 darkguardian (173), Florida, USA
May 10, 2008
12 oz bottle courtesy of my friend in California. Pours a dark mahogany with a small beige head. Nose is one of the most balanced I’ve smelled. A perfect mix of grapefruit hops, vanilla (from the oak I suppose) and caramel malt. Taste is caramel and cinnamon up front with some pineapple. Then the hops really kick in on the finish with big bitter grapefruit notes, a little to bitter for my tastes but this is well done and has a nice lingering bready note as the bitterness fades into the background. Woody oak notes come out in the finish to. This is a complex and really well crafted brew thats hard to categorize, a perfect example of why the ASA category exists. On that note, strong is deceiving, there is no alcohol at all to be found here.
biznizness (692), Mooresville, North Carolina, USA
Sep 6, 2008 Drank this while drafting my LU/RU fantasy team for 2008. Picked the bottle up in SF and few it home. Oh no he din’t, shoo.
DrDavid (200), , Vermont, USA
Sep 6, 2008 (Bottle). Tangy citrus aroma. Beautiful mahogany color with thin head. Flavor is fruity and medium sweet, lots of apricot/citrus tanginess. Somewhat bitter finish.
thooper41 (214), USA
Sep 5, 2008 12oz bottle: pours dark amber brown with long lasting off white head, aroma slightly hoppy with some hints of malt, flavor like a srong pale ale with hints of oak and caramel. not over the top in any way i dont see how its so arrogant but it is what it is pretty good.
CaptBier (252), Birmingham, Alabama, USA
Sep 3, 2008 ttled. A dark amber beer with a dark orange head. The aroma is extremely hoppy which gives it strong notes of grapefruit, but it also has strong notes of alcohol. The flavor is sweet malty with strong notes of caramel and grapefruit, and only hints of vanilla, leading to a dry bitter end. The oak can be a tad astringent, but it also adds a nice softness to it.
TOSG55 (32), Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
Sep 3, 2008 Bottle. Pours a deep reddish brown with a medium head. Pleasant aroma of floral hops. The flavor is complex, with malty sweetness nicely balanced by hops - it has a bit of a barley wine characteristic to it. Caramel, toffee, and dark fruits are discernible. The oak isn’t heavy in the flavor, but the beer is noticeably more mellow and well-balanced than its non-oaked counterpart. Very nice beer.
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