12 oz single from a recent trade. 2008 vintage. I’ve been waiting on this beer for sometime. Delighted to get the chance to drink it.
The pour is just the way I like it; it has that noisy, richness with a dark, caramel color. The head is high, rich, dense and produces some lovely ice-cream like lace.
The nose and tastes have light alcohol and some delicate touches of spice. After the caramel notes subside, there is a mild hop bitterness that comes across the tongue. Nothing too spectacular, but enough to keep me alert. It defines the finish and the aftertaste. It’s an interesting mix of solid malts with a bittering finish. Tasty.
Fits very neatly into the Winter Warmer category from all angles. The alcohol kicks in at the end and the hops seem cumulative – pleasing, satisfying and a beer that basically delivers. This beer is six months old and the hops are pretty much where they should be for MY taste. IF there has been a significant drop in hop character since this was fresh then I am DELIGHTED that I waited on this one. A bigger hop character is NOT what I would want in this style or from this beer – I’m a genius! ;-)