Eel River Triple Exultation

’07 bomber.

Pours a deep brown with a reasonable light-tan head Sweet, malty nose, molassas and dried dark fruit. Flavors of caramel, quite sweet, giving way to earthy hops that never manage to entirely cut the sweetness. Marzipan and a bit of chocolate cake, burnt toffee and baked raisins. Smooth mouthfeel despite the high AB.

Reasonably tasty beer at first sip, but too sweet and without enough going on to merit either the sugars or the ABV. Basically I’m OK with the first sip or two, and then grow tired of it quickly. Drinkablility is really low, as others have noted. Perhaps with a few years on it some alchemy would take place in the bottle. But I’m not sure it’s worth trying that particular experiment.

22 oz bomber. Pours a clear, dark coppery amber with a medium beige head. Aroma of tangy maltiness with grassy hops. Taste is malty with a strong tangy presence.

22 oz bottle from Liquor Outlet. Dark brown in color, small off white head. Aroma: caramel, chocolate, light diacetyl, earth, and alcohol. Taste is sweet with molasses, light chocolate, grassy hops, and a punch of alcohol in the finish. Medium bodied. Drinkability was pretty poor on this, couldn’t even finish a serving. This may mellow out in a year or two.

Bottle. Pours thick copper with minimal off white head. Nose is sweet, figgy. Flavor is malty sweet with strong alcohol content. Anise coming through faintly. Bites a bit from alcohol content. Hops overpowered by maltiness.

Bottle. Thick brown, thin creamy tan head. Nice sweet aroma. Sweet taste decidedly alcoholic, lingering aftertaste with some alcohol. All around a bit rough.

Hazy mahogany beer, with a moderate ring of frothy lace - aroma of caramel, molasses, alcohol, roasted nuts, some diacetyl coming through - fairly soft carbonation - the flavor is quite indistinct up front - pretty much just malt sweetness, slightly astringent hops, and apparent alcohol - more sips reveal notes of dried fruits, nuts, toffee, some herbal character - some grassy hops and alcohol in the finish, as sticky malts remain on the palate - a bit yeasty and bready - I’m not getting the diacetyl that I sensed in the aroma - inelegant and brutish, but it "gets the job done."

22oz. bomber. Clear red/copper color with a medium sized creamy beige head that left sticky lacing. Mildly sweet aroma of dark dried fruits, molasses and a bit of toffee. Flavor starts off slightly sweet, with dried fruits and caramel before turning somewhat bitter and hot from a strong alcohol presence and a touch of hops on the finish. As it warms, the alcohol becomes more prevalent and the flavors become more muddled. Some diacetyl coming out as well. Not sure if it is just too young, or is supposed to taste like this? Had trouble finishing my glass, never mind the whole bottle.

Spring 07 bomber. Pours a tremendous deep red - almost opaque, but clear - with a nice stand of light tan head. Aroma is syrupy sweet, with lots of burnt sugar, molasses, and pit fruits. Flavor is pretty hot, but when you get past the alcohol burn, there is a rich malt profile with abundant fruity esters, as well as relatively high hop bitterness. Medium-full bodied with moderate carbonation and plenty of warming. This would be real nice if it weren’t still so hot. Nevertheless, a pretty enjoyable sipper here. Maybe some more time in the cellar would quell the heat.