Tap @ Solana Beach. Pours clear copper with a 1 cm tall white head. Malt, straw, caramel, and nuts in the aroma. Crisp, sharp crystal malt taste. Some toffee and caramel flavors, with the omnipresent straw flavor finish.

On-tap at PPSB. Pours a medium brown red color with a crispy white head. There is a little lace. Crispy malty nose, somewhat sweet in the background. Tastes semi-sweet of caramelly malts, crisp. Medium bodied beverage, very active carbonation.

On tap at brewery. Copper red with no head. Sweet sugar and a mild spice aroma. Watery palate with a malty roasty taste and a great finish.

On draft @ Port Solana. Poured a medium amber with a reddish tint. Head was thin and beige in color. Aroma was mostly sweet with some clove spice notes. Flavor was malty with a light touch of herbal hops in the backdrop.

Draught at ABF on 6/16/07<br />A brownish-strawberry colored beer with darker beige and auburn hues. Off-white head is full and retained well, leaving light lacing. Clarity is high.<br />Very malt forward in the nose &#40;and flavor&#41;, plentiful pale and caramel malts jump at you with a sticky, vanilla-meets-caramel note that is dried by some crackery/bready notes and fruity yeast esters. It remains quite sweet, though, with light hoppiness adding leafy, lightly citric and herbal qualities. No alcohol or flaws are present. Medium strength of aroma. Gets more succulent in the hop department as it warms, but cookie dough and bready caramel notes further intensify the maltiness.<br />Fruity malts and light earthy character from the toasted malt provide a potential balance to the strong vanilla-cream-cookie dough sweetness, while light lemon-flavored citrus hops provide some bitterness. Very strong texture from all the malt, and a medium amount of carbonation, giving it a creamy consistency. Breadiness on the finish is moderate, and builds up to add dryness, but the malt sweetness is probably a bit too dominant, at least in my opinioin. Certainly this is a malt-focused style, however, so I can hardly call it a major complaint. Citrus and tangy herbal notes combine with bready-sourdough like toastiness to lend some much-needed acidity to the palate, with warming. No flaws, nor alcohol noted.