acrdz (4083), Pennsylvania, USA May 2, 2008 1L bottle shared by scraff. 22% ABV, jesus christ... It pours a medium copper amber colored body, brilliantly clear. Nose of alcoholic apple pie – spices such as cinnamon, cardamom and coriander are all there, and all very forward, and the presence of corn starch and corn syrup is also quite heavy, and along with the alcohol I just don’t think this is going anywhere good. Far too sweet, far too boozy, and overcarbonated on top of both of those, when big booze and big sugar demands more of a flatness to the carbonation. The apple pie is nice, but I’m too distracted by the messy alcohol and assertive carbonation. Tingles on the tongue, warms the throat, but overall I think it’s far too messy to be enjoyable.
argo0 (6003), Washington DC, USA May 3, 2008 (1L bottle, thanks scraff) Medium off-white head atop clear amber body. Aroma is moderately sweet, fruity (cherry, cantaloupe, orange). Taste is very sweet, orange, some cherry, apple, and of course, alcohol. Sticky full body. kmweaver (1762), Takoma Park, Maryland, USA May 2, 2008 1L bottle, courtesy of scraff. Thanks, Scott! Pours a bold, clear ruby-red color; thin, off-white head with fine-bubbled lacing; not a ton of viscosity for a beer this big, suggesting lessened residual sugar. Excellent, dense aroma: candy sugar, dried red fruits, and the slightest touch of warming alcohol; very little booziness in the nose, surprisingly; generous, sweet stuff. Light carbonation. Full mouthfeel: tons of candy sugar and dried red fruits and a touch of spice; some sweetness, sure, but refined and reasonably drinkable; sweet, cordial-like character in the mouth; seemingly well-attenuated and very tasty, and certainly softer than something like Utopias; a very drinkable cordial, if sweet and intense. Lengthy finish: candy sugar, dried red fruits, and viscous sweetness. The room was deeply divided on this one. scraff (1602), Baltimore, Maryland, USA May 2, 2008 Clear amber, creamy white head. Aroma opens to intense notes of apple pie filling that’s laced with tangerine and spicy crushed coriander and cinnamon. Dried citrus peel bitterness and loads of cinnamon apple spice round to a sweet boozy finish. Full bodied and slick with soft carbonation. This is truly a unique beer which will likely be a full-on love or hate fest. Snifter and cigar could really work here in my opinion. Two thumbs up! Special thanks to Jim for providing the bottle…
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