3.7 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20Draft on tap at Beer Under Glass 2012 (Chicago, IL). Pours a rich brownish pour, gentle faint haze and a glowing copper edges with glow. A big cakey beige head atop with solid lacing, sticks around well. Aromas are toasty and darker, faint cocoa, good biscuits, toast, and mellow toffee. Gentle mellow dryness, toast, and darker sweetness. Initial is lighter end of medium bodied offering firm toasty qualities, brown malts, earth, gentle cocoa. Some touches of molasses, toffee, and toast. Flavorful upfront, trailing into a mellow sweet middle still with some gentle caramel, toffee. A touch of stickiness on the palate, with mellow rye malts, some gentle spice and dryness. Really well balanced and integrated.
3.8 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20
Draft at Jerry’s. Clear, dark amber with good, creamy, tan head / Sweet nose of dark fruit and cola / Medium body, lively carbonation, sweet and malty, somewhat syrupy, with modest hop balance and finish / Sweet, toasty flavors of chocolate, prune, plum, and caramel / This style is not for me, but I peg it to be a good representation of the style.
3.5 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 14/20
Draft at the Rev Party. Pours a deep, near black with a huge head. Nose is moderately grainy and spicy, hints of bread crust and Munich malt. Faint hop notes, but mostly just malt forward. Clean overall. On tasting, the rye adds a bit of grainy earthiness on top of the strong Munich malt character. Body is medium. Balanced overall. Decent beer.
3.8 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20
On tap at Brixie’s in Brookfield, IL., and dispensed to a shaker with a darkest brown, ruby highlighted color, a finger’s width of moussy, off white/light tan head foam, and wavey cling to the lacing. The aroma was mellow grain, toastiness, almost roastiness, rich malt, and a hint of vanilla. A medium+ body, some creaminess to the mouthfeel, and moderate carbonation were appropriate to successfully project the decent melanoidin character, light hints of caramel, toffee, and molasses, the sense of some dark fruit sweetness, and a light, finishing dryness. I was happy to finally catch up with this brew after missing out at a few other establishments. Not at all disappointed, and well worth the search.
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