 TAR (1996), Boulder Co., Colorado, USA
May 26, 2008
2006 edition: Eclipsed crimson. Ornately thick, lathery beige froth deposits clingy lace. Extravagantly fresh aromas of raisin bread, caramelized malt, plums, black cherries and dark rum. Elegant wafts of creamed coffee, earthy yeast, cocoa, vanilla, bubblegum, cinnamon and clove. Creamy, tiny-bubbled carbonation gently caresses the palate. Spicy alcohol paves the way for a vibrant, tongue-coating rush of banana pudding and vanilla- and putty-accented yeast. Alcohol augments the dryness but is exquisitely cloaked, and its sparse remnants are blanketed by the pillow-soft body and delicate yeastiness. Vibrant rum-infused plum flavors are enriched by a rich and squeaky-clean bready malt undertow. Dainty whispers of wafery malt contribute softness to the deep malt frame. Body is perfect as the malts are well-structured and the esters equally lustrous. Finespun bubblegum flavors add to the estery luster while a dusting of cocoa bolsters the earthiness. Sugary residuals flash their sweetness before a cleansing leathery dryness and astringency cleans things up. Never remotely cloying or medicinal despite the copious amount of sugars in this. Finishes immaculately attenuated with an equilibrium of plum, raisin, and chocolate malt notes. Notes of rummy alcohol and leather linger. Man, what a fantastic nose! So rich and aromatically malty, yet extremely subtle with a dizzying array of yeast-derived complexity at the same time. In my opinion, this beer has always relied too heavily on the candy sugar and has consequently suffered from overt sweetness and subpar attenuation. Gotta say, though, that this bottling has drastically improved over the past year as it is now remarkably cohesive and elegant rather than cloyingly medicinal. It’s now clear to me - and I say this without hesitation - when this beer brings its “A” game, it’s is on par with the best Belgian Strongs/Abbot 12s of the world.
french tickler (477), Aylmer, Quebec, Canada
Aug 28, 2008 Shared with Pyrozoid @ L’autre Oeil
App.:
Dark brown, some sediments, tiny yet sticky head.
Aromas:
Plums, prunes, red grapes, alcohol, salty, red wine mulch, fruity sweet...
Palate:
WOW! Creamy, fruity sweetness (nothing artificial), awesome balance, alcohol, full body, salty, perfect carbonation...
Flavors:
Cumin, caramel, grapes, alcohol, plums and salty again...
Notes: Amazing brew... best in a while! Perfect all around... stong accross the board!
CafeeOndineke (15), Aalst, Belgium
Aug 20, 2008 I sell this also! :-) Damn Good Ale !
Love the yellowish foam, the smell and the wellbalanced "exotic" taste. 2006..Tasty..gimme more!! :-p
skoisirius (474), Seattle, Washington, USA
Aug 19, 2008 Tasted multiple times over the time it hit the USA in late 2006 until now, same vintage. What can I say that hasn
DaSilky1 (1599), San Diego, California, USA
Aug 19, 2008 Vinous nose with notes of raisin, red-grape, and significant malt with a fun musty character behind it. Very grape-like nose in fact. Brown beer by the way, with a frothy head. Flavors were very fig-like and had lots of raisin notes as well. Some solid bitterness was behind it all too. Again, the fig and raisin flavors dominate but there’s also nice red wine character riding along. Overall, its a nice, clean, full bodied malty ale, but I will certainly need to spend some more time with it if im going to be giving it the high scores that others have.
daknole (683), Plantation, Florida, USA
Aug 16, 2008 Bottle and wow what a beer!! Holy crap! Pours a dark, dark brown with a tan color head that coats the glass with each sip. Aromas are brown sugar, syrup, dried dark fruit, spice. Thick and creamy the sweetness is just so beautiful. Dried fruits on the tongue, honey, molasses, mmmmmm hell yeah.
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