 Tweety (169), Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Feb 15, 2008 Draught at Boston University Pub
The pour is fine with a nice white head with some staying power.
The aroma is unexciting, and not as strong as you might expect.
The taste is a bit sweeter than I’d like in this style of beer, and the alcohol is more prominent in the taste than in similar strong ales. Not unenjoyable, but you could certainly do better for a strong ale.
ClarkVV (3547), Allston, Massachusetts, USA
Feb 27, 2007 Draught at EBF on 2/10/07
Syrupy-looking golden-bronze beer with large bubbles in the liquid and a thick white head that recedes to cover but provides very sticking lacing. Medium clarity, quite a bit of haziness.
Lots of sweet dough and very juicy, thick fruitiness is somewhat offset by heady, floral hoppiness. Bitterness collects on the end of the nose, but is joined by the peachy-mango-pear fruitiness. Very sweet, it seems, with lots of strong honey, bordering caramel. Mostly clean, however, and I don’t find any real metallic or dirty notes. Just a bit of alcohol sharpness and maybe a slight, slight touch of spicy phenols.
The sweet, sticky malts seem rather underattenuated, giving a sluggish sweetness that is not really balanced by the moderate bitterness. Acids and breadiness linger, while an attempt is made to form some pleasant hoppy flavors, but it’s too dry, floral and just not in large enough abundance to really pull much attention from these malts. Rather doughy on the end, with light acidity and some vanilla and honey flavors. Low carbonation. Alcohol warmth is apparent as are some toasted malts. Eh, don’t really see the draw here. Berkshire is just not an "Imperial" style brewer. I respect their beers for always being very reserved and quite balanced/low-key. This seems very forced and unrefined/unfocused.
sliffy (1951), Columbus, Ohio, USA
Feb 14, 2007 EBF 2007: Hazy gold with a white head. Aroma, some citrus, and floral notes, caramel. Flavor, very sweet up front, kinda sticky, some bitterness, citrusy, at the end, nothing special.
muzzlehatch (4425), Burlington, Vermont, USA
Jan 10, 2007 12 ounce draught glass at Amherst Brewing Company. A hazy gold body with a thin moderately-lasting bit of white creamy topping and no lacing....caramel, fragrant floral hops (honeysuckle perhaps or magnolia), hints of light fruitwood smoke, and with some warmth apricots and peaches come in.....very sweet and a bit syrupy on the tongue, but decent bitterness throughout counteracts and cuts the sugars somewhat....lightly alcoholic peaches in syrup with a faint peaty undertone.....carbonation quite low; alcohol much more apparent near the end of the glass, some metallic off-flavors as I near the finish. Ehh, work in progress maybe.
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