We delve back into our reviews after a lot on our plates. We'd rather have a lot on our palates. So to kick off our hitting hard and heavy, we crack open a 9% ABV brew; made with 6 different hops and 4 different malts. I love how Southern Tier puts that one their labels (helps out decode it for homebrewers trying to build a clone). I have no idea on the IBUs, I cannot find anything definitive on it.
This pours a a nice copper color with small amount of white head. Decent carbonation, especially for us sitting on it for about 3 or so months. Yeah, I know, we shouldn't have sat on it for long, but with the amount of shit that we had going on, beer reviews weren't a priority. The aroma on this is pine, grapefruit, caramel, toffee, and a faint boozy note.
The flavor is interesting. There's a nice smooth wave of sweetness up front. There's a biscuit note that leads into the caramel and toffee that was picked up in the nose. There's a blast of bitterness toward the backend with some of the hop flavors previously mentioned in the nose. For being 'super hopped', according to the label, I expected more hops. The faint boozy note that you read in the aroma portion is faint after the hop blast (please tell me you're actually reading these reviews and not just clicking the link to make it appear on a second window so you can try and hide from your wife that you're secretly looking at underage Asian goat porn). This drinks smooth with a light sticky, yet dry finish.
Overall, good beer, wish there was more hop characteristics to it.
4/5 caps
-Nathan-
I think we actually have been sitting on this for longer than three months, probably closer to six. I think it was springtime when we picked this up, and it was definitely before my father got sick. Therefore, there is a really good chance that this was way hoppier when we procured it, and the hops have since died out. I feel terrible reviewing something that should have been drank fresh, but this year has been a juggernaut unto itself and not in a good way.
I would consider the color to be more of a medium-golden, and even after Nathan wrote his portion, there is still some white head sitting on top of the brew. The aroma on this is pine, grapefruit, toffee, caramel, and there's a very boozy note that comes out toward the end. Oh man, I wish we would have drank this fresh; the hops have definitely faded. Nathan described the taste profile on this quite accurately. I pick up grapefruit, orange, toffee, caramel, biscuit, and on the back side, there is a definite, noticeable blast of booze. You can definitely tell that this was once a very well-balanced hop bomb.
Oh shit, there's Nathan right behind me, time to ditch the underage Asian goat porn.
My inner hophead is crying right now. I can only imagine how amazing this was fresh. Eh, I'm already emotional today (just reflecting on my dad and life since, and having just learned of a friend passing the day after he did, and of another partner of a friend passing away this evening. 2014, I'm really over your shit). Shedding a couple of tears over hops lost or fading from their former glory seems perfectly acceptable and even appropriate. Diane and Philip, I raise this glass to you tonight in Wendy's and Dan's memories. And Gemini, I look forward to our next meeting.
4/5 caps
-Jennie
Music Pairing: Elton John, "Candle in the Wind"
Food Pairing: General Tso's Chicken
Cheese Pairing: Blue Stilton
No comments:
Post a Comment