Eel River Climax Noel

Brewed by Eel River Brewing Company
Style: American Strong Ale
Fortuna, California USA

(22oz bottle) Pours a hazy amber body with a medium yellowish beige head. Aroma of caramel, raisins, plum, and some spices. Flavor of hops (citrus, herbal, grass), raisins, and caramel malt.

Bottle. Slightly cloudy dark brown body, lighter @ the top with a quickly diminishing tan head. Nose is chemical-like caramel and munich malt with light notes of toast, nuts and dry wood. Body is thick and viscous, oily and frothy. Low to medium carbonation. Flavor is crisp toasted malts, bread crust, caramel, lighter notes of vanilla and almonds, that sort of thing. Moderately hopped. Decent winter warmer but nothing special.

Bomber from the Binny’s what wuz a Sam’s in Downers Grove, Illinois: It poured a somewhat hazed brown body with a decent enough ecru head. The aroma had a caramel sweetness along with some floral scents, brown spices, and alcohol. Kind of perfumey. The spiciness faded from the flavor, leaving you wth a caramel and alcohol blend followed by a mild floral bitterness. Okay.

Bomber. Dark reddish copper color with a decent beige head. Aromas of green leaves and spice. Full bodied with creamy carbonation. It’s a bit malty sweet, but there’s dark fruit to go with that. For me it’s a bit woody and astringent - despite the fruit sweet. Finishes not dry, but heading towards dry. There’s bitter to ward off the malt. Overall just excellent.

Bomber. Poured reddish-amber with a creamy, well-retained cap of beige head.. left sticky lacing as it descended. The aroma picked up toasty grains and darker fruits paired with warm wintery spices and peppery alcohol.. the spices took over with warmth, and this came across as quite sharp. The flavor was along those same lines.. redder fruits and biscuity sweetness at the core with aggressive spices (nutmeg and white pepper primarily) and alcohol around.. tart throughout, and very spicy on the finish. Medium-bodied and well-carbonated on the palate.. rough around edges, and it seemed to lack malt complexity.

Tasted at the 13th Annual Strong Ale Fest on 12/5/2009. This American Strong Ale pours a medium orange gold color from the tap. Small to medium sized white foamy head, with nice lacing. The aroma is fruity, sweet and floral. A medium bodied American Strong Ale. The malts are fruity and sweet, with touches of orange, orange peel, esters and yeasts. The hops are herbal. A touch funky and herbal, with some hops and a touch of alcohol; kind of a strange combination of flavors, but they work somehow. Fruity and sweet. Mouthfeel is full. Finish is clean and smooth. Aftertaste is slightly sweet.

Bottle thanks to bu11zeye. Pours with a small, off-white head over a hazy amber body. Good lace. Aroma is floral and fruity with light hops and some toffee. Taste is fruity with caramel overtones and a nice, albeit faint hop profile lurking beneath. Light carbonation and a creamy mouthfeel.

On tap at Baileys taproom. Dark red pour with a soft off-white head. Doughy malt sweetness up front, caramel and a soft spice to it. This beer tasted a bit under attenuated, worty and cloying, but not all that bad.