ekstedt (2411), Göteborg, Sweden Nov 20, 2008 <i>Bottle (bomber) from Systembolaget</i>. Clear copper, medium yellow-beige head. Dark berries, caramell, and piney hops in the aroma. Medium bodied with soft carbonation. The caramel sweetness is well balanced by surprisingly restrained bitterness. Well done. luttonm (275), Belgrade, Serbia Nov 20, 2008 Draft at Brouwer’s in Seattle. My idea of an archetypal Big American Ale. Big malt-hop bomb, intense alcohol warming and thick and sticky. Lots of caramel, touch of sweet, citric hoppiness. Long finish, very rich. Yum Furseth (1328), Kungälv, Sweden Nov 20, 2008 Bottle: Clear red colour, with nice creamy head. Aroma a mix of caramel, lots of malts, viny, lots of hopy fruity nose. Flavor is medium to full malty/citric,hopy/caramelly mouth feeling, medium to long fruity/malty,caramelly finish. Abit Viny in the end here . Werry nice beer. Whow! oteyj (713), Canterbury, New Hampshire, USA Nov 20, 2008 Pours deep garnet with somewhat small veneer of a head. Aroma is riddled with every hop facet imaginable- resinous, grapefruit, citrus, pine, grass. Malt character is full and undeniable- dark sweetness melds with the powerful hop blast seamlessly. Flavor is like getting hit by a freight train made of hops. Malt character is deep and foreboding. This delicatessen is far more lacerative and aggressive than its regular ABA counterpart- still wholly drinkable though. Palate is rich full and smooth with a punishingly hoppy finish. Simple incredible beer- at the forefront of its style. mikalooch (158), , New Jersey, USA Nov 20, 2008 Deep dark red color with off tan head. Heavy malt in the nose mixed with some hops and flowers. It almost punches you on the first taste, heavy hops with grapefruit covered in honey. Almost leaves your tongue numb. Heavy mouthfeel, great flavor, very bitter. Extremely solid, like this one better than last years, very aggressive
dogfish120love (250), west hartford, Connecticut, USA Nov 19, 2008 Pours a weird rusty red that can’t be seen through. The head is thin with off white coloration and a slightly yellow tint.
The smell is very hoppy yet malty at the same time. Heavy nose of citrus, pine and potent malt. Wow the taste is rather boozy and quite a cluster F@$# of flavors. Im getting a heavy hop grapefruit bitterness one minute than a sweet malt flavor the next. The alcoholic flavor is very noticeable and I don’t think stone had the intention of hiding it. Anyways this is my beer rating done after rate beer came back online so it was a good choice in my opinion. ChainGangGuy (2522), Kennesaw, Georgia, USA Nov 19, 2008 2008 Release.
Appearance: Pours a clear, reddish amber body with a well-formed, sustaining, off-white head. Copious amounts of lacing on the way down.
Smell: Aromatic hoppy nose, some sweetish hints to it, and smelling of fresh orange peel, exotic flowers, pine resin, and a splash of pomegranate liqueur. Caramel-scented maltiness underneath. Very, very minor wafts of alcohol.
Taste: Sweet caramel-laden maltiness with a pinch of light brown sugar and a quick drizzle of simple syrup brace themselves for the impact of hops. Quick montage of fruit flavors - oranges, grapefruits, pomegranates, even sweet cherries. This precedes a solid jolt of straight-up citrus and pine hoppiness with a full, sturdy bitterness. Definitely a warming beer, but not quite hot or bracing for me. Drying finish with a touch of booze and more than a touch of bitter hops.
Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Medium carbonation.
Drinkability: Recommended! I’m ashamed to admit it’s been more than a few years since I’ve had a bottle of this to myself, but I’m more than pleased to be having a fresh bottle and am happy they’re finally, at long last, distributing to the state of Georgia. epf33 (222), Fairfax, Virginia, USA Nov 19, 2008 mine was the 2008 release, 10th anniversary with silver ink instead of white... not bragging... just letting you know you should hold onto those bottles and when you have a trip out to Cali, Stone fanatics will pay MAD cash for the bottle. the beer itself, was alright compared to other Stone beers.
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