4 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20
Date: 04/26/2007
Mode: Draft
Source: Rich O’s
takes two foaming glasses to make a pint, hazy dark ruby red, big dense beige head, drippy lace,
light caramel malt aroma with light floral hops,
creamy body,
rich dark caramel malt flavor, lots of balancing earthy hops, munich malt adds sweetness, touch of chocolate adds character as it grows richer, lots of rich and complex malt flavor balanced by a combination of hops, long light bitter finish, very light dyactyl shows at the end to blend with the milk chocolate and add an English quality,
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Date: 08/04/2007
Mode: bottle
Source: roadtrip
a great hoppy chocolate IPA, no dyactyl, sweetness brings out the chocolate and gets a bit sticky after a while, well balanced by lots of hops, the next generation of the india brown ale style,
Aroma: 8/10; Appearance: 8/10; Flavor: 8/10; Palate: 7/10; Overall: 16/20
Rating: 4/5.0
Drinkability: 8/10
Score: **4
3.4 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 14/20
(draft) Crystal clear mahogany body, tan head. Aroma is moderately sweet, chocolate, roast, light grapefruit. Taste is moderately sweet, chocolate, some roast, light alcohol. Light-medium body. Seems way too malty (not to mention dark) for the designation of IPA.
3.7 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20
Draft at MRAF in Columbus, OH. Poured hazy brown with a large frothy brown head that was mostly lasting with good lacing. Moderate sour citrus and bibblegum aroma. Medium body with a sticky texture. Medium bitter flavor with a bitter sweet finish of moderate duration. This is a standout beer and a good indication that this brewer is moving forward.
3.4 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 14/20
22oz bottles acquired in trades with shigadeyo & mreusch (thanks!). Poured a deeper mahogany color with an averaged sized off white head. Aromas of caramel, citrus, butterscotch candies, and some pine. The caramel and butterscotch dominate. Tastes of caramel, citrus, and a little earthy. Malts dominate with the hoppiness taking a back seat. Alcohol well hidden. Weaker body.
4.1 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20
22 oz bomber. Deep brown colour with a creamy tan head. Big, bright hop aroma with loads of grapefruit, pine and a spicy resinousness as well. Soft chocolatey maltiness in addition to some rich cookie-dough and caramel malts. A it warms, the chocolate and caramel become more apparent. Flavour is excellent, sweet toasted caramel, toffee and dark chocolate. A bit of stewed fruit mid-palate with more rich spicy hops on the back. Moderate bitterness with a lingering alternation of chocolate and hops. One of only a few of these "india dark ales" I’ve had, and just like the last one, it’s a combination that I really enjoy.
3.6 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 14/20
Bottle thanks to cewldre: Pours a transparent copper ruby with a thin, wispy light tan head. Aroma of citrusy grapefruity hops and some lightly toasted caramel malt. Body starts with a mild caramel sweetness and some light fruity citrusy notes toward a drier, toasty and more bitter finish. A pretty crisp American strong ale, but could use a touch more sweetness.
3.1 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 12/20
My Bottom Line:
Modest caramel maltiness swirls around the growing piney, green hop discourse in this otherwise tame American Strong Ale.
Further Personal Perceptions:
-A ring of foam circles the clear copper red.
-Munich malts stand out somewhat, which is surprising to me in such a beer.
-Mouthfeel is healthy, but not rich enough for this beer’s gravity; it remains drinkable though.
-Earthiness seeps from the hops as well.
-A French toast character is built by the grain bill.
Bottle.
3.9 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20
Bottle from Alexsdad06. Pours mahogany with a great retained tan head. Smells of rich malt, lemons, oranges, hints of earthiness. Tastes lightly bitter with some nice spicy touches and peppery hints. Mouthfeel is rich with a great earth finish. Hints of booziness. Well done!
2.5 AROMA 5/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 5/10 PALATE 2/5 OVERALL 10/20
Objectively speaking:
A good idea, imperial IPA meets brown ale, but executed with no finesse and oriented much more toward the imperial IPA side of things. Blind, I’d have thought IPA.
I like:
Rusty colour. 2cm yellowy head. Toastiness. Juiciness. Orangey. Biscuit. Fitting carbonation.
I dislike:
Caramel syrup blended with IPA. Little dark malt character. Globally dull, light bodied. Unpolished.
3.5 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 14/20
Bomber. Poured clear deeper ruddy brown with a sticky, well-retained cap of beige head.. looked quite nice. The aroma picked up a rich sweetness that I really enjoyed (chocolates, toasted caramel, and treacle) with drier pine and dark citrus hoppage.. the focus was really on the malts here, and I dug it. The flavor wasn’t quite as solid.. lots of residual sugar in the form of caramel and toffee, which was amplified by some rough alcohol (especially at the back).. bitterness was moderate with some herbal and dark fruity presence (but a defining or well-balanced character was never achieved).. finished warm and bitter. Medium-bodied with low carbonation and a slow, building bitterness throughout.. better in the aroma than the flavor.
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