3.7 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 16/20
bottle. Poured opaque brownish-black white a creamy tan head. Aroma of chocolate malt. Full, thick mouthfeel, some alcohol on the tongue. Roasty flavour, notes of smoke, raisins, dark chocolate.
2.6 AROMA 5/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 2/5 OVERALL 9/20
Pensively, philosophically, I give this an appearance of "4".... the head just isn’t amazing enough, the body still a murky red-black instead of a distinctive colour. Therefore, almost there, but not quite. The aroma? Wet and burnt barley, a hint of hops, nothing too exciting for this style of beer, but at least it smells. The flavour is much the same, barley and hops thrown together without a thought of how they might dance together; wet finish. A shame, really, - there’s no finesse here, no "je ne sais quoi", there is simply a heavy barley malt and some hops boiled together to make a stout-type brew. Sure, it works, it’s all right, but it doesn’t stop your heart - not even with the alcohol content! It is just, ultimately, and sadly,,,, - average.
4.1 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20
Binny’s LP 330ml ($9): Pours black with a brown head (surprise... not really). Aroma is wonderful. It’s like getting all the positive aspects of a Scotch aroma combined with all the positive aspects of a beer aroma. In other words, it is smoky and has a nice roasted malt backbone to bolster it up properly. Upon tasting it, I was expecting something significantly more intense, but I was by no means displeased with the content of my first sip. The Scotch is subdued, rather than overbearing like some barrel-aged beers (perhaps because I have mostly had experience with Bourbon aged). The body is way lighter than I anticipated and again this is a good thing. The bitterness of Old Engine Oil is taken down a notch, but still manifests itself. In short, the balance is excellent. The beer turned out to be a substantially better sipper than I thought, and I have no regrets.
4.1 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 17/20
Bottle 330 ml from erzbierschof.ch. Aromas of roasted-torrefied, dry fruits, molasses, burnt toffy. The taste is rich of grilled malt, roasted, caramel-syrup, wood, vanilla, raisins and figs. Well-rounded. The texture is dense, oily, velvety. Notes of Whisky, tar, hop. fruity acidity. Real Ale of comfort formidable.
4.6 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 10/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 20/20
Poured from bottle No 44174, deep dark brown with an amazing tanish thick pillowy head that lasted with great lacework down the glass. Champange like carbonation showing the finest of bubbles. The aroma produces sweetish caramel notes. The palate is absolutely wonderful, its a very very smooth beer, its creamy with notes of figs, spice, bitter chocolate and slightest hint of smoke. Outstanding!
3.7 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20
(bottle) clear dark brown with small white head; aromas of stewed fruit, brown sugar, molasses; sweetish flavour, tasty
4 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20
My Bottom Line :
Intertwining smoke, wood, roast, peat and blackberry flavors lead to a lightly charred roastiness in the finish and an elegantly peat-y aftertaste.
Further Personal Perceptions :
-A sheet of foam lays atop the blackness with dark brown edges.
-A light chocolate undertow seeps from the malt mélange.
-The soft effervescence lets all flavors express themselves at will. But, amazingly, all show restraint. Truly classy from aroma to finish.
-I found this one softer and easier to sip on than the other versions of Ola Dubh. Just a wonderful lineup overall.
Bottle.
3.9 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20
Bottle 330ml @ home
Pours deep brown with a off-white head. Aroma has notes of roasted malt, caramel, oak and vanilla. Taste is medium sweet and light bitter. Body is full, texture is oily, carbonation is soft to flat.
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