 Gromit (450), Port Orchard, Washington, USA
Nov 14, 2004
Chalk this up to another "damn, I’ve had how many of these and I *still* haven’t rated it yet" moments... And then "what can I add that hasn’t been stated by the 300+ other ratings..."
So, um, it’s light and refreshing, just a hint of hops and malt, kinda like some of the other low carb beers on the market...
Oh, wait. Wrong beer.
Okay, this is so vicious that it almost broke the glass as I poured it. Dark brown with a nice head and respectable lace.
Aroma is huge; malt, hops, dark fruits...
Flavor is a bit wimpy. < cough > Seriously, though, it kicks you in the jaw. Very well balanced. I don’t know what it is about Browns and Ambers that I hate so much (too sweet/malty) yet this has as much of that and is great. Maybe it’s the balance, maybe I just can’t define it. Huge dark fruits, coffee, some natural spices, and maybe a hint of chocolate, but only a hint and I’m likely reaching for something else I can’t quite put my finger on.
Palate... Yeah, I used to have one before this. Thick and bitingly crisp if I may coin a phrase. It has some minerals to it as well.
Overall, it’s damn good, but the hype is real ("you probably won’t like this..."). This is an extreme beer and the *last* thing you want to give your PBR-loving friends unless you also like writing obsenities all over their faces when they pass out drunk and give them pure habanaro sauce when they think they’re eating Pace. Use sparingly.
Skeegle (335), USA
Dec 4, 2008 Mmmm. FINALLY! I have looked yonder mountains and in the wee shops of whoville for this stuff and alas! the search is fruitful. I feared the bottle would implode and cease to exist once I opened it. But nay. Mmmm. Double Bastard. This really tasted like a barley wine to me. Except sweeter. Which was bizarre. But it was great none the less. Lots of flowery bouquet notes with a definite dark raisiny cheek watering bite. Well worth the wait.
PorterPounder (2881), Tallahassee, Florida, USA
Dec 3, 2008 Savannah, Georgia - Habersham Beverage Warehouse - 22 oz bomber. Pours a medium to dark copper with a thick sticky off-white head that produces nice lace that clings to the glass for the entire time. Resiny aroma with some nice mountainy Scotch pine accents and a wee bit of alcohol. Succulent flavor with some sticky grapefruity hoppiness, some nectarines, pomegranates - you name the fruit it is in there. Nice malty backbone with some maple syrup notes, molasses, brown sugar. Sticky rich thick mouthfeel. Excellent - best beer I have had in a long time.
RedSox2004 (199), Pacific Palisades, California, USA
Nov 30, 2008 22 oz bomber poured into a pint glass. Two-finger head that stayed strong and left nice sticky lacing. Caramel and citrus were strongest on the nose, which also held a background of dark fruits and malts. Wonderfully balanced caramel malt sweetness and slightly citrusy hops bitterness on the palate. Complexity seemed to increase as the beer warmed, and additional flavors of spices, ripe fruit, and carmelized sugars came through. Medium to full mouthfeel, good carbonation, and a pleasant aftertaste. Alcohol is warming, not overpowering. Excellent beer.
branspra (86), Arlington, Virginia, USA
Nov 30, 2008 Bottle. Pours with a white head, rather small. Body is a dark amber color with excellent lacing. Aromas of hops, mainly citrus, roasted grains and malts, and some casket-like port or wine. Flavor smacks you in the face with a bold initial taste followed by a very nice bitter aftertase. Texture of sticky and carbonation almost perfect. Well worth the wait each year.
garthicus (595), Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Nov 30, 2008 On tap at ’Ginger Man’ in NYC. Dark ruby red, tiny wispy pancake colour head. Deathly still. Aroma: Alcohol, some allspice, hops and then alcohol again! Flavour: HUGE, just huge, alcohol, some distinct hops, very very bitter finish, long brandy in the finish too. A lot of alcohol. Woah.
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