russnug (35), Erie, Pennsylvania, USA Apr 29, 2006 We couldn’t wait to try this puppy. To hell with 2012! Who knows what tomorrow will bring. Anyway, very belginess in style. very good for the style. Snojerk321 (1914), San Diego, California, USA Apr 16, 2006 Pours a medium-dark brown with a light brown head. Nose of malts, yeast, and a bit of fruit. Mostly Raisin’s and plums. patrick767 (2016), fort wayne, Indiana, USA Apr 15, 2006 bottle - Pours dark brown with a finger’s width head of moderate endurance. The very substantial aroma is of roast malt, a bit of yeast, and very apparent fruit notes. The flavor is of strong dark fruit and is very sweet. The sweetness is almost cloying. It’s a little overdone. I assume they used some candi sugar and in my opinion could have done with a little less. Perhaps age will change that. Still, it tastes good with a mildly warming finish. It’s apparent that this is a quality beer. I just think maybe it needs to mellow a bit more. Dorwart (1807), Robbinsville, New Jersey, USA Apr 9, 2006 Updated: Oct 4, 2006Thin brown head of fine bubbles. Reduces slowly to a soapy looking head. Light carbonation. Rich and roasty aroma with molasses, plums and raisins. Little brown sugar also. Quite yummy. Color is a dark crimson brown. Color is darker than I expected. Rich and roasty flavor. Little bit of sweetness. Spicey and yeasty. Actually the sweetness is a little strong and unsettling in the stomach. Lots of sweet syrupy malts with a little bit of alcohol presence. This brew is not flying with me. Little bit of coffee at the finish. Dry and slightly bitter. Strange. Has a weird sweetness with a dry dirt kind of flavor. I don’t know, maybe it is just me. Capa (952), Yokosuka, Japan Mar 22, 2006 Poures a reddish brown with a nice sized light tan head that sticks around for a bit and leaves some nice lacing on the glass. Aroma is spicey sweet. Sweet malts and some dark fruits with brown sugar and vanilla along with a little bit of hops in the background. Flavor is sweet with noticeable alcohol. Dark fruits and sweet malts are evident along with some spices like nutmeg. Hops really aren’t noticeable at any time. Finishes with a little brown sugar and alcohol. A good brew, curious to see what a few years in the cellar will do to its flavor, hopefully it mellows a little bit. bitter (1137), Henderson, Nevada, USA Mar 22, 2006 poured a nice ruby brown with a filtery mushroom head. nose of different spices of nutmeg and sweet rock candy, vanilla. on the palate up front sweet figs and dark fruit envelop the palate with wooden spices and molasses. slight tobacco feel as well. ends with a bitterness of the hop flower. A slight twist on a barley wine type beer. alcoholic as it warms. good. i think it would be better after it rests for a while. surprised to see no spices were added to this brew blankboy (3157), Toronto, Ontario, Canada Mar 19, 2006 Updated: Mar 20, 2006Bottle. Pours a clear bubbly dark ruby-brown with a small lasting off-white head. Sweet malty aroma with dark fruit, vanilla, brown sugar, spices, yeast and alcohol. Flavour’s also quite sweet and a little boozy with some mild oak, spices and a bitter finish. Needs more hops in my opinion and it’s a bit unbalanced. I’m not crazy about the aftertaste either. Medium to full bodied. This is decent but it’s hard to drink a whole bomber of this on my own, it’s pretty sweet. Not one of my favourite Stone beers. entertheiceman (242), Cincinnati, Ohio, USA Mar 14, 2006 Quite good, like the 03 version on sterioids. This will probably age very similiar. Deep ruby color, fruity nose malt, grapes and alcohol. Taste is dark fruits, and maty merlot along with liquor. Finish has is a lingering sweet and bitter at the same time thing going on. The flavors are all over the place and aging may do this one some good. That said, this beer is great right now and it remains to be seen if aging will blend the flavors well or take it’s character away ala the ’03 VE.
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