2008 MiBGF: Coppery hue with a excellent head and lace. The aroma has notes of caramelized malt, floral and grassy hops, apple and peppery phenolic esters. The taste start with bitter snap and acidity supported by lots of sweet malts for balance. Hop spice and slightly boozy finish. The mouth feel is oily and sticky, warming with a sharp kick around the edges. This was really nice and the best beer I had on Day 1.

Draft at brewpub. Poured hazy copper with an average frothy white head that was mostly lasting with good lacing. Moderate sweet malty and sour citrus aroma. Medium body with a slick texture. Medium to heavy smooth biitersweet flavor with a heavy bittersweet finish of long duration. I would recommend this to a freind.

On tap at GTMW. Poured clear, rich caramel with a short cap of beige head. The aroma picked up juicy grapefruit and spicy black peppery notes upfront, which formed an interesting contrast.. pale malts and grapefruit deeper down, with detectable alcohol warmth.. quite nice. The flavor had juicy grapefruit and pineapple throughout with black peppery alcohol and cloves surrounding.. warmer finish with a thick, sweet impression. Warm on the palate and heavier-bodied with OK balance.. the strength threw it off a little.

Draught at the brew pub. Clear dark orange/copper color with a thin off white head that didn’t leave much lace behind. Not nearly as aromatic as the regular Mad Hatter IPA. Smelled of light perfumy hops and a touch of alcohol. Tastes of dried fruit and a dash of soy sauce. Slightly sweet up front with hop bitterness throughout. Okay I2PA.

On tap at New Holland. Deep orange/amber body, medium off-white head. Potent aroma of grapefruity, piney hops. Flavor was pretty much of the "hop juice" variety, with strong grapefruit rind and pine, backed by light caramels and biscuit (well, I think so...the hops *were* quite strong, as I mentioned!). Not the most creative stab at the style, but it meets the criteria and has the right "punch."