hershiser2 (902), Charlottesville, Virginia, USA Dec 7, 2004 RateBeer rating #500. Pours dark brown, kinda thick, and ands up with a small head. Smells include chocolate, wildberries, and slightly cough syrupy. Flavor is sweet, combining a fruitiness with chocolate, almost like a cordial. It’s got a pop-fizz thing in the middle, and finishes smooth and slick. A nice brew. pintbypint (1002), Edmonton, Alberta, Canada Dec 1, 2004 330ml brown bottle. Poured very dark brown with mahogany highlights under a rocky tan head. Great aroma, rich malt, chocolate and molasses. A bit lighter in body than I expected. Lots of dark malt and roasted barley, but a nice fruitness lingers in the background. Really enjoyable. mds (2112), Toronto, Ontario, Canada Nov 25, 2004 bottle. plum, raisin, and sugary aroma. almost like a grape soft drink. very dark colour, almost black. Something seems a little off about the flavour of this beer, it just doesn’t mesh well. it’s tart and medicine-like. I’m not too crazy about it. heemer77 (4294), Savannah, Missouri, USA Nov 23, 2004 Updated: Jan 28, 2005Very dark black and I saw no light come through. Trace of a white head on top. nice vineous aroma with berries and some roasted malts. the taste is roasted malts with coffee, toffee and some blueberries. Also a leathery finish. Slightly salty. This seems like a Schwarzbier that happens to have a hint of berries in it. However, that is the main characteristic. caledonian (367), Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Nov 14, 2004 Bottled. Opaque reddish black. Initial knee jerk reaction from the aroma released during pouring was of cough syrup. I’m thankful to say that once poured, that impression is no longer dominant. Among the berries, there’s some notes of a porter or stout. Quite drinkable. ClarkVV (3578), Allston, Massachusetts, USA Nov 11, 2004 Bottle. Magnificent blood red pour with a small beige head. Aroma is strongly elderberry oil/juice with some light grains in the background. Flavor begins with the elderberry you’re expecting, nice and fruity, oily and tart. Finishes with a oaty, light cocoa-meets-berries flavor and some very astringent herbal notes. I love the flavor and I really think they only need to amp up the malt in this one to get past some of the astringency (which is big). But the mouthfeel?? Eh, it’s rather thin and lifeless thanks to the utter filtration of this. I’m going to go out on a limb here and guess that the druids didnt filter their beer like this, so why must HAL?? argo0 (6861), Washington DC, USA Nov 9, 2004 (best by June 05) Deep black body topped by small brown head. Aroma is medium sweet, some sourness, berry, tart, light metallic. Taste is medium sweet, roasty, berry, some chocolate, tartness. Watery medium body. Curious combination of flavors, not sure it wholly works. JadoreBlanche (114), London, Ontario, Canada Nov 6, 2004 bottle: Pours a black, dark body with slight red ring around edge of glass. Aroma of hops, malt, and molasses. Tastes of coffee, malt and molases. Slight nutty taste. leaves bitterness on tounge, and has warm alcohol feeling in throat!. Overall, nice brew!
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