3.5 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 14/20Pours a nice hazy dark amber color with a foamy off white head. A nice sweet malt aroma with notes of chocolate and raisins. Flavor is initially bittersweet malt with raisin notes although there is not much finish to it. Mouthfeel is full and carbonation is average. Overall a good beer.
3.9 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 16/20
Sample at the brewpub. Pours a dark mahogany brown color with a medium tan head that recedes slowly. Patchy lacing on the glass. The aroma consists of chocolate, raisins and malt. Medium to full body with flavors of chocolate malt, caramel, dark fruit and yeast. The finish is sweet with an earthy yeast and fruit aftertaste. Pretty good all around.
3.7 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 15/20
Batch 010
Aroma is balanced between light malt notes, moderate fruit esters and some medium light phenolics. Sweet raisin, toffee and treacle with fig, plum, carmelized sugar, clove and faint pepper.
Pours brown to dark brown with some faint ruby highlights. Very big moderately thick tan head that slowly but steadily recedes until its about a quarter inch thick then it recedes very slowly. Moderately high lacing.
Flavor is a bit more malt forward with some dark caramel, toffee, chocolate and light roast. Some raisin, cherry and plum esters in moderate amounts. Medium to medium light bitterness. Light clove note with some coriander as well. Some sweetness mid palate but the finish dries out a bit in the finish.
Mouthfeel is medium bodied with moderately high carbonation. Low astringency and medium high alcohol heat. Belgian yeast tends to feel hot to me.
Overall a fairly good beer, but definitely not the best from Russian River. It feel a bit too carbonated for me and the finish lacks some depth. Good ester complexity, but the rest seems a bit one dimensional.
---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone
4.6 AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 18/20
Pours dark brown with light brown head. Aroma of caramel, brown sugar, liquorice. Yeasty taste with some chocolate, dark fruit and some coffee.
3.8 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 15/20
Snifter pour. Thin a dark. Quickly dissipating head. Spicy smell, but overall pretty faint. Same for taste, also boozy. Goes down smooth though
3.6 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20
On tap at RR. Dark amber brown pour with a thin, rapidly dissipating tan head. Aroma of caramel, plum, and roasted malt. Taste is thick, sweet, and characteristic of the style. Raisin, sugar, and a mildly bitter finish.
3.4 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 16/20
Taster at Brew pub, Pours dark copper with tan head. Spicy nose, toffee and caramel. Dried grap taste. Not bad, but not one of my favorites.
4.2 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 17/20
Shared a 375 in a couple of snifters. Much darker than expected. Some ruby highlights but otherwise as dark as night. Huge cumulus clouds looking head. Pillowy and brown. Smooth texture with a little fizz bite. Sweet, fruity and malty. On par with many things I had in Belgium. More please.
3.8 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20
Bottle. Pours a dark amber color with a small off-white head. Has a fruity malty spicy weak woody aroma. Fruity malty spicy caramel flavor with weak yeasty hints. Has a fruity malty spicy yeasty caramel finish.
3.8 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20
Draft @ brewpub. Pours clear mahogany ruby with a smalk beige head. Aroma is fruity malty spicy a bit herbal and yeasty with some phenolic tones. Flavor similar, sweet fruity and medium bitter.
4.1 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 18/20
damn this was good...aged about a year, and I think that helped. Pours plum colored with off white head. Super super smooth, taste of dark fruit, fig, yeast. Dry finish. Way too drinkable for 9.5%
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