3.2 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 2/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 14/20
Draft a few years ago at the brewpub. Mild nose of musty (not in a bad way) malts, fruit. Flavors are fairly straight forward ESB. Caramel malts blending into a mild spice, yet floral hop note in the finish. Slight pine. Not bad!
2.1 AROMA 4/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 4/10 PALATE 2/5 OVERALL 8/20
Amberish pour. Malty, cereal aroma. Flavor follows suit. Totally boring caramel and malt crap.
3.3 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 14/20
On tap at Barrio
Appearance: Hazy amber with a small off-white head with very little lacing
Aroma: Caramel and rye
Taste: Sweet malts, caramel, rye with a bitter finish
Decent
3.2 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 13/20
UPDATED: JAN 18, 2009 Sampled at Barrio Brewing, November 2008
This arrives with a nice, clear, amber color that is topped by a thin, pale tan colored head that does not quite cover the top of the beer, but does manage to form some light lacing on the sides of my glass. The aroma has a toasty grain note to it up front, with a bit of spicy hop character in the middle and a light berry note to it as well. The toasty / bread-like malt notes become more noticeable as the beer warms, but somehow it can seem a bit stale at times.
The beer has a nice, biting bitterness to it and there is also a touch of a herbal component. The beer is too cold to get a good sense of the malt character, but it is light and quaffable. It is not thin though as it has some malt-induced body to it. The caramel malt notes become a touch more noticeable over time along with some toasted grain flavors. This is fairly well carbonated, which provides a bit of a peppery bite in the finish. After a bit I am able to notice a hint of toffee and a malt sweetness. This is definitely hop dominated with notes that are definitely herbal, some slight sharp floral notes (makes me think of wild flowers and weeds), and some light citrus and berry character becomes a bit more noticeable as this warms.
This really would have benefited from a cask serving (warmer would have been nice too), this would have softened up the hops and the body would have been much better as well. It is still pretty good and it likely had a more interesting hop character when it was fresher. It is a bit too focused on the sharp, herbal and bitter hop notes, which are not bad, but a touch too aggressive.
3.1 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 13/20
On tap @ Barrio - Pours a clear amber color with a small white head. Light lacing. Aroma is faint hops. Flavor is esters and hops. Not alot of malt in this one. Palate is slightly bitter. Medium body. A decent beer, but not for the masses.
3.2 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 2/5 OVERALL 14/20
Draft at the brewpub. Amber pour with very little head. Decent aromas of Malty caramel and some fruity esters. Grape and apple came to mind. Flavors fell off a bit as the fruit lessened. The maltiness was still there, but the finish was somewhat metallic and watery. Just ok
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