3.9 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20
22oz bottle, November 2000 vintage. Hazy bloodstain color, tiny ring of foam around the inside of the glass. Nose alcoholic, butterscotchy, slightly honied. Flavor rather harsh and heavy at the beginning, plummy, brandylike. A bit too strong on the alcohol, and a bit too big upfront, but I loved the toffee undertones near the back end. Thick, but not sticky, mouthfeel, with virtually no carbonation. I like it quite a bit, but this is definitely a beer for sweet sherry or port drinkers.
PS HOPHEADS, RUN FOR YOUR LIVES! THE MALTS ARE COMING, THE MALTS ARE COMING!
3.8 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20
Bottled. Gift from VENOM. THANKS!
Very dark red. Lingering balsamic honey aroma. Very sweet, very complex and vinuous. Like a fine natural sweet wine. Lovely flvaour, but thick mouthfeel, and I’m glad I’ve got plenty of friends to share this big bottle with, as a full bottle is too much.
3.2 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 13/20
Sake mouthfeel with mead flavors…Sweet caramel wine…Waking up from a strange daydream…
3.8 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20
No head, none, zero. Root beer in color. Smells of candied sugar, honey and alcohol. The flavor is quite sweet but the alcohol cuts right through that. Yes this is really different and it really good. If you are ever in Bar Harbor, you need to buy at leat 1 bottle of this.
3.9 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 17/20
Aged since Nov. 2000: Aroma includes a very rich honey, rye, candied malt, strawberries, brandy, and abundant, nose-burning alcohol. Soft and mellow mouthfeel. Deep copper liquid with no sign of foam. Notes of plums and honey in the forefront. Peachy notes emerge in the finish. Chocolate/butterscotch hints, as it nears room temp. Rubbery/alcoholic burps. Extremely sharp alcohol with spicy undertones, yet not overly warm, plows right through any flavors that would be left in its path. Strangely, the richness, blended with a lager temp., made this much more tolerable, and dare I say, more enjoyable. The pungeancy has absolutely nowhere to hide. So, needless to say, I threw it right back in the fridge until it was time for a refill. I would shoot myself in the foot to acquire one more of this interesting brew. Some age could turn this into a gem of a beer. ’Spirit’ fans, watch out! Thanks, beer pal Venom!
2.7 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 2/5 TASTE 5/10 PALATE 2/5 OVERALL 12/20
Firm, highly alcoholic body, caramel notes, a lot of honey flavour. This is a stiff drink, folks. A little to mead-like for me, though. That little bit of malty chewiness is lost amidst the sweetness of the honey and sting of the alcohol.
4.1 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20
Hazy dark amber with a light head that dissipates to nothing (even with a rough pour). Aroma of caramel, honey and winey alcohol. Intense honey sweetness upfront (even ice cold) with a warm feel. ABV is not overbearing anytime while sipping this. Wine like taste emerges atop the light and barely carbonated body and honey sweetness. Yeast adds some spicy balance to the honey. Quite quaffable despite its size. The honeyness tempers a bit once it sits, where barley wine characteristics take over and turn this into a fine evening sippier. Very interesing Mead-like concotion that is worth the effort.
3.1 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 2/5 OVERALL 12/20
12% and it only comes in 22’s. What do YOU think it did to me? As far as taste is concerned, this is basically half beer half mead. Perhaps 1/3 beer and 2/3 mead...I dunno. Very tasty, very sweet, and very strong.
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