 MI2CA (1260), Noblesville, Indiana, USA
Aug 21, 2006 22oz - Aroma is pungent dark toffee, carmel, prune, date, and black licorice. Pours deep dark brown with small head and good lacing. Flavor is sour, but I don’t think it is what the brewer intended. I had it fresh and remember it being a little sweeter? Still good with loads of carmel, toffee, and dark fruit. Palate is tart and sticky. I liked it better fresh, not sure if it will make it to 2012.
kms399 (267), plymouth, Minnesota, USA
Aug 1, 2006 thanks to secret santa (JPDIPSO i think) pours a deep ruby red with a small slightly brown head. aroma is slightly fruity and spicy despite the fact that they say they used no spice in this beer
there is a light malt and yeastieness that is like. taste is much of the same with a bit of roastiness. damn fine beer. it is a shame i will probably never have another.
Walt (2289), Chicago, Illinois, USA
Jul 31, 2006 Pour is ruby brown with a thin off white head...smell is yeasty and caramel...taste is musty and sweet with yeast and caramel...
lagermonkey (597), Marietta, Georgia, USA
Jul 27, 2006 Pours dark brown with a creamy, thin tan head. Some light lacing. Smell is rich caramel. Light dark fruit aromas. Toffee and a light earthiness.
Taste takes the smell and extrapolates it to higher levels. More rich caramel and toffee. Lightly spicy (clove, black pepper and cinnamon). Hint of dark chocolate (!). Strident hops as it finishes. Warming alcohol. Mouth is rich and thick. Sticky finish and aftertaste. All things said, damn yummy. Very enjoyable beer and goes down way too smooth for words. Good stuff.
Glouglouburp (2778), Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Jul 19, 2006 Clear dark red with a small off-white head. Caramel smell. Sweet and malty beer with some fruity notes. Toffee/caramel dominates. I was disappointed by this one. I had this 05 next to an 06 at the BCTC 2006. Being an engineer I calculated that 06/05 = 1.2, therefore the Vertical 06 is 20% better than the 05, and honestly that’s pretty accurate.
Lubiere (4464), Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Jul 18, 2006 Dark reddish clear brown with a thin off white head. Sweet malty caramel aroma, with ginger notes, sweet candy and alcohol. In mouth, sweet candy sugar, caramel, licorice and oranges. A good year! Rich and alcohol in mouth. On tap at BCTC 2006.
nahthan (129), Oakland, California, USA
Jun 30, 2006 I bought two when I saw this on the shelf last October. The first I remember being quite hoppy and very double-IPA like. I’m glad I waited to open the 2nd until now. A nice spicy marriage between the alcohol and hop flavors - a hint of clove, plum, toffee, dried apricot and slight mango. Very clean alcohol flavors. Nice citrusy and piney hop bitterness that has mellowed out and a bit in the background by now. I think it would taste even better a year from now. I should have bought three. Absolutely delicious.
JoeMcPhee (4893), Jackson Heights, New York, USA
Jun 25, 2006 22 oz bomber. Dark brorwn with garnet highlights. Sweet malty aroma, plums, dried cherry, brown sugar, toast, clove and even some banana. A bit of chocolate and some leathery/tobacco like notes. Flavour is quite sweet up front with massive plummy notes all over it. Quickly shows off chocolate and licorice throughout the middle before the earthy hop flavour kicks in. Strongly roasty for the style and quite hoppy as well. As it warms there are some more decidedly non-traditional piny hop resins. Intensely flavoured and quite unusual. I found myself ready to dislike it at first, but once I got through the first 8 oz, I couldn’t wait to finish the rest. The different elements really came together and accentuate the positive in one another. Another year of age will help smooth out some of the rougher edges, but this is a seriously tasty beer even now.
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