 doubleo (834), San Diego, California, USA
Dec 29, 2007 Updated: Aug 14, 2008
Side by side vertical of the 05, 06 and 07 releases. All three vintages were in 22oz bombers. I drank all three out of the same exact style of glasses, beginning with the youngest release.
Aroma:
07: Dark malts, alcohol and dark over-ripe fruits.
06: Very subdued compared to the 07. I mostly get alcohol with just a hint of malt.
05: Sweet caramelly malts bounce off my nose. Alcohol in the background.
Appearance:
All three years pour almost exactly the same color, basically pitch black. The 05 may be a touch darker in color, the 06 and 07 seem to have more brown highlights. The 05 had very little head at all and the 06 and 07 had a thin, but dense brown head that faded quickly to just a ring around the glass.
Flavor:
07: Dark fruits hit me first, then the sweet dark maltiness, than the alcohol.
06: Very sweet. Kind of a caramelly brown sugar flavor throughout. Dark sweet malts/fruits pop-up towards the finish.
05: Mellow sweetness up front. Tangy but sweet dark fruit taste through the middle. A little boozey tingle on the finish.
Palate:
07: The thickest of all three, crisp carbonation.
06: Thick but a touch watery, somewhat subdued carbonation.
05: Thick, coats the mouth more so than the others.
Overall: Needless to say this brew is great. The 06 has always been my favorite but there is something I like about the 07. Probably the more vibrant carbonation. If I don’t have an aggressive barrel aged beer to drink than this is a solid call.
dunkpigen (294), Kolding, Denmark
Oct 12, 2008 Pours pitch black with a brownish head. Aroma is sweet with coffee and chocolate. Flavour of chocolate and coffee with some malty sweetness to it.
KnutAlbert (2322), Oslo, Norway
Oct 8, 2008 On tap at the Ginger Man, NYC.
Black, coca-cola tinge.
Rather soft and smooth. Cocoa, alcohol warming. Some spiciness in the finish. Pleasnt beer for sipping, deceivingly easy to drink..
apshah99 (92), Portland, Oregon, USA
Oct 6, 2008 Pitch black pour with tan head. Aroma of roasted malt and coffee. Delicious taste with initial sweetness, with roasted malt, bitter chocolate, anise, and some floral bitter hops on the finish. Wonderfully thick lon the palate. Great beer.
Svesse (1818), Hässelby, Sweden
Oct 3, 2008 (Bottle, Stockholm Beer Festival, 20 Sep 2008) Pitch black colour with brief, brown head. Roasted, malty nose with notes of black coffee, dark chocolate and hints of citrussy hops. Roasted, malty taste with strong black coffee, liquorice, cocoa and hints of tar. Citrussy hops in a fairly bitter finish. Balanced sweetness. Brilliantly balanced with alcohol well hidden. Absolutely stunning beer! Beautiful!
taalhiker (111), Dayton, Ohio, USA
Oct 3, 2008 From bottle. Pours dark black with very little head. Huge chocolaty malt aroma.
Not as heavy inthe mouth as expected but full of coffee, chocolate and smoke. Don’t serve this too cold or you may be disappointed. Classic Stone brew.
|
