AndyReynolds (280), Wilder, Kentucky, USA Jun 28, 2008 Poured orangish with a thin off white head. Hoppy, citrus aroma. Very comparable to the 120, just less alcohol taste. A great beer. Hangover (764), Atlanta, USA Jun 27, 2008 Orange-coppery pour with a thin, but lasting, creamy white head. Aroma is malty, earthy and woody, hoppy but not so much as I expected with all that dry-hopping. Full bodied, nicely carbonated. This one has crazy flavors going on, dried fruit, vanilla, oak, raisin, syrupy sweetness, citrus, fruity yeast flavors. The alcohol is lost with everything else going on. Definitely a unique brew, could pass for a barleywine. I bet this would age well. 12many (231), Ohio, USA Jun 26, 2008 Pours an orange amber tone with a small creamy head. Different aroma than many IPA’s. Lotsa malt covers much of the hops and the alcohol is apparent. The bitterness coats the mouth nicely and lingers in the throat with some warming alcohol. Good. blklab2007 (938), Connecticut, USA Jun 25, 2008 Updated: Aug 11, 2009bottle poured into a snifter has a light ruby orange color and a thin white head that faded quickly. aroma has sweet grassy hops, citrus peel, oak, pepper, dark fruit, and malt. lots of interest here with tobacco and vanilla coming out as it warmed. mouth feel is medium full but there is a hefty dose of carbonation frothing it up. flavor has brown sugar and honey sweetness. excellent hop blend giving bitterness, citrus peel, and floral. French oak really adds just the right touch bridging the gap between the hop and malt sides together. dry hop just makes this so juicy. BigBeer45 (676), Troy, Michigan, USA Jun 24, 2008 12 oz. bottle, pours a hazy ruby with brown around the edges, has off-white to tan bubbled head that recedes to a ring and spotty cover, looks like a IPA2 or a Barley Wine or a combination of the two, looks thick and viscous, some spotty foamy lacing on the glass, very malty aroma, caramel, faint hint of chocolate and dark malt, dark fruit? dark sugar or brown sugar sweetness, aroma grows as the ale warms, intense malt flavor with a strong hop bitterness, some alcohol warmth on the palate, sweet dark malt flavor with caramel flavor and some dark fruit flavor, finishes with some malt flavor and hop bite that hangs a bit, medium or more mouth feel, pretty thick on the palate, nice and thick double IPA, I thought this ale was a mixture of a IPA2 and a Barley Wine straddling the fence between the two but not quite as thick as a Barley Wine, interesting but not over the top. sleepylopes (313), New York, USA Jun 24, 2008 nose and flavor apper to be strong in alcohol but this dies down after further investigation. Its a dark amber plum with a quick dying head and mighty laceing. Smooth and oaks with fruit blossom and a slightly off finish. redgold07 (308), Irving, Texas, USA Jun 23, 2008 Pours hazy and a deep brown color. Aroma is malty and hoppy at the same time... some citrus and spice, but also sweet like caramel. Flavor is brilliant... immediately sweet of lots of malt and caramel. Then, hoppy and slightly bitter at the end. The bartender told me it would blow my mind... he was pretty right one... a good beer.
On tap. JohnQPublic (387), Brooklyn, New York, USA Jun 22, 2008 Bottle. Pours hazy dark orange with a small off white head. Aroma has a notable alcohol presence, vanilla and oak, sweet maple sugar, hint of spicy fruit. taste begins with a massive sweet malt presence, noticeable spicy alcohol, and a spicy, piney hoppy undertone that reveals itself somewhat gradually. Finish is an understated hoppy bitterness, definitely smoothed out by the vanilla and oak smoothness. Definitely seems to be a big IPA crossed with a sweeter barleywine more than a standard double IPA, but whatever it is, I’d like another please. Preferably with another couple of years on it though, a little too much alcohol presence is the only fault I’d lay on this one. Delicious.
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