Stine (1380), St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
| 3.7 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 7/10 | 4/5 | 7/10 | 4/5 | 15/20 | May 12, 2008 Glassy amber resin; staying white. Graham cracker, grassy hop, sticky caramel malt, grilled pineapple, and honey in an aroma delicately balanced. Sweetness and bitterness, attitude and subtlety. Pleasingly careful. Flavor is very dry and sweet like sugared yerba mate, with all the earthy richness of good tea leaning uneasily at times into that cloying, icy sweetness of crystal malts that often ruins renditions of this style. So herbal and earthy. The dank, hemp and grass character of the hops really shines through warmly, with a softening light on the dried fruit and cracker character of the malts. Fresh suggestions of blood orange and grapefruit weep high alpha acids. These flavors are so bold and urgent that in many examples they seem contrived and careless, but here they’re tightly reined, polished and trained. Palate is full and aggressive; alternating wet sweetness and barren hops. Sweetness overtaking preceding the finish; honey and toffee malt seeming quite tangy. Chasing dry hop conclusion. Straightforward; a big, balls out, self obsessed strong ale done with ease and assurance. Thanks Bill! MadIndian (992), Levittown, Pennsylvania, USA
| 3.6 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 7/10 | 4/5 | 7/10 | 4/5 | 14/20 | May 10, 2008 Bottle from Canals. Clear reddish pour with 2 finger thick white head. A bread like, sugar and citrus aroma. Sweet malt taste with a hint of pine that finishes dry. This was shockingly pretty good. Odyn (211), New York, USA
| 2.8 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 6/10 | 4/5 | 6/10 | 3/5 | 9/20 | May 8, 2008 Updated: Jan 21, 2009Full of flavor with complex body. Definitely a beer to sip, not an all day drinker. Not one for the faint hearted! JK (2949), Richfield, Minnesota, USA
| 3.9 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 7/10 | 5/5 | 8/10 | 4/5 | 15/20 | Apr 26, 2008 Bottle, a gift form Miketd. Bright red color and a lacing head that never quite fades. Bitter aroma of hops. Good flavor, dry overall. The malt is lightly sweet, but the bitter hops are more prominent. Very good, thanks Mike. medievalkimber (1), Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, USA does not count | 4.9 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 9/10 | 5/5 | 10/10 | 5/5 | 20/20 | Apr 24, 2008 Had on tap last October in Pittsburg. Deep red color, phenomenal aroma. Absolutely pinpoint precision hops/malt balance, with enough hops to kill the sweetness from the high alcohol content. mtjoseph (36), Murderapolis, Minnesota, USA
| 3.7 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 7/10 | 4/5 | 7/10 | 4/5 | 15/20 | Apr 1, 2008 Bottle. Courtesy of Tytoanderso. Pours a fairly nice dark red color with a somewhat medium sized head. Immediate notes of toffee, grass, hops and alcohol. A big beer when it comes to taste. Very fully bodied with bitter hoppiness. You can definitely taste the alcohol. Not a preferred style of beer of mine, but becoming more accepted the more I drink. Espically after having an oaked arrogant bastard over the weekend. IrishBoy (2705), Bakersfield, California, USA
| 3.6 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 7/10 | 3/5 | 8/10 | 3/5 | 15/20 | Mar 22, 2008 12 oz bottle (BB dated Nov 23 06) from iowaherkeye; Nose of caramel, floral hops, and toffee; rusty red color with a medium beige head; flavor is hop bitterness, maple, and som ebrown sugar; finish is bitter! rob897 (62), Buffalo, New York, USA
| 3.8 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 7/10 | 4/5 | 8/10 | 3/5 | 16/20 | Mar 21, 2008 Brilliant bloody red pour with nice white head. Very nice hop scent and flavor. Smooth finish, just like a bite from a vampire.
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