 stoutlover72 (1314), NorCal, California, USA
May 8, 2008
2006 vintage - I’ve had this beer stored for quite awhile now. In fact I forgot about the darned thing for so long, it was hidden behind several other taller bottles on my shelf so in a weekend of shuffling things around I saw it and thought...let’s drink!
The beer pours out a hazy reddish/brown (rust water) color with a two-finger thick head. Aromas were herbal/spicy hops, vegetative with some molasses-like notes. Flavor of stale malts, veggies with a strong toffee-candy finish. No notice of the alcohol, which was nice. Decent English barleywine, but nothing special.
GAManiac (217), Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Jul 20, 2008 2006 bottle, #255/500. Pours a super hazy orange amber with only a minimal head even with an aggressive pour. The head dissipates to a collar quickly leaving traces of lacing. The smell is really boozy, mainly rum, with some brown sugar and toffee in the nose as well. There is also the faintest hint of hops in the background. The taste is also sugary sweet with brown sugar and caramel malts with vanilla and some spices as well. The mouthfeel is full and super smooth with low carbonation. I’ve never had this one fresh, but I really enjoyed this beer and I imagine I probably caught it at about the right age. Thanks again to Steve for pulling this out of the cellar for me!
thenick (509), North Bellmore, New York, USA
Jul 17, 2008 Bottle - 2006 Vintage, many thanks to Brady from SPH for this one. Pours a bronze/amber color with a fluffy white head. Aroma is heavy spice and malt, with notes of chocolate, ginger,and candi sugar noticeable. Taste is spice as well, with ginger and candi sugar noticeable. There is a slight alcohol burn at the end, but it is very well hidden for a beer with this high an ABV. I sipped on this beer for a good long time, and it provided a very enjoyable experience.
Brigadier (829), Chagrin Falls, Ohio, USA
Jul 15, 2008 12 oz bottle
This came as a bonus in a long ago trade. I figured with three years on it the time was right to crack open the bottle (#264 of 500). I was not disappointed. My only regret is that because of the limited release it is going to be tough to track down another bottle barring a new batch being produced.
Aroma / Appearance - The carbonated bronze body sparkled as carbonation streamed up the sides of my snifter. A dense eggshell colored head left sticky trails of lacing as it receded into the viscous liquid below. The aroma was a bit stale but reminded me of ginger snap cookies, semisweet chocolate and caramel. It was a very mellow experience with little aggression.
Flavor / Palate - The warmth from the ABV is obvious at the start. It carries along with it caramel, molasses and vanilla. Hershey’s chocolate is next before a transition to a chocolately wheat finish. The mellowness shows here as well in the form of a very laid back sippable beer. You won’t be sessioning this one. It may be a little past its prime but not having had an earlier bottle it is hard to say for sure.
Rciesla (712), Brick City, New Jersey, USA
Jul 8, 2008 Bottle from SHPH. Pours an amber brown body with a light head. Sweet caramel candi sugar, some dark plum, a bit chewy some etoh and raisins. Real good with the 2 years on it.
kramer17801 (1846), sunbury, Pennsylvania, USA
Jun 28, 2008 12 oz bottle, 2005 vintage, via jsquire. Pours a very ruddy and murky dark amber after gushing out of the bottle a bit. Light brown head that left lots of sticky lacing. Heavy toffee malt with a good bit of resiny hop for an 05 beer. A lot of paper like oxidation and brown sugar. The flavor doesn’t seem to be all there though. The toffee malt and fruitiness are overtaken by the papery oxidation and it’s a little thinned out. Light bitterness on the rather short cardboardy finish. Mouthfeel is thinner than expected with moderate fizzy carbonation. It just feels limp and tired. Sadly, this bottle did not age well at all. Bummer.
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