3.2 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 11/20
Appears a hazy, mahogany toned amber with a small, tan head that quickly fades into a mild collar. Light spots of lacing are left around the glass. CO2 levels are extremely low and at over 13 %, there aren’t too many yeast strains that would remain viable enough to produce CO2 when bottle conditioned. I didn’t see any yeast remnants in the bottom of the bottle, so I’m guessing that it was tank conditioned.
Smell is of caramel, brown sugar, vanilla, oak, apple, hot rum, and raisins.
Taste mimics the aromas with syrupy, sugary, molasses, & caramel sweetness up front, along with candy sugar, and ripe fruit notes. This is just way too young right now like a port that hasn’t developed all of it’s layers yet.
Mouthfeel is syrupy, chewy, sweet, caramel, very hot, and boozy.
This will mellow in about 4 years and I’m predicting it will be full of plenty of complexities but it’s just too hot and sweet right now to fully enjoy.
3.1 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 12/20
Sampled the initial pour at the GL 275th Anniversary Party on 9/1/07: Sweet aroma. Smelled of alcohol, apples, Cabernet, and sweet malts. Poured brown in color with no head. Clear. Appeared thick. Heavily sweet flavor. Tasted of malts, alcohol, raisins, and dark fruits. Medium body. Oily, syrupy texture. No carbonation. Sweet, vinous finish. Overall, totally devoid of hop flavor, and with a strong alcohol burn. Will likely benefit from some aging.
3.2 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 5/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 13/20
22oz, gold waxed topped, bottle shared courtesy of weeare138. Poured a medium reddish brown color with a smaller sized off white head. Aromas of dark fruits, toffee, caramel, wood, green apples, and vanilla. Tastes of dark fruits, brown sugar, and alcohol. Sweet. Very hot with a ton of alcohol in the tastes. Alcohol detracted from what tastes I was able to pick out. This one will definitely improve with a few years under its belt.
4.1 AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20
UPDATED: AUG 22, 2010 Poured a deep red amber color with a thin, off white collar, that left spotty lacing on the glass. Aroma of vanilla, caramel malts, young green apple, dried fruits, and a bit of alcohol as well. Taste was cloying sweet, sticky caramel, molasses, with moderate bitterness (enough to balance it all out), strawberry, a bit of smoke, and a fair amount of alcohol in the finish. Like Tom said, I’d give this two years before it hits it’s stride.
3.3 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 13/20
Thanks to weeare138 for sharing this beer. Pours a mostly translucent ruby red ambe/brown with a small bubbly off white head. Aroma of dark fruits, caramel, alcohol, toasted malts, green apple, hints of citrus and just really hot at this point. Flavors of sweet malts, molasses, dark fruits, very sugary and sweet along with some alcohol burn. This one needs age...will be a totally different beer after the heat burns off.
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