Demise (57), Wellington, New Zealand Oct 7, 2008 Pours a reddish dark brown colour with a tan head. Reasonably cloudy and head did not last for as long as I’d anticipated - perhaps due to an average pour. Initially flavour is malty, with fruits and spice to follow, ending with smooth toffee and chocolate flavours. These chocolate and caramel flavours come through stronger as the beer progresses, and the raisin and spice become more subtle. Beautifully smooth for such a complex beer, alcohol well hidden. Lovely and warming on a cold day. illkarate (89), Bloomington, Indiana, USA Oct 4, 2008 0.33ml, pours a dark brown with a pale beige head. There is so much yeast in the glass it’s doing backflips with the carbonation. After a few sips, the head is spotted with the yeast and looks like little specks of cinnamon. Amazingly complex beer - malt, dark fruits (raisins, cherries, plums), spice, toffee, liquorice... alcohol on the finish. This is a fantastic beer... kevd193213 (477), Hope Valley, Rhode Island, USA Oct 4, 2008 Bottle. Cloudy brown pour with a fantastic frothy large tan head. Great lacing. Aroma of plums, yeast and raisins. Full taste with caramel, yeast, malt, and dark fruit present. Nice even but full finish. hirigalzkar (550), Stockholm, Sweden Oct 4, 2008 Updated: Nov 20, 2008Bottle. Hazy black with thick head. Complex flavor, dark and malty but also a (strange) sweet afteraste. Too much carbonation. begbie100 (161), Oulu, Finland Oct 3, 2008 300713, 330ml bottle. Light brown thick head which lasts very long. Dark brown color, cloudy. Interesting aroma of berries, spices and leather. Fizzy and little bit oily palate. Flavours of vegetables, liquorice, some alcohol. Sour. wyzzywyz22 (754), Wirral, Merseyside, England Oct 2, 2008 Bottle, Ale Cellar, Darlington. I’m somewhat surprised by the relative dearth of dissenting voices amidst the sea of universal acclaim which this basks in. Personally, I don’t think this is a patch on the 10. I can appreciate that there is quality here but its just lacking the complexity and depth of its big brother. It could be the licorice element which stands out a little too prominently for me - I’m not a fan of Licorice at all so points lost there. The slightly menthol/medicinal tang which I detected, also I’m not big on either.
Its good, just a litle disappointing when compared to the 10. tlind2 (560), Helsinki, Finland Oct 1, 2008 330 ml bottle. Reddish-brown color, huge tan head. Slightly yeasty, medicinal aroma with alcohol and hops. Big taste with a touch of chocolate, herbal hops and warming alcohol and a glowing malty finish. Prickly carbonation, full body. Very complex and quite nice. wunderbier (1264), Tampere, Finland Oct 1, 2008 Rich burgundy color under a billowy, buff head. Warm alcohol nose, full of spice and dark berries, acrid and phenolic, sweet caramel. Mild toffee sweetness, smooth but full acidity, menthol and alcohol strong in the finish with an aftertaste of chocolate and licorice. Creamy, big and fluffy.
Decadent and a bit hot—I wonder if those phenols will fade.
33 cl bottle, best before 30 July 2013.
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