Kestral (210), Oslo, Norway
| 3.6 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 8/10 | 4/5 | 7/10 | 4/5 | 13/20 | Nov 7, 2009 Pours a dark orange with a tan ring of a head, sticky, chunky lacing. Aroma is sweet, sweet citrusy and fruity hops with buttery caramely malts and alcohol. A slight roasty note underneath it all. Flavour is huge. Drinks like a liqueur, molte eller plommer. Very sweet, sticky. A roasty caramel sweetness dominates the flavour, with loads and loads of juicy fruity hops struggling to balance it out. Doesn’t quite make it, as this is one sugary, sirupy brew to sip. Finishes with a solid alcohol warmth. Body is medium to thick, carbonation is sparse yet noticable. This is a massive brew, like nothing I’ve ever had before, the sweetness just makes it quite hard to drink. Glad I shared this.
JBVatkeens (12), Florida, USA
| 3.8 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 7/10 | 4/5 | 6/10 | 4/5 | 17/20 | Dec 22, 2009 This is from the bottle. The beer smells very, very hoppy, and the taste is almost offensive in the level of hoppy-ness. This beer walks the thin line between awesome and horrible very well.. on the awesome side I might add.That being said, what a unique beer, I’ve had this a few different times, on tap, and in the bottle. PunkAndRun (5), Florida, USA does not count | 4.7 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 9/10 | 4/5 | 10/10 | 5/5 | 19/20 | Dec 22, 2009 A moderate amber color yields a sweet, inviting aroma. Head is virtually absent, flavor is very hoppy and strongly characterized by citrus, almost pine flavors...what I would call the ’bright side’ of hop flavors. The flavor lingers and isn’t at all imposing, rather very light and sweet. A must drink for any fan of IPAs. nhamilton (70), Cibolo, Texas, USA
| 2.4 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 5/10 | 3/5 | 3/10 | 3/5 | 10/20 | Dec 19, 2009 Pours to a golden colored medium body head. Has a sweet/bitter odor if that makes any sense. Did not like the tase and it left a strong aftertaste. I know this is highly rated, but I did not care for it at all. Chalsk (19), North Caldwell, New Jersey, USA
| 4.5 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 10/10 | 5/5 | 8/10 | 5/5 | 17/20 | Dec 18, 2009 Might as well call it the mind eraser. Every time I drink this, the next thing I remember is waking up in the a.m. Great color, aroma, and fantastic on the palate. I really do enjoy the flavor of this beer, despite its sweetness. I enjoy the bitters more, but this is a great beer. Ceebs25 (241), Naperville, Illinois, USA
| 4.2 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 9/10 | 3/5 | 9/10 | 3/5 | 18/20 | Dec 17, 2009 12 oz bottle. Hop wine. I could leave it at that and it would probably sum this one up just fine. Kind of like pureed, fermented hops in water (if that were possible). That being said, this gets bonus points just for being made, as it is an intense experience all around. The aroma is of heavy resins, and heavy citrus, though at the same time fairly balanced with cereal grain alcohol, and date and plum dark fruit. Some light, wispy starch white head on the pour, with minor lacing and retention, very thick and murky body, and orange fruit in color. As you would expect, the feel is quite full and chewy, though not overly alcoholic. Actually, its also quite a bit sweeter than expected in the flavor as strong melon fruits take on a big role here. Again though, citrus and resin are all over the place as well. Heavy cereal grains too, making the aroma and flavor play off each other well, though the combination of all that is not quite what I’d expect in the flavor profile (if that makes any sense). Also, as far as unexpected things go, the finish was much less lingering and bitter than I thought it would. Nicely balanced however and kind of leaves you wanting more. Overall, I think this was fantastic. I went back and forth in my opinion as I a drank it, but I’m stopping now by saying that this was a damn good experience as well as a fine beer to celebrate with. Good day (however I will say that my rating might change depending on what kind of mood I’m in, because this is definitely not something I’d go for on a daily basis). ljay6880 (160), , Pennsylvania, USA
| 3.9 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 9/10 | 4/5 | 7/10 | 3/5 | 16/20 | Dec 17, 2009 12 oz bottle served in a clear tulip. Pour was a deep, dirty gold with a half an inch of fluffy white head. Nose is apricots, bubble gum, hops, pine, and alcohol. Taste is hops, alfalfa, syrup, plastic, apricots with a sweet syrupy finish which made the dry hops shine. This is a very strange and wonderful brew. I had this on tap first, then this bottle a week or two later. This is such a treat on tap and had I been rating that version only, I would have rated it much higher. The tap version doesn’t have nearly the syrupy taste, and is much fruitier. I am not sure how this is possible, but it was a world of difference. Both keg and bottle were from 2009. NoiZe (1372), Mooi Zeist, Netherlands
| 4.2 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 8/10 | 4/5 | 8/10 | 4/5 | 18/20 | Dec 16, 2009 One year old bottle. Amber, copper colored brew. Sweet, alcoholic aroma, a bit sherry, some spiritus. Flavor is very sweet, syrup, malty, dried fruits, raisins, sherry tones, maybe some peach. Thick texture, syrup. Hops are transformed in a thick, syrupy, sherry-like, oily goodness, barleywine style on steroids. Very nice, sip on this one. It’s more a liqueur than a beer. Still, I like it. This would be a nice with an espresso at the side at a cold winter day. Angelmonster (23), Colorado, USA
| 4.2 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 8/10 | 3/5 | 9/10 | 4/5 | 18/20 | Dec 15, 2009 This is a review of a year old bottle
Pours a one finger white head. Body is a translucent golden amber. Head retention and lacing are slightly above average
First aroma is tons of hops, piny and citrus. Next sweet apricot come in and is mixed with vodka or some other alcohol.
First taste is of very sweet malt. Lots of diacetyls, like drinking butterscotch schnapps. Hops arent as extreme as in the nose. Resinous, piny with some orange citrus. Alcohol is definitely apparent in here but mixed with the malt and flavors of dried apricot and candied sugar, its toned down abit. Tastes like an aged double barleywine, if those exist
Mouth feel is good. Goes down thick and buttery. Carbonation is surprisingly lively for such a big beer. Head died down kinda fast but that was expected for this one.
Overall it was good. Definitely a sipper, took over an hour to finish. Very complex beer, one of a kind. Would buy again, probably best to share the bottle with someone
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