4.2 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 17/20
UPDATED: OCT 17, 2007 Big frothy head that smells of bourbon, chocolate and wood... a really excellent smell and not one I can find any faults with. Flavor is similar: some chewy chocolate and some maple, woody malt character, reminds me almost of Midnight Sun M with the yeast flavor. One of my favorites from Stone.
4.2 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 17/20
Dark ruby color, bright at sides, with a long-lasting, creamy tan head. Nice.
in the nose: ah...warm, soft, fruity, rich, malty, toffeeish, enticing...delicious...alive and invigorating...much appreciated.
...and smooth and tasty on the tongue, as well. Big, fat malty taste, nary a squeak out of hops...molasses, hint of anise, caramel...richness at play on the palate. Damnably tasty! And the high abv keeps quiet, at least, so far...
I’d love it if this were a regular brew, that I could down anytime I felt. It straddles a special place between abbey dubbel and baltic porter, with a kiss of coffee/chocolate/oatmeal/nut brown stout...if you know what I mean...yummy!
4.2 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20
Pours dark brown with medium tan head. Aroma of roast caramel malt, dark fruit, hops, tons of spices such as coriander, cinnamon, and black pepper. I cannot believe that this beer is not spiced. The finish is smooth, with more dark fruit, hops, and spices. Nice complexity and great balance.
4.2 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 17/20
Pours dark brown with a medium-dense frothy persistant small-bubbled pumpkin colored head. Nose is fresh smelling with brown-sugar malt notes and a touch of cinnamon and cedar. Mouthfeel is medium and silky, flavor is rich, malty, spicy with a bit of ginger and cloves. An outstanding beer!
4.2 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 17/20
Bottle from the cellar enjoyed on 09.09.08 mbd. Mahogany pour with a tight tan head. Strong aroma rising from the glass is lightly oxidized with chocolate toffee and pecans. Medium body. Rich, hearty flavors mirror aroma; again cocoa, toffee sweetness with roasty nutty pecan flavors. Has a mild burnt malt bitterness to finish. Seems the oxidation in this bottle added another ( nice ) layer of depth here. Enjoyed this much more this time than when fresh back in 2005. Wish i had more of these. Most worthy
4.2 AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20
Sampled from a bomber per Matt. Pours to a thin beige head that disapates within 20 seconds to a thin, non-existent like head. The body is a dark mahogany. The aroma has a gingerbread quality to it. It also has a ton of spice in it. Cinnamon, mace, apples, nutmeg. The flavor is quite spicy. Dark fruits. Lots of cinnamon and nutmeg.
4.2 AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 18/20
UPDATED: MAY 31, 2005 Rising from a thick espresso-like creamy head is an aroma of spiced banana bread, caramel, and a touch of allspice--definitely Belgian-like but not overly so thankfully. The color is dark cola with a tinge of garnet red. The extremely deep flavor profile is pleasantly overwhelming at first. This beer tastes strong with a substantial alcohol edge which may be a touch out of balance (which will most likely improve over the aging process) and a bit of sweetness with subtle dark fruit, bourbon vanilla, and perhaps some star anise flavors too. The finish is bitter from both hops and roasted malt. The amazing elusiveness of this beer adds a lot of interest. It will surely age superbly. This is one of the most complex beers I have ever had.
4.2 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20
Bottle. Pours a deep mahogany with a thick, creamy tan head. Lots of plums and spices in the aroma. The flavor does not disappoint. Plums and bananas combined with cloves and caramel. The alcohol is definitely present but not overpowering. Really terrific, I just wish I bought more than one last June.
4.2 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 17/20
rating #50. Poured a deep brown with zero head. Wish it actually had some. Full, mouth-coating palate with a luscious, malty, fruity, perfectly balanced flavor. Alcohol was perfectly hidden: I was more than happy to quaff the bomber.
On the other hand, not really sure why this is marked as a Belgian Strong. Tastes loads more like an American Strong to me. In fact, I noticed almost no Belgian flavors whatsoever. Oh well.
4.2 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 18/20
Dark brown ruddy pour with quickly vanishing head. Has all the scents, looks and taste of a fine Belgium beer, minch meat with a graham cracker crust. But what really took me was the smoothness and lack of undue carbonation that most of these beers demonstrate. We are teased off the label about cellaring this release but it is an undue concern since they nailed it. This is perfect right off the shelf as is!
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