stuffed Sandwich tomorrow, and if there are any more bottles of this, I&#8217;ll will buy one &#40;or more, if Sam lets me&#41;. I feel like I can die a happy man now. Peter, if you&#8217;re reading this, AleSmith absolutely MUST brew this again. If you&#8217;re not reading this, I&#8217;ll be pestering you incessantly until you do. I worship at this beer&#8217;s altar. I can&#8217;t stop gushing..........

&#40;5-year old 1999 bottle&#41;: Peace-inducing scotch ale spires tower above the cloves and citrus fruit on the ground…Heavy caramel formations and butterscotch outcrops defy the laws of style and soar splendidly, a marvel for all senses…Candi sugar, earthy tones and a smooth, gorgeous mouthfeel link the ground and firmament with inspiring class…Who else but hopsrus can bring us such American wonders?…Thanks again John!!…

Medium orange color. Small head. Aroma is malty, caramel, honey and sweet. A medium to full bodied weisenbock. Malts are fruity and sweet, touched of caramel and toffee. Hops are slightly spicy. Very smooth. The malt sweetness dominates the flavors although out this beer, but in a very nice way. Very flavorful. Mouthfeel is full and round. Finish si clean and smooth. Aftertaste is sweet.

Not often I get to drink this style. The last I heard this hadn&#8217;t been brewed in a few years. The cork was a real pain in the ass, but what do you expect? Poured with a very effervescent head &#40;which I didn&#8217;t see coming&#41;. Cloudy orange with mellow caramel and butterscotch aroma. Taste was mostly caramel with bananas and ripe peaches. It had a nice alcohol kick to it and was still very good.