grandridge (222), Port Clinton, Ohio, USA
| 4.1 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 8/10 | 4/5 | 9/10 | 4/5 | 16/20 | Jul 31, 2009 Really a DIPA, it has more bw charecter than a DIPA. I’m reviewing this as a bw. Pours a dark brown with a deep malt presence that is mostly caramel and dark fruits. Flavor brings out the hops, there are some hops in the back that leaves a slight bitterness but definitly not of the american hop bomb caliber. Mouthfeel is thick with minimal carbonation. It’s really just a big beer, not quite a bw but not quite a DIPA, but enjoyable.
SHANER4 (385), Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA
| 4.5 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 8/10 | 5/5 | 9/10 | 5/5 | 18/20 | Dec 23, 2009 Bottle 16.9oz. - Poured reddish brown color with two finger beige head that lasted awhile.
Aroma - sweet caramel, prunes, cough drops and woody.
Flavor - Awesome sweet dark fruits in perfect combination of mildly punngent resin hops!! Tastes more like a BW like the bottle says unlike rate beer saying that its a DIPA.
Palate - medium bodied with a creamy smooth texture!! Soft carbonation with long lasting tastey finish!
Overall - Best BW I’ve had to date. So smooth and creamy with perfect balance of sweet and bitter, plus finish is so damn good!! Go and try this beer if you’re a fan of BW’s Kavu (114), Jyväskylä, Finland
| 3.1 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 6/10 | 4/5 | 6/10 | 3/5 | 12/20 | Dec 23, 2009 Pours very dark brown with quite thick brownish head. Aroma has some raisins and citrus with some roasted malts. Flavor has maybe less citrus but otherwise it resembles the aroma quite a lot. Very bitter finish. Clearly a quality beer but not quite my cup of tea. frizzzzle (70), Overland Park, Kansas, USA
| 4 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 9/10 | 3/5 | 8/10 | 3/5 | 17/20 | Dec 20, 2009 Pours dark with a fine head and medium lacing. Excellent balance on the nose -- some spicy hops and malt. Flavor is mostly hops up front, with a bit of a bitter finish. Sugars remind me of caramel. Mouthfeel is pleasant, with lots of fine bubbles. tdtm82 (43), Essex, England
| 4 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 8/10 | 4/5 | 8/10 | 4/5 | 16/20 | Dec 18, 2009 A really nice drop ths. Notes of coffee; spices and dark chocolate. Very nutty texture. Very nice. Lovely thick head poured from bottle into my Young’s pint glass. A lovely jet black colour. Roasted malts; nuts, rich dark chocolate and thick caramel. Lovely beer. Really enjoying this one. Maybe my faourite Nogne yet. Great job. Travlr (787), Washington, Washington DC, USA
| 4.3 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 8/10 | 4/5 | 9/10 | 5/5 | 17/20 | Dec 18, 2009 Light maroon color with a tiny bubble head that setles quickly to rim bubbles, great lacing.
Aroma of scotch and spice, possibly cinnamon.
MALT!! One of the other tasters said "this one is hi octane." Decently complex, warmly sweet and satisfying.
Nice body.
Should be consumed with caution, but o/w a very nice one. ksurkin (405), Norfolk, Virginia, USA
| 4.1 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 8/10 | 4/5 | 8/10 | 4/5 | 17/20 | Dec 17, 2009 500ml bottle from CBX. pours a deep, chestnut brown with a full, light khaki head and solid lacing. aroma is excellent and all berley wine with big notes of toffee, fig, prune, and red apple with notes of chocolate malt, earthy hops, bourbon, and red grapes. flavor is great as well with mildly sweet toffee, toasted malts, and dried dark fruits up front backed by subtly orange citrus and chocolate notes with an earthy, bitter hop finish. palate is full bodied and mildly stickly but definitely not overly sweet and showing only a touch of the 10%. overall, this is no IIPA but it’s a heck of a barley wine. Mjollnir (21), Canberra, Australia
| 4 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 8/10 | 3/5 | 8/10 | 4/5 | 17/20 | Dec 14, 2009 This one makes you feel alive. Pours a murky, opaque brown with a large amount of suspended sediment. Thick light brown head that persists for some time. Very strong aroma, primarily of hops, but also some sweet dried fruit aromas. Excellent balance between sweetness and bitterness - essentially plenty of both. Full bodied and thick with subdued carbonation. Drying finish. RHeastings (419), Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| 3.5 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 8/10 | 3/5 | 7/10 | 3/5 | 14/20 | Dec 12, 2009 Enjoyed from a 22oz bomber in a whiskey snifter. Until reading RateBeer’s description, I was under the impression that the beer was a Barley Wine, and had evaluated it as such. From the perspective of a DIPA the beer seems to have several qualities of the aforementioned, while taking some creative license with others. The beer pours a very deep brown color, far darker than any other IPA, and resembling a Barley Wine in terms of SRM and head stand, which is thick and light tan. The nose also gives strong hints that the beer is a Barley Wine or sort of American strong ale. Huge notes of raisons, toffee, and prunes dipped in bourbon. Notes of hops also come through. The palate does strike more of a resemblence to a DIPA, with far less malt character than the nose would suggest, bracing bitterness in the mid-palate and finish, and a dry character that almost makes the beer seem insipid. Overall, not the best DIPA, nor the best Barley Wine, but a nice partner on a chilly evening with a book.
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