 epf33 (148), Fairfax, Virginia, USA
Feb 22, 2008 draft: full body taste, smoky malty flavor, average hops, overall a very good beer!
bombshelter (344), Washington, Washington DC, USA
Dec 22, 2007 On tap at the Brickskeller Winter tasting, 12/19/07. Clear red. Citric, funky hops. Tastes like a Sierra Celebration, which is not a bad thing at all. A surprisingly good effort from the skeleton crew still brewing there. Here’s hoping they can keep pumping out some good stuff despite A/B’s influence.
radagast83 (1036), Springfield, Virginia, USA
Dec 13, 2007 Bottle. I’m not sure how different this may be from the 2005 vintage of the same Winter variety. Clear brown/copper pour. Aroma is hoppy, with a touch of caramel. Flavor is quite interesting for an IPA, with a distinct sweet malt taste to it without a very floral or pine aroma or taste that you’d normally attribute to this style.
Reminds me of other IPA flavors. Grapefruit, citrus flavor. A little hop flavor, and some small malty sweetness.
jgb9348 (1811), Arlington (Pentagon City), Virginia, USA
Feb 7, 2008 Bottling Date: 29-Nov-2007
Deep slightly hazy amber/brown coloured body with a dense thick tan head that stays atop for quite a while. Aroma of fresh hops with more english hops than american. Some apricots in the nose, caramel and a bit of nuts tucked in too. Medium-bodied; Strong assertive bitter hop taste up front fading to an also strong nutty malt flavour soon afterward - very strong, yet complex. Aftertaste shows more of the hop bitterness than anything else, but some of the dryness of the malt comes, along with some pit fruit sweetness at the very end. Overall, a good decently well-rounded IPA. Tons of bittering hops, especially right at the very beginning and at the very end...but nice all around. I’d still prefer a Hop Pocket Ale to this one, but it’s great to try this Winter selection! I sampled this twelve ounce bottle purchased from Norm’s in Vienna, Virginia on 8-February-2008.
scraff (1628), Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Dec 12, 2007 Dark amber, creamy off white head. Peached grassy nose fades into lighter earthy pines and hints of chocolate caramel. Moderate hop flavors of earth and peach mix well with lesser citric grassy notes. Just a touch of sweet malt in the background aims to balance and round. Medium bodied, soft carbonation, lightly bitter finish. Maybe good for a 6 pack to provide company, but overall it’s nothing special…
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