Nice clean dark malt aroma, nothing overly sweet or “black licorice-esque” like a lot of these can be. Nice even grain flavor with no harshness, with a minor dark malt aftertaste that lingers slightly. Good hop crispness that cleans the palate but stays out of the way. This is from their 2015 seasonal, drank on 12/23/2015, well before the best by date of 05/06/16. Having had this on tap before at the bar, I know these go down really well and you don’t have any idea of the 9% ABV, until you feel your head buzzing a bit.
Excellent sweet hop aroma, smells like a bag full of fresh hops. Smooth mouthfeel with a nice moderate hop flavor, lingers slightly hoppy but not bitter at all. Can’t tell it’s 8.3%.
Bottled 10/05/15, drank on 10/29/15. Nice sweet bourbon aroma but not harsh at all. Taste is very pleasant with nice dark malt flavor but no harshness. This is slowly followed by a slight wooden barrel flavor that gives way to a moderate chili kick. Slight alcohol warmth in aftertaste, mixed with chili heat. Great stuff going on, distracting you totally from the 11% ABV.
Very sweet hop aroma, almost like pineapple juice. Clean, sweet bite. Full-flavored, but not overpowering. Slight hop flavor lingers and fades out with some sweetness. A lot of floaters in there. Only 2.5 months old, and bought from the cooler, so should be ok.
Slightly sweet aroma. Very grainy and hearty malt flavor. Slightly sweet aftertaste, but also very clean malt grain flavor. Very reminiscent of the Dusseldorf Alt beers. Love it.
