beerbill (1973), Laurel, New York, USA
| 3.7 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 8/10 | 4/5 | 7/10 | 3/5 | 15/20 | Nov 3, 2009 12 oz. bottle courtesy of a trade with blutt59. Pours a hazy amber with a moderate off-white head that lasted through the first third of the glass and leaves lots of tiny pinpricks for lace. Very pleasant aroma of grapefruit along with some notes of sweet malt. The flavor is less fruity and more pith with grapefruit bitterness washing over a moderate malt and caramel backbone. Bitter finish. Solid beer.
tarheels86 (799), Washington DC, USA
| 3.8 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 8/10 | 4/5 | 8/10 | 4/5 | 14/20 | Dec 17, 2009 On tap at Churchkey. Pours a clear reddish amber with a tan, rocky head. Leaves very good lacing. Giant piney, resiny hops on the nose. Some raw mango peel. Just awesome hop forward nose. Taste is similar: big mango peel, pine needles, pine sap. An incredible fix for a hop addict. Awesome! 3Faveryrogue (111), Aslip, Illinois, USA
| 3.1 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 7/10 | 3/5 | 6/10 | 4/5 | 11/20 | Dec 11, 2009 A - Pour gives off some bubblegum esters. Other than that, a very sweet caramel malt, and citrus fruitiness. Almost like an ASA. Very light fruit. Peaches and pears. Stale hops. This is a tad past prime.
A - Red hued amber, with short lived tan head.
F - Very piney and grassy, upfront caramel. Kind of aged and dirty. Hop profile pushes more toward IPA, but the amber maltiness plays a factor as well. Touch of grain, and more amber/caramel malt. This pushes a few styles. Nice biscuity taste with a shot of hops.
P - No gripes here. Kind of initial barleywine caramel, with the amarillo bite, and linger. Can taste though, this bottle not as fresh as my 1st, which I would have easily given a 4+, had I rated. The hops are starting to fade, though still nice. Creamy, hoppy mouth. Light and crisp. Finishes amber with long earthy bitter.
O - Good brew. Someone compared this to a west coast Gumballhead. Not so far off, but obv not a wheat beer. This was pretty impressive and satisfying the 1st time. I’d love to revisit FRESH. But @ this point, still pretty damn good. Not my first pick for an amber. Too hoppy. Which is blasphemy from MY palate. Will revisit. As well as support Green Flash in Chicago. satan165 (606), River Grove, Illinois, USA
| 4 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 8/10 | 3/5 | 9/10 | 3/5 | 17/20 | Dec 9, 2009 aroma is intense pine and hop resin that gives way to huge caramel. appearance is wonderful dark amber. flavor is relative balance of tough malts with heavy caramel and light toffee....and overwhelming bitter hops with grapefruit bitterness/sourness. huge lacing, what a mess! seems an impossible dream to balance hopping this ambitious, which is necessary to qualify this as an amber ale. somehow -- they have done it. amazing. jstraw (775), Chicago, Illinois, USA
| 5 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 10/10 | 5/5 | 10/10 | 5/5 | 20/20 | Dec 9, 2009 Red-amber with big, foamy beige head / Big nose of fresh cut pine and weed / Medium body, chewy with sharp, biting hops and long finish / Flavors of fresh cut pine, weed, resin, grapefruit, and burnt sugar / Perfect, but no amber ale. It’s an IPA. monkeychugg55 (242), Joliet, Illinois, USA
| 4.1 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 8/10 | 5/5 | 7/10 | 4/5 | 17/20 | Dec 4, 2009 Pours a dark reddish-amber with a soft layer of beige head. Lots of lacing. Nice hoppy aroma with some citrus, caramel malt, maybe some peppery hops as well. The flavor is nice too. Sweet, almost nutty caramel malt with a good amount of hops. Pretty bitter, with a long, slow finish. Definitely a member of the ipa family. awaller05 (301), Sharon, Wisconsin, USA
| 3.8 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 7/10 | 4/5 | 7/10 | 4/5 | 16/20 | Dec 3, 2009 Got this from my friend at work. Nice aroma as beer is poured, smells of citrus, and will undoubtedly provide a nice flavor, color is of amber orange with a light haze in the beginning clearing as it sets for a while, the head is minimal. First taste delivers a big hop taste of grapefruit but does have some sweetness on the light side. Overall I would recommend this beer to anyone who likes Ales. SpencerDB (99), Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| 3.7 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 7/10 | 4/5 | 8/10 | 4/5 | 14/20 | Dec 1, 2009 On tap at Tylers in Carrboro for Pint Night. Pours dark amber with a thin beige head. Beautiful lacing that nearly covered the entire glass towards the end. Aroma of citrus and hops. Matching taste. Very hoppy, but other tastes of caramel and some malts were in there too. Good beer nightrider (383), encinitas, California, USA
| 3.7 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 7/10 | 4/5 | 7/10 | 4/5 | 15/20 | Nov 29, 2009 On tap at the brewery gave a reddish amber hue with an off white head. Floral citrus aromas. Medium body. Solid hoppiness with a low key amount of the sweet malt. Finishes on the dry side. Pretty solid red.
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