Bottle. Deep dark brown color. Vinous, raisinny aroma with plums. Flowery and earthy hops. Porto flavor with raisin, alcohol, a firm flowery and earthy hoppiness, tannines and blackcurrant. Firm earthy hopbitter aftertaste, with pepper. All that and more in a beer oozing with flavors and aromas. Nice one!

750 ml. (silver foil... I am assuming it is 07’ or 08’) into snifter. Pours a great woody brown color with a reddish hue - clear with a medium sized creamy off-white head that holds). Complex aroma that has a superb hop character (sweet and bitter citrus grapefruit) that works in perfect balance with the doughy rich malt background, which has notes of butterscotch, oak, vanilla, and bourbon - some nice warming complex booze in the aroma too. The flavor does not seem as complex and interesting. It is way less hoppy and heavy. I can’t even really put my finger on it. It is sweet but not overly sweet - it is not doughy and chewy like the aroma. I am noticing a bit of citrus hops on the finish now, but still not nearly as much character as in the aroma. Though the flavor is a bit neutral and hard to explain, it is balanced and highly drinkable (for 11%). The booze is hidden well. Medium to full body on the palate with soft lush carbonation. Overall: definitely a great brew, but a bit confusing as far as the flavor. P.S. RB says this is 10% and I just noticed my bottle says 11%. There is also some weird black striation pattern on the inner circle of the cap... I don;t know what this means, but it doesn’t look intentional.

Bottle. Poured a cloudy brown color with a thin brownish head. Aroma of fruit and hops with caramel malt. Flavor had chocolate hints, with honey and a hoppy finish. Full body with mild carbonation.

2005 Bottle shared by illinismitty. Poured a hazy brown with an off-white head that left a thin layer lasting and light lacing. Nice hoppy and fruit aroma with a caramel malt backing. Chocolate flavor at first but slides to a hoppier flavor as warms. Medium to full body, slightly chalky, starts sweet but ends bitter. Very good!

Pours with a hazy/marky amber hue which sits below a small off white head that is mostly diminishing after a few moments. Aroma is of sweet malt, dark fruits, and some strawberries. I smell hints of honey and caramel as well. Flavor is of candy, honey, and of bitterness. The bitterness is pretty strong. Sweet beginning followed by a pretty strong bitter ending. Syrupy texture with light carbonation. I feel that it was overly bitter. Would have tasted better had it been toned down a tad bit. Not bad nonetheless.