Sierra Nevada/Dogfish Head Life & Limb

Brewed by Sierra Nevada Brewing Company
Style: American Strong Ale
Chico, California USA

Serve in Snifter, Trappist glass

Draft @ TAPS Petaluma. Pours a very dark, cola-black color; huge textured, creamy light-tan head with great retention and lacing; beautiful, sturdy pour. Oh, my. Lots of fusel alcohols in the aroma: unadulterated sugar, inkiness, mild bitterness, and just loads of burnt maple syrup; bland and markedly unpleasant at the same time. Medium-to-full mouthfeel: heavy, oily and inky presence in the mouth; maple syrup, definitely, some roughness and bitter chocolate, licorice, and burnt malts; there’s a chemical bitterness and alcohol here (fusel, I think, and it really reminds me of a fresh bottle of DFH WWS I had in 2008) that’s just very offputting and chemical-y; just a mess right now, this beer. Maybe it will improve and sherry-out with age, but this is barely drinkable right now, and I’d take the lower-alcohol descendent any day. Lasting finish of inkiness, maple syrup, and burnt sugars.

Bottle. Pours a dark brown with slight head. Slightly boozey, coffee nose. Taste has a nice smokiness to it. Finishes very clean and easy to drink.

A brown bomber by my friend Patrick. Bown-brick-red colour with a thin head the was destroyed by the alcohol. Nice roastiness with caramel on the nose. The mouth is somewhat thin for all the alcohol, nice maple syrup, the birch is invisible and a cacao and coffee finale. A nice beer somewhat hard to define, the flavors are packed together.

Batch 2. 750ml corked and caged bottle served in a snifter. Poured a deep brown with a finger of tan head. Cocoa and some licorice in the aroma. Molasses and more licorice in the flavor. Seemed a little hot at the start, but that smoothed out. Fuller side of medium bodied. Smooth. Not much hop presence, but not overly sweet for such a malty beer. Very long dry finish with more cocoa. Glad I got to try this, but I can’t say that this did much for me.

Bottle. Dark brown body with a fair beige foamy/creamy head. Wonderful, complex malty/hoppy aroma with caramel, yeasty, and some subtle woody hints. Alcohol is well hidden. Ierfectly balanced malty/hoppy taste carries vineous, woody, plummy, and various fruity notes. Ends with a long, warming bittersweet finish. Awesome!

RBAG 2012. Pours deep rich brown, with off-white head. Smell is like a fresh loaf of some sweet kind of bread, caramel, slight pepper, little alcohol sweetness. Taste is the same, very nice tasting, rather rich, but not very spectacular. It’s more caramel, I don’t really know what birch syrup tastes like, light maple, but arguably just more of the caramel from the huge malt bill. Floral and spicy hop with bitterness to match, alcohol flavour, not burn or anything, but works to off set how malty the beer is. I like it, but a little bit confusing. PRobably would’ve aged nicely even longer.

Bottle. Dark opaque ruby brown with medium tan head. Flavor does show the booze. Smell is not overly complex with caramel malts and some sweetness. Also offers roasted malts, medium sugar sweetness, moderate hops bittereness, toffee, some maple, and raisin. Good brew, but doesn’t hid the booze that well.

RBAG 2012. Pours a dark brown body with a medium beige head. Aroma of raisins, toasted grain, plum, caramel, pine, toffee, and chocolate. Flavor of raisins, caramel malt, brown sugar, nuts, and chocolate.

Bottle #2. Pours brown with a nice head good lacing. Smells and tastes of caramel, bread, citrus, alcohol, roasty, light sweetness, lightly bitter, medium body, creamy, average carbonation, this beer was soso I dont know if I liked it alot I would say it was nothing special and feel comfy with that. It was a bit musty or dirty taste with the normal sierra nevada hop finish I wouldnt buy it again maybe try someone elses aged bottle.