Draft at Brewpub. Pours a dark mahogany amber with an off white head. Caramel and citrusy nose. Medium bodied, but with that Sierra Nevada like clean texture. Malt back bone is strong, with notes of nuts, dark caramel, and rye. This is countered by a moderate west coast style bitterness, which is piney and citrusy, with even a hint of mint. Finish is semi dry and hoppy. Not bad. I wish Blackstone would keep an aggressively hopped beer on tap full time.

2007 Harvest ale 1.065, 40 IBU - Mt. Ranier hop varietal. The aroma was spicy and grassy with a resinous hop presence. Caramel was notable in the background with some citrusy notes. A well done aroma in terms of both hops and malt. The beer arrived clear amber brown with a low beige head which was persistent enough to lace the glass. The flavor was lightly sweet and nutty with a candylike characteristic and caramel. The hop bitterness was restrained and hop flavor was pretty low. The hop presence did not meet up with what was promised by the aroma. The finish was dry with light lasting citrus. The body was medium or just a bit above and the carbonation was moderate leaving a creamy impression on the palate. A nice beer that certainly could be more bitter. Pint at Blackstones.

8 hour growler brought in by BossHossBikes, thanks man! Pours a darkish brown which is rather crystalline. Not much head is evident here. Aroma reminds me of a barleywine with sweet caramelly tobacco scents. Thin hops, bread, and dry fruit tones round things out. After a sip, I ween my opinion away from barleywine and more to brown ale, maybe a Scottish ale. The finish is bittersweet with a milky sweetness and a lingering, papery sting. Brown sugar, almonds, peanut skins, and powdered milk are hinted at. Pretty decent. I’m not sure that "American Strong Ale" is appropriate here. No real focus is given to the hops here, it’s all about the malts. Blackstone continues to make pretty decent beers in our sparse TN scene.

On tap into shaker at the brewpub. Deep ruby clear in the glass with only a dusting of tan head. Nice malty smell, with a little bit of bright fruits and maple poking through the general breadiness. Malt profile is definitely forward and insistent and nicely complex, in that different malt flavorings take center stage at different times. Sugary and grinding grains at first (with maybe a little DME) aren’t the best, but subside with the carbonation into some dark grains, cranberry (without the tartness), and maybe a little licorice. The finish: much like the aftertaste of cranberry juice (the echo of tartness that, in this case, wasn’t there to begin with), with some earthy rhubarb bitterness on the back sides of the tongue making it a little dry; long. In theory, I like the cranberry aspects, and with the right food accompaniment, they might be very nice. Their near acridity, along with some of the untutored sugars, leaves this feeling just a little off, eventhough I can’t pin down exactly why.