Reunion - A Beer For Hope 2008

Formerly brewed at Bison Brewing Company
Style: Specialty Grain
Berkeley, California USA

Name: Reunion - A Beer For Hope
Date: 05/03/2008
Mode: Bottle
Source: Tasting, Cellar Party
Vintage: 2008

Appearance: clear dark red, wispy beige head,
Aroma: sweet dark caramel aroma with a nice spicyness,
Flavor: sweet caramel malt flavor, touch of candy sweetness, light balancing earthyness, touch of spicyness, light bready character,

Aroma: 6/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 7/10; Overall: 13/20
Rating: 3.4/5.0
Drinkability: 8/10
Score: **+/4

Hazy reddish-brown. Deep rye and toast aroma is quite earthy. Big chewy rye character with chocolate accents and a moderate earthy bitterness. Overall sweet but balanced, a good rye brew.

(22oz bottle) Small beige head atop crystal clear copper body. Aroma is moderately sweet, caramel, some caraway/rye. Taste is medium sweet, caramel, some nutty chocolate, rye. Medium body, light stickiness.

22oz bottel shared courtesy of Josh. Poured a medium reddish-amber color with a small sized off white head. Aromas of toasted rye, caramel, citrus and some fruity. Tastes of toasted rye, caramel, and citrus.

(22oz. bottle) Pours a lightly hazy amber body with a small off-white head. Aroma of rye, toasted grain, and chocolate. Flavor of toasted rye bread, caramel malt, cocoa, and nuts with a dry finish.

Pours a transparent copper with a thin ring of off-white head. Aroma of toasty malts and carraway seed. Body starts lightly sweet and earthy hoppy with a mild spice balance and toasty rye. Finishes smooth and bittersweet. Very drinkable with good rye complexity.

This poured a reddish orange body with a short-lived beige head. Has a juicy, malty aroma along with some apples, black pepper, and a light earthy bitterness. Thick and oily in the mouth. The flavor seemed earthy in both malt and hops. There’s a slight presence of orchard fruit, the lively spiciness of rye, and an herbal bitterness. Not bad.
There seems to be an aweful lot of rye beers out there for them to be concerted "Specialty Grain" brews much longer.

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Clear umber color with a small taupe head that diminishes quickly to just a ring around the glass and a few streaks of bubbles in a reef formation. Earthy malt aromas along with some grassy hops. HInts of light spice and apricots also in the nose. Just not a clean and inspiring scent. Big fruity and malty flavors surge the mouth. Flavors of melon, apricots and raisins mix with dark caramel and sweet licorice. Middle has some herbal hops. Dry earthy hops in the finish along with some white pepper and allspice (perhaps it’s the caraway). Fairly hot feeling in the finish and linger. A bit rough and unbalanced.