Firstly, I cut and pasted the first part of this review from my review of the Dark, since a number of things are exactly the same.
Review #1600.
Well, interesting one this. 11.2 fl oz bottle that is a very attractive sight with its pyramid shape and some interesting raised lettering a the base of the bottle – I’m gonna keep this one, its decorative. ABC-3513 on the cap.
$1.19 from Michael’s in Marietta, GA, USA as a single. I was pretty sure this was a very old bottle when I bought it, so I took a chance – why not? A closer inspection of the bottle at home shows that it has the (odd) numbers 1-31, I-XII and 02-04 on the label that COULD be notched but it ISN’T! This makes this at LEAST 3.75 years old and I would bet much older than even that. I also see that the last review was in 2005. I wouldn’t mind betting that this beer is no longer imported and distributed in the US. Just a guess, but I would not be surprised.
Anyway, on to the beer itself. Pours with a cloudy orange color and no head or lace. A bit murky.
Nose is malty and musty.
Taste is basically as expected with a malt base and very little bitterness. The problem is that there is a VERY earthy note – a bit like soil! I suspect this is simply a function of age. Some oxidation, but not to the extent that I think it is nasty, but that may be because I like malty beers. Either way it’s not great.
Glad I tried it, but I didn’t finish the bottle since I was concerned about the age. Drain pour for 75% of the bottle.