ReaperAle Ritual Dark Ale

Brewed by Sudwerk Privatbrauerei Hubsch
Style: American Strong Ale
Davis, California USA

Pours dark brown (ruby red when held up to light) with a medium beige head. Neat aroma of roastiness, brown sugar, piney hops and caramel. Flavor has notes of roasted malt, chocolate, dark fruit, caramel and piney/grapefruity hops (it works by the way). Pleasantly sweet and malty, the hops provide good balance. Medium body, smooth texture and moderate carbonation. I like this one - kind of like a strong porter with an American IPA hop bill.

22 oz bottle. This is pretty good stuff. Pours magnificent. Very dark with a very light head. Great contrast. Head lasted a very long time and left great lacing. The aroma was very malty with much molassas and other tones of darkness. The flavor was nice too. Mostly malty but with a decent, unoverbearing hoppy finish. The alcohol was barely even noticeable unitl I got through the first glass. Very good.

Courtesy of Pialhead. Pours dark brown, semi-transparent. Big grainy, nutty aroma. Flavor much the same with some bitter chocolate through the middle and some hop biterness in the finish. Aroma and flavor hurt the overall on this, rather muted.

Deep ruby in color with a variable grey head. Much is included in the aroma: grapes, raisins, pecans, sauna panels, tobacco, winter frost on mulch, cocoa powder, grape soda and wet dog. Big on flavor. English pipe tobacco, clothes chests, unrefined cocoa press, cherry pits and dark figs. Sweetening ensues from concord grapes and dark candi sugar. Fairly engulfing palate feel - not syrupy, but nearly an oil slick. Effervescence is dead on. Applaud the reaper. Finishes like a Christmas blend of pipe tobacco in cohorts with pinot noir. Nice stuff - thanks for landing me a bomber, tpkenned!

Pours a dark brown. Aroma is a nice balance of malt and hops. Flavor is sweet and sugary, but never offensively so. Palate is lush and coats quite nicely. Another quality effort from one of my favorite brewers.

Bottle… Clear, mahogany ale with a large, frothy, beige head. Good retention. Chocolate, alcohol and molasses aroma. A hint of cola. The flavor is alcoholic and a touch harsh with burnt notes of blackstrap molasses and cocoa. Full-bodied and syrupy with fizzy carbonation. Burnt, lightly bitter, dry finish.

Poured a ruby brown with light head. Aromatics of very light toast and malt. Body thinner than expected. Flavors ok but could be stronger in my opinion. A decent effort.

(22oz bottle) Clear red-black body with fluffy beige head. Aroma is mild, medium sweet, pine, grapefruit. Taste is medium sweet, raisin, grapefruit, some cocoa, light smoke. Alcohol pretty well hidden, but does become more noticeable as it warms. Medium body, feels a bit thin relative to the flavors, but then again, it does a fine job of handling the alcohol.