4.4 AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 18/20
Amazing beer. Held up to the test of time. Sweet with a slight smokey/chocolaty finish. The spiciness of the rye shines thru the age of the beer.
3.9 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 15/20
22, handbottle. Thanks, Kim! Wow, this is a rare gem to bring up from the vaults. Holy cow. Pours luminescent dark brownish amber with no head or lace. Big sour nose of rye bread and fresh sweet filterless cigarette tobacco. Dense, cloying, rich, creamy body, but not sweet in the flavor profile. Lovely enveloping stuff. Tobacco, leather, rye bread, and other sweet sandwich loaf go crazy here. The age gives it lovely softness and complexity and...hell, I wish we could still get this wonderful beer. I miss the high notes from Far West so much.
3.7 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 15/20
At Hard Liver 2006. Deep mahogany color. Roasted malty sweet nose. Very much a toasted grainy almost Imperial stout roasted malt flavor here with ripe plums, pit fruits. Not yuor average barleywine.
3.6 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 14/20
Draught @ Brouwer’s Café during Hard Liver 2006: Dark chocolate in color, nearly black, moderate foamy beige head, spotty lacing. Rich bready character, malty, chewy, not very sweet, or should I say not as sweet as to counteract the rich breadiness. Great body, fairly creamy mouthfeel. Whole wheat grainy finish. Wished this one to be a bit sweeter, otherwise its still enjoyable.
3.3 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 14/20
Tap at Hardliver. Deep brown to black colored beer with a slight ruby hue when backlit. Attractive light beige head with great lacing. Estery, a bit of pepper/spice in aroma. As time marches and the beer warms the nose becomes a bit medicinal reminding me of NyQuil. Sharp and drying rye presence in flavor, a bit of the medicinal notes also. Full bodied, rather smooth. Pretty nice but I can’t get over the NyQuil.
3.3 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 13/20
Dark brown. Minty, chocolatey....vast aroma with fudge, light nuts, and all sorts of herbs. Subtle but extremely complex. Sweet, smooth body with fudgey accents and light herbal notes. Late alcoholic kick. Flavour not as complex as the aroma.
4.3 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 17/20
This is my first rye wine and it is something I have wanted to experiment with and try for a really long time. This is one of my new favorites. An aroma that is magnificent, with a definite alcohol presence. Like walking into a fresh bakery. Very present rye bread aroma, and in the flavor. Different than anything I have ever tried, crisp hoppiness, awaken your palate. Some graham cracker and somewhat crusty. Unique and very tasty.
4.3 AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20
Tap at the 2006 Hard Liver Festival. My favourite of the festival. Dark black beer with garnet highlights. Big chewy rye malt aroma, dark toasted malts, molasses and heavy spiced aroma as well. This is the most rye I’ve tasted in any beer so far. Flavour is very malty, dark toast, some milk chocolate and rich molasses sweetness. Even some savoury soy/umami flavours in the back. Despite all of the dark malt sweetness, there is also some flavour of piny PNW hops in the back. Lingering dryish finish (despite all the malt sweetness up front). Toasty (almost roasty, but not quite there yet). Awesome brew and completely unlike any beer I’ve had before.
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