 acrdz (4376), Boulder, Colorado, USA
Aug 15, 2004 Updated: Feb 20, 2007
2003 vintage. Has an exceptionally nice aroma full of juniper, scotch, light alcohol apparency, with some resiny, grassy porter-style roasted malts. Resiny coating, super rich and peaty up front, slightly buzzing the tongue. Great flavor, and the hops are quite evident. Rich and structured and robust without being chewy. 2.5 years old at the time of sampling, and it held up very well. I don’t buy that most mid-to-high strength American ales improve with age, or even hold up well, but this one was amazing with a couple of years.
First rating the numbers were considerabley lower, about 3.7 overall. It was a different experience.
chokmah33 (107), Bremerton, Washington, USA
Mar 18, 2008 Aromas of sweet cherry, banana. Mild piney bouquet, freshly cut wood. You can definetly smell the alchohol.
Malty butterscotch/cola, bitter earthy mid, woodsy hops finish.
Texture gets fairly dry and astringent.
A complex palate keeps it interesting.
after4ever (1752), Brier, Washington, USA
Mar 16, 2008 Draft at the brewpub. Slightly hazy rubied dark amber with thin but fairly dense and creamy grayish head. Light lace. Earthy, leathery and leafy hoppy piney nose. Medium and very smooth body with soft carb. This is definitely squarely on the bitter side of the street for an ESA. Earth, leaves, leather, light pine and fair resin shine through the mid-palate. Mild, slightly toasty finish.
AmEricanbrew (1009), Swamp Shreveport, Left Coast, Louisiana, USA
Jan 9, 2008 12 oz. bottle from 2003 quaffed Jan 2004. Beautiful opaque dark brown hue with a thick viscous head. Very nice lacing. Strong smell of roasted malts, bittersweet chocolate, with a whiff of fresh hop flowers. Medium bodied.
Taste is first of dark roasted malts, smoked almonds, with a caramel sweetness. Finishes bittersweet with a blackened malt - alcohol dryness.
This brew tastes better closer to room temp than fridg temp. A most excellent old ale. Scores reflect the 2003 bottle.
12 oz. bottle from x-mas 2000 enjoyed Feb 2004; Has a roasted malt and caramel smell. A burnt, sweet caramel, toasted dark malt flavor followed by a bittersweet chocolate alcohol tang . Thick, chewy mouthfeel. Finishes dust bowl dry. This brew was worth the four year wait.
lukeris (5), USA
does not count  Nov 30, 2007 a beautiful red/amber color with fast dissipating tan head. First aroma was a strong smell of butterscotch. Followed by hop, malt, and a haunting aroma of minty pine. As it airs, the pinyness becomes more prevalent (is it the power of label suggestion?). I taste the malt first, which initially echoes the smell of butterscotch, going into a pine/hop/roasted malt flavor. A nice smooth texture. The finish is a bit smoky and peaty. Later-I found the finish excessively smoky. I felt as if I had smoked a cigar.
goldtwins (3740), Nesconset, New York, USA
Sep 10, 2006 Poured a murky dark brown color with a thin beige head. Sweet toffee malt and big on the spice. Cinnamon and ginger. Cinnamon and spice flavor with caramel and roasty malt. Light coffee and fruits.
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