Diamond Knot Ho!Ho! Winter

Brewed by Diamond Knot Brewery
Style: Spice/Herb/Vegetable
Mukilteo, Washington USA

Serve in Lager glass, Tumbler

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Had this about two years ago. Very fortunate it was just put on tap during my visit to the area. Pours a beautiful clear dark amber with tan head and nice lacing. The aroma is light and brings forth sweet malts, roasted malts, sweet dark fruitiness and more roasted malt sweetness. Wow, the taste is very inviting forcing another sip. It is mostly moderately roasted malts mixed with some caramel, sweet black grapes, plums and a hint of sweet raisins. The malts combine with a breadiness about midway and slowly fade into the finish. I get mild burnt malts, roasty malts and some chocolate malts as the finish approaches where they’re met by some dark fruitiness that edges out the other notes for flavor supremacy. Throughout the taste experience is an under current of grapefruit bitterness that grows to a moderate state into the finish and seems to peak during the after taste where it is joined by roasty and chocolate malts.

12 oz sample bottle into a Lager glass. Pours a brown toned amber with a small tannish head. Aroma smells of spices, herbs, tropical fruit, and a roasty malt. The flavor has a nice sweet malt start which moves progressively into a very spicey body and finish. Cinnamon, cardomon, and other spices are very present lingering past the finish. Pleasantly surprised - much better than anticipated. Very spicey!!

Sparkling amber, lasting beige head. Wonderfully roasty malt nose.Complex malt taste with late arriving spices I liked this one very much

UPDATED: DEC 12, 2007 Draft at Winter Brew Fest. Pours dark amber with an off-white head. Medium body. Aroma and taste of fruit and nuts. Didn’t seem particularly spicy until the finish. ---- Just tried the 05, 06 and 07 versions side by side. The caramel and fruit come to the fore as the beer ages. I almost thought I could get a growler of the 05. My waitress said yeah, but the bartender nixed the deal.

Draught at the brewpub. Clear dark brown. Fruity perfumy mango aroma. Very sweet wih plenty of hops. These hops, together with the syrupy sweetness makes it inky and harsh. Resiny, very bitter finish. A promising aroma, but it’s all downhill from there.

Brown beer with a thin white head. Sweet caramel aroma, some noticible hop aroma (noble variety). Flavour is surprisingly thin with some light astringency. A bit husky tasting. Short sharp bitter finish. Some resinousness. Light bodied. Meh.

Draught @ Brouwer’s Cafe: Dark amber, moderate finely bubbled head, off-white, lovely lacing, mild carbonation.   Fairly heavily roasted malt aroma, and I mean heavily.   Not much else except for the kilned grains.   Heavy roasted malt up front, quite roasty, with a slight hop bitterness on the backside.   I would have never guessed this to be an industrial for how soft it is on the bitterness.   Sweet malty finish, lingering roastiness that is quite sticky.   Didn’t seem overly spiced to me, unless you call heavily roasted malts spicy?   Body and mouthfeel were full to moderate.   Needs a bit sharper hop bite to counter the malts, at least in my opinion.   Good, but I wished it was a bit more IPAish, more sweet bitterness please!

On Tap at DK Dark redish amber with only a trace of head or lacing. Rather noticeable ABV in the aroma and flavor. Softly carbonated and was hoping for a fuller palate.

Intersting brew, its dark brown with a creamy head. Aroma is sweet caramel, some sugar and some light hops. Tastes creamy and nicely balanced with the hops. Hard to tell the ABV is high. Good spice at the end.

Sampled at the brewery
Pours deep brown and gives off the hop nose immediately. First sip is sweet, then the bitterness assault hits. Very fresh tasting, with a dry and vinegar palate.