Drakes Jolly Rodger (2005)

Bottled. Deep orange red. Massive lychee aroma. Sweet and supermalty with soft, rounded mouthfeel. Megahoppy with some burning alcohol coming through and an extremely bitter finish . What amazes me is the softness of the malt here, in the midst of the hop and alcohol onslaught - that’s what makes this beer so good.

Orangey-amber colour. Brash hop aroma is very heady. You really sit up and take notice when presented with this one. Massive bitterness, off which some really neat spicy hop flavours play. Can’t really say it’s balanced because it’s not even close. It’s what I imagine drinking hop extract would be like. Still, it tastes great and that aroma is killer.

Name: Jolly Rodger
Date: 12/03/2005
Mode: Draft
Source: Tasting, Strong Ale fest, 2005
Vintage: 2005

clear light amber, scant white head, wonderful sweet citrus piney aroma, rich malt flavor, lots of hops to balance, only a hint of sweetness,

Aroma: 10/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 6/10; Palate: 7/10; Overall: 14/20
Rating: 3.8/5.0
Drinkability: 6/10
Score: ***/4

9th Annual San Diego Strong Ale Fest: Clear amber color with a reddish hue. Huge piney aroma with some citrus mixed in. Aroma was fresh and huge but pleasant not over powering. Tons of hop flavor running all the way through but doesn’t over power. Mouth bitterness is well balanced with the caramel sweetness.

Tasted on tap at the 2005 Pizza Port Strong Ale festival. Orange gold color. Small to medium sized white foamy head. Aroma is fruity and sweet, piney and floral. Full bodied Imperial India Pale Ale. Malts are fruity and sweet, caramel and toffee. Hops are piney and floral. Big hop flavors, citrus, floral and piney. Heavy but not syrupy. Extremely clean finish. Nice balance. Mouthfeel is full and round. Finish is clean and smooth. Aftertaste is slightly sweet with a hop finish.