gracefullypunk (272), Washington, USA Oct 31, 2009 On tap at Collins Pub. Pours a red black with a tan head and some lace. A faint aroma of caramel and citrus hops. Taste is bitter hop at first but then the caramel comes through as well as coffee. acblue (50), Seattle, Washington, USA Oct 31, 2009 Opaque black with a thick tan head. Lots of citrus hops with notes of chocolate and faint malt sweetness. One of the better dark IPAs I’ve had. hopheaven (83), Eureka, California, USA Oct 22, 2009 Black and tan. Cherry, vinous nose. Definite coffee presence. Chocolate as well. Has a barley wine character to it. Burnt caramel aroma. Currants, even a hint of banana. Just a note of spicy/earthy hops. Alcohol comes through but isn’t harsh. Flavor is of plums, raisins, brown sugar, lightly-roasted coffee, bittersweet chocolate, toasted barley, maybe even some wheat. Very complex. Sweet, not cloying, cleared by the substantial bitterness. Exceptionally balanced. A barley wine with excellent dark malt depth and flavor. Full of body but not slick; sits clean on the palate. A great, great beer. sebletitje (1880), Tampa, Florida, USA Oct 10, 2009 pours dark brown, beige heard.
aroma, roasted malts, light hops with hints of dark fruits.
flavor, wow, lots of caramel and chocolate, nice roasted malts, hints of coffee and toffee. Finish has hints of bitterness and spices.
Drink pretty good! GAManiac (1123), Atlanta, Georgia, USA Sep 19, 2009 12oz bottle courtesy of Nick3.
Pours almost completely black in the glass with only the smallest amount of light coming through the edges. There is a big creamy tan head that shows very good retention and lacing.
The aroma is very good for me, but that’s because I love coffee and chocolate, which are the most dominant aromas in there. There are some toasted malts as well as a hint of citrus hops.
The taste is a slightly sweeter version of the nose. The big roasted coffee taste is still the most dominant aspect of the taste, but there is a more noticeable sweet caramel malt and molasses backbone behind the coffee bitterness. The dry bakers chocolate taste is fairly prominent as well.
The mouthfeel is extremely smooth with a soft carbonation and fairly full body.
As a coffee lover, I really like this beer. It seems pretty one-dimensional in that respect, but when you love that dimension, you can’t help but like the beer. ratman197 (3139), Arvada, Colorado, USA Sep 19, 2009 Bottle poured a clear dark brown with a lasting tan head. Aromas of roasted malt, dark chocolate, light vanilla and hints of dark fruit and licorice. Palate was medium bodied and crisp with a smooth finish. Flavors of roasted malt, bitter chocolate, light vanilla and hints oif dark fruit and smoke with a smooth lingering chocolatey finish. popery (133), San Francisco, California, USA Sep 9, 2009 Interesting strong ale with an assertive roasted malt character. The beer pours nearly uniformly black. There are dark brown-mahogany highlights around the edges of the glass. The head is close fitting but relatively dense. The aroma is mostly a rich chocolate malt with a great roasted quality. There are some mild hops, providing a bit of bite. The flavor is roasty, chocolatey with malt with significant hop and fruit flavors. It’s a nice mix of strong notes. The beer gets a bit sticky in feel, but it’s not too bad. Ultimately, Serious Madness is a fine beer. jdskinns (17), South Roxana, Illinois, USA Jul 23, 2009 Tried this one out of the bottle. Poured a dark brown body with a tan head that stuck around for a while. The smell on this is of dark malts and the taste completely backs it up. Very good beer, happy I picked this one up.
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