On cask at the Real Ale Festival at PP Carlsbad. Appearance is a cloudy red hue, off-white creamy foam head, moderate lacing. Smell is super pine needle hops, caramel malts, bread and biscuit malts, toffee, citrus, chocolate. Taste is bitter pine hops balanced with smooth caramel malts, toffee dominates the middle, finishes slightly bitter. Medium-bodied, thick and creamy texture, moderate carbonation. A great mix of hops and caramel malts, a very impressive ’imperial’ amber style beer resembling GF Hophead and Port Shark Attack.

On tap @ the brewery. Pours a deep orange amber with a small off white head, some great lacing as well. Enormous hop aroma, with some caramel and toffee. A good combination of hops, malt and bitterness for the finish.

On-tap at HomeBrew Mart. Pours orange with reddish highlights, creamy offwhite head, sheet lace. Smells big and sweet, caramelly hoppy, big sweet malts as well, almost like a barley wine. Tastes big and hoppy, like a big sweet DiPa but with much more malt flavor. Citrusy and floralwith a sweet malt backbone. Full body, somewhat syrupy, good carbonation.

One of the more complex reds I’ve had, but also one of the less sweet. On tap at Stuffed Sandwich, so my mouth was burning from the polish sausage sandwich to boot. Anyway, a highly pronounced red flavor, probably a lot of hoppiness under there, and more of a sharp finish - more pine than citrus. In all, very complex - the balancing malt is very subtly roasty; this too helps keep the brew less sweet.