3.7 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 17/20
3oz taster at HotD tasting room. Pours a light brown color with an off white head and some lacing. Aroma is malty, fruity, oaky. Medium on the palate with soft carbonation. Flavor is sweet, malty, a litte smokey, woody, with a sweet, smokey finish. Tasty.
3.6 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 15/20
On tap at the Portland Holiday Ale Fest (2010). Colour... Old English walnut stain. Nose... slightly acetic/funky, hops, dried fruit and dry roasted nuts. Palate... bitter, sweet, tangy, lightly cloying, moderately hoppy with pit fruits and an interesting Pine Sol like finish (yes, I accidently got a taste of Pine Sol once, and vivdly remember what it tastes like!).
3.7 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 16/20
On tap. I did not know what beers comprised this blend when tasting but now looking at the mix I think the HotD beers all were evident. Pours a sunburnt orange color with a pillowy, large head. Fairly well carbonated. Aroma shows oak, cherry, some funk?. I think Adam and Doggie Claws are both evident, though it could be placebo. HotD house character also evident. Taste is strongly malty with some pine-like hop presence. After awhile hops start taking over the nose and I can smell nothing but Blue Dot (even though this beer is not that fresh).
This is an interesting beer. I don’t know that it completely works and the description sounds bad (way too many beers) but it exceeded my expectations. I could not drink a lot of this but enjoyed what I had.
3.3 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 13/20
Holiday Ale Festival. Sadly the first year of Jim I didn’t really care for. The hops took over the whole show. Heavy on the fresh Blue Dot, big pine hops over shadowed all other flavors on this one. Yeasty finish, murky orange body, sharply bitter, and all the subtleties lost.
3.9 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20
UPDATED: DEC 20, 2009 Holiday Ale Fest... Poured brownish/amber with a bubbly, tan head. Hoppy, candy-like sweet aroma. Good fruity yeast flavors with a hop dominance. The Blue Dot really shined through here with fresh hops all over. Sweet and oaky with a little bit of grains and caramel notes before a tart finish. Would love to see how a year on this beer would affect it.
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