Alpine Beer Company Great

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 9 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 9

Bottle purchased at the brewery 10/06 consumed Feb. 9th, 2007. After pulling the foil off I noticed this puppy was filled to within a quarter inch of the cap so 0.375L+(that’s good for me, eh). Pours slightly hazy brown with orange highlights. The tan head dissipated in under a minute. The aroma is pretty strong with caramel, alcohol, dark fruitiness, molasses, wood planks and just a hint of whiskey. Wow, I was expecting a more aggressive taste from this big beer. It starts off with a nice Barleywine date and cherry dark fruitiness mix with sweet caramel and toffee. About midway the whiskey, vanilla and oak notes surface. There’s also light hints of alcohol and grape tartness. From midway on this beer gives a nice warming feeling that seems comforting. Great sipping beer. Re-rate on 10/29/07. Pours a clear copper to brown color with lasting thin tan head. The aroma is up in your face big and bold with the aroma of a oak paneled shed followed by sweet creamy caramel candy and some chocolate malts. It also has a sizable load of fruity esters with prunes, dates and a bucket of raisins. The alcohol is not all that well hidden for a 10% beer. But for this beers big ABV it isn’t too bad. The flavor is just as bold as the aroma with a whack in the face by a freshly milled oak plank followed quickly by red wine grapes, red wine tannins mixed with rich caramel candy. The alcohol is there too. Nice. Another decade of age could see this good beer turn truly great.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 5 | Flavor: 5 | Overall: 5

Poured out an amber color with a nice head and good lacing. Aroma was vanilla, oak, whiskey and hops. Flavors were pretty much the same as the aroma but it was really strong with the whiskey flavor, which drowned out most of everything else. I think that with some age things would mellow out a bit. Looking forward to try this again in a year or two.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 8

Poured a hazy amber color with a small, off white head that left light lacing on the glass. Aroma of vanilla, strong oak, sticky malts, and bourbon. Taste was dry oak, light vanilla and dried fruits, sweet caramel malt, light citrus, and bourbon alcohol in the finish.

Aroma: 5 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 3 | Flavor: 4 | Overall: 4

Had this on draft at Pizza Port's strong ale fest Dec 2005. This poured amber colored, with very little head. The flavor was sickening sweet. it was very thick.

Aroma: 10 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 10 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

Pours with an amber body topped by a medium thick to thick head with a good amount of lacing. It’s slightly sweet and oaky with a strong whiskey note, a peppery bitterness and a nice underlying hop note. Not bad, will be really good with a little age. Full bodied, warming and dry.