North Coast Brother Thelonious

Looking at these other rankings, I must have had a bad bottle..... Pours light brown with thick foamy whitish/yellow head. Initial taste is sweet followed by a strong lingering bitterness.

Pours light brown with little head. initial fruity taste followed by faintly sweet aftertaste. The alcohol numbs the tongue a wee bit as the taste lingers. A decent brew.

Bottle, drank from a tulip, label reads 9.4% alc., pours ruby with dark bronze mixed in and brown edges, has a nice off-white and tan fine bubbled head that left bubbled lacing on the sides of the glass, effervescent, aromas of brown sugar and molasses sweetness, raisins, prunes, chocolate and caramel, some prunes, caramel and dark malt flavors, gives a alcohol warming sensation on the palate even when quite cool, has a gentle pepper bitterness at the finish, layers the palate and has a creamy texture, nose was varied and complex which gave me a feeling that this brew was going to be great but the flavors are less so and let me down, not to bad just wished the flavors followed the aromas.

Dark brown, with a thin head. Some fruit, and definitely caramel. Overall, not too bad. Decent alcohol content.

(750 ml bottle from 1828 Vintage House) Pours dark rubyish brown, fairly clear-looking. One finger of biege head recedes to a thin lasting layer. Aroma is sweet and sour, stewed dark fruits, some brown sugar and yeast. Mouthfeel is fairly soft and smooth but more prickly than normal for style. Thin sheets and rings of lacing. Flavor opens with some Band Aid (much like the Allagash Victor I had recently). The Band Aid sort of dissipates as I work through the bottle. Sweet and sour taste with notes of dark stewed fruit and a red wine taste as it becomes warmer. Some light brown sugar, cocoa and yeast also present. Alcohol pretty well-covered. Dryish lightly bitter cocoa aftertaste. Not too bad except for the Band Aid.