3.9 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 16/20
Cask at Blind Tiger. Coffee and roasty aroma, hearty and cheesy, much bread and belgian yeasts. Dirty, muggy, foggy flavor, old coffee, with an oddly hoppy and paint thinner finish. Really, the finish is the only real flaw in this beer. It is supremely drinkable, especially on cask, and I finished the mug in 4 large sips. Very unique and different. I enjoyed this a good bit.
3.9 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20
Cask at Blind Tiger. Deep black beer with a creamy light brown head. Very soft carbonation (I suspect this is completely unlike the bottle, FWIW). Aroma is fairly chocolatey initially with some fruity plums, raisins and a prominent yeasty character. Spicy with a bit of herbal flavour, light coffeeish character as well. Fairly vineous with a grapey sweetness, clove and a hint of cocoaish flavour. Raisiny sweetness on the back before a soft roastiness before a lovely yeasty spiciness. Fairly rich with a hint of raisiny sweetness, light licorice toastiness. Quite a lovely brew.
3.4 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 13/20
Cask at Blind Tiger. Pours black with a moderate amount of off-white head. I can smell the beer just from holding it regularly. Lots of roasted malts and coffee. The atse starts off pretty well with roasted malts being the key player, but for whatever reason, it all just falls apart from there. I’m not even sure how to describe it. I think the coffee managed to get burnt while on my tongue. The palate was slightly watery and the finish brought the burnt coffee again. Sadly, letting this beer sit for a bit didn’t help it much. I should probably give this another try out of the bottle, though I won’t be paying for it.
3.7 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 14/20
Dark brown/black body with a medium-sized tan head. Rich chocolate nose with molasses, raisins and toffee. The flavor is lightly sweet with roast, milk chocolate, molasses, prunes and ash. Medium/full body is soft with light carbonation.
3.6 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 15/20
750 split two ways. Black in color with a large tan/light brown head. Aroma is yeasty with the trademark allagash phenolics, as well as roast, chocolate, light touches of earth. Taste is roasty, with a good amount of yeasty must and phenolics, bittersweet chocolate, earth, and floral hops. Light to medium bodied, carbonation somewhat prickly on the palate. Well done for a belgian style stout.
3.9 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20
Very intriguing flavors. Dark but mellow, with a velvety mouthfeel and cocoa powder background notes. Nice creamy head, too. A fine brew, if not just a hair too sweet. Not worth the cost, however.
4.1 AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 16/20
Interesting beer and different from many of the stouts I have had. Pours a dark black with a moderate tan head. I can smell the coffee in the aroma of the beer. Goes down easy, well balanced. Tastes of coffee, chocolate, and a little malty. Interesting beer...well done.
4 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20
750ml bottle from Lou’s in Augusta. Pours a virtually opaque black body with a half inch of tan head. Smoked malts dominate the aroma with slight citrus notes. Roasted malts come on strong initially, with bitter coffee/dark chocolate bordering on ashey and a slight smokey notes in the background. Not quite astringent with moderate carbonation and a full body. Fairly smokey toward the finish. Not bad. Not quite what I was expecting, but interesting and unlike anything I’ve had in many ways. Alcohol is well-hidden and that with the mouthfeel make this an easier drinker than some beers half as strong. Pretty good.
3.8 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 15/20
On tap at the bricstore. Nice roasted malt aromas and flavors bordering on the chocolate side of things. Smooth and slightly sweet, vanilla and faint oak flavors give this one some complexity. Very nice and very glad the brickstore got this one on tap.
3.8 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20
The fizzy light tan head disperses rather quickly from this dark brown ale. The nose is greeted first by the hops, pine and floral, followed by some rich roasted dark malts, bittersweet chocolate, and my Mom’s old coffee. It’s medium bodied with just a bit too much carbonation, in my humble estimation. Still, the flavors from the scents from the nose carry well into the taste of the Stout, the hoppy bitterness increasing somewhat, and a bit of aniseed and smokiness join the fray. Over all, a very decent brew. <font size=-4><a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/Places/ShowPlace.asp? Wine & Spirits, Downers Grove, IL<font size=-1>
|
