Drakes Expedition Ale

Brewed by Drakes Brewing Company
Style: American Strong Ale
San Leandro, California USA

Date: 01/31/2007
Mode: Bottle
Source: Tasting

clear brown, wispy beige head, streaks of laces, nice earthy hop aroma on a dry dark caramel malt base, lots of hop flavor with a citrus edge, well backed by rich dry caramel with a touch of chocolate, lasting flavorful bitter finish

Aroma: 6/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 13/20
Rating: 3.3/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: **+/4

Nice roasty aroma. Very roasty and sweet, but it’s creamy too, with a bit of hops. Pretty nice, but sticks at the back of the mouth too much. I prefer the regular amber.

12 oz bottle from realale420. First bottle that I’ve tried from a trade. A very dark murky copper body with huge, quickly dissipating white head. An aroma of caramel and dough, roasty malt qualities, and pine/citrus hops. Flavor is big pine up front with med sweet malt, some alc, dark fruit (date, raisin) and tannin like bitterness. Appropiate med body fills out the beer with a very small amout of fizziness. A very good beer, that I don’t think is placed in quite the right style.

A nice dark copper colored beer with a creamy frothy beige head that is one finger thick. A nice floral grapefruit aroma on this one. Nice and hoppy with a roasty malt essence in here. This is one hoppy ass amber though. It is crisp and floral in flavor. Pretty resiny too with a little bit of lingering roast.

copper with a fluffy white head that lingers nicely throughout the whole glass. aroma is malty with a light bit of roast, a little bit of hops lingering. flavor is hoppy upfront without a whole lot of bitterness, a little bit of sweet caramel malt with some roasty/toasty (yes i know that rhymes) notes. very easy drinking beer. kinda rides the line of having the hop and roasted flavor, without being too over the top for people who stay away from beers with those characteristics

Bottle poured into a Sam Adams glass. Copper brown in color with a little head. Head retention is little to none now. Malty roasty aroma. Caramel and chocolatety notes. Roasty nutty malty flavor. Sweet chocolate notes. Finish is malty. Sweet tasting. Nice beer. Drinkable.

Bottle poured into th new Sam Adams glasses. I’m pretty freakin impressed by the gead retention with this big bubbled elixar. Aroma is big malt and cola. Taste has a nice alcohol bump folled up with sweet chocolate and grape jelly? More malty than hoppy thats for sure. Head is gone by the time the rating is done.

Thanks to CaptainCougar for the bottle. Cloudy, deep copper with a small head. Aroma of toasty caramel malts and spicy hops. Reminds me a lot of Tröegs HopBack. A bit darker and richer. Slightly astringent aftertaste. Very good.