JorisPPattyn (5155), Antwerpen, Belgium Mar 13, 2008 Huge beige head, rather fine bubbled and irregular, leaving some lacerings over deep dark beer with a ruby shine. Dark malts, alcohol and fusels, USA hops, cardboard, caramel and something perfumey-soapy. Generally speaking delicate and discreet nose. Bitterish, both hoppy & roasted, and a spicy flavour, reminding me of cumin; melanoidins. There’s quite some toffee & caramel, even molasses, but the hopgift quickly smothers it all. Good balance for an impressive brew. Very slick and well-bodied, alcoholwarming; Better balanced, discreter than most Avery brews I discovered, and for a rather massive ale, at that. Thanks, David A! beerbastard (94), Mesa, Arizona, USA Mar 12, 2008 A dark beer with a pine and dried fruit nose. Sweet and very hoppy with strong flavors. Complex and a lot happening. Mild sweet clean finish. Great example of an American Strong Ale. hotstuff (3175), Indiana, USA Mar 12, 2008 Bottle marked bottled in 2007. Small tan head that was mostly lasting, fair amount of lacing, carbonation observed, semi-transparent, and a brown hue. Nose was malty, chocolate, hoppy, floral, citrus, and pine. The flavor mimicked the nose and finished dry. Dry mouthfeel and medium in body. Quaffable brew, worthy of a try, the nose and flavor came together very well, and a beer that I would drink again. joekfsu (138), Boardman, Ohio, USA Mar 9, 2008 22 oz bottle. Pours a very dark ruby with 2 to 3 cm foamy brown rolling head, looks almost stout like on head profile. Aroma is balanced between sweet malt, molasses and hops. Initial flavor is also balanced in a similar fashion. The end flavor and aftertaste are dominated by hops and alcohol and is lasting. Good lacing, light carbonation, medium to full body, and alcohol noted. Drinkability is high, really enjoyed this one. douglas88 (1556), Salt Lake City, Utah, USA Mar 7, 2008 Updated: Oct 21, 2008Bomber thanks to Steven. Pours a dark brown with a nice light brown head. The aroma is mostly sweet caramel and fruits. The initial judgment was that this beer is much like a good Belgian Strong Ale; dark fruit, sweet candy, some alcohol and nutty aspects. But, this beer really can change, and it show a strong bitter hops at times. Wow! I really liked this one. Perfectly balanced and so complex. JCB (1713), Durham, North Carolina, USA Mar 2, 2008 Such a quirky beer. My last bomber (can’t remember where it was purchased). Big and dark pour, with a pretty lively body and an impressive head. Tart aroma, with some modest chocolates in there. As you get into the beer, what first seemed to be choc malts expand into a drier, slightly more astringent molasses. Just a trace of sour fruit at the edges too. But then there are those quirky hops, suggestive of a Belgian black, or a schwarzbier, or even a black IPA. Slightly malty finish, deepening the complexity. I’m not always convinced it all hangs together, but the ambition is props-worthy and the beer is really good. Defreni (994), Frederiksberg, Denmark Mar 2, 2008 Flaske. Fantastisk flot sort øl. Kraftig duft af humle, men på den helt rigtige mouthwatering måde. Smagen er ikke så bitter som de foregående DIPA men er så meget mere balanceret. Ønskede bare at drikke mere. blklab2007 (932), Connecticut, USA Mar 1, 2008 Updated: Aug 28, 200922 oz. bottled in 2007 poured into a Trappist glass has a a black color with red highlight when held to the light. carbonation is fairly steady and there is a nice looking tan layer on the surface that seemed to erupt from the center through the whole glass. aroma consists of tons of dark ripe fruit, brown sugar, malt, spicy yeast, and molasses. I’m thinking at this point that this one is a real treat. flavor is just as the nose with gobs of plumb, raisin, prune, creamy molasses malt, quite chewy with hops and yeast spices mixing very nicely. mouth feel is complementary coating the tongue with a medium body. alcohol is faintly noticeable and there is a light hit of anise finishing with back round dry hops and some malted bitter. this is well balanced and one of the best i have tried from Avery.
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