3.7 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 16/20
Courtesy of Skyview. Dark red color with a large head. Aroma of caramel and a bit of whiskey. Flavor of caramel and chocolate with a lot of malt. Moderately bitter with a noticeable earthiness.
4.1 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20
Picked up a single 22-oz bomber from Riley’s wines of the World in Madison, Wisconsin. Pours a hazy reddish amber colroed brew with a thick beige head that slowly dissipates and leaves behind some excellent lacing. Aroma of brown sugar, floral hops, caramel malt and a hint of citrus hops. Taste is full bodied with soft carbonation. The citrus and floral hops really comes out in taste than aroma along with heady caramel malt, and some alcohol presence. Finishes like a heavily malty dopplebock, some spice, heavy caramel malt, floral and citrus hops and a touch of rich toffee. An excellent start of the Great Dane series.
4 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20
After reading the specs and seeing the Sunday comic-strip bottle-art, my expectations were decidedly low. A 12.4% abv red sounded a bit like drinking glass chunks. My prediction was completely off. This is an excellent beverage by any measure. It was a 22 ounce bottle served in a tulip glass. The aroma is abundant malts, brown sugar, caramel and warm liquor. The appearance is an opaque, red-brown haze with a tan foam upon pour that lingers as a sud residue leaving lacing streaks on the glass. The aroma was readily present the entire time it was in the glass, which helped reinforce similar taste aspects for the duration. The taste was most obviously caramel, malty smoothness and a touch of hopped freshness. The mouthfeel was a well-balanced amount of carbonation and crackle that, again, helped reinforce the flavor delivery. On aroma, mouthfeel, and taste, everything was nicely tied together here. All the while, the abv is only noticeable as a complementary warming presence rather than as a distraction. Overall, this one far exceeded my expectations and I’m excited to share it with others. For an imperial red, it’s my best in class.
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