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

Toasty chocolate malts predominate in the nose but some citrus notes detectable, its a very inviting nose! Beautiful frothy pale carmel colored head with decent retention sits atop an deep ruby body that is almost black and not quite opaque. Good lacing. My first experience with a Schwarzbier didn't know such things existed. Nice slippery mouthfeel, much fuller than most lagers. Good flavor, chocolate is there as are toasty malts, a really solid malt profile but balanced with nice amount of hops lending just a bit of tartness and citrus to the sweet body. Ends clean and fairly dry. I would not have minded a bit more alcohol presence but it really is well balanced.

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

Nose of pine, lemmon and pepper with maybe a hint of vanilla or some deeper note, a very big hoppy nose; really enticing. Pours a short-lived head of off-white foam over a pale copper body that is just slightly fogged with minimal lace. Mouth feel is moderately thick with a nice tingle. Flavor is somewaht one-dimensional with hops straight through and the alcohol not entirely masked but well balanced. It hits with a slight sweetness on the sides of the mouth with alcohol hitting the top back at the same time. Follows with bitter floral and citrus notes and a bit of bread. Ends tart and leaves a very bitter aftertaste hinting at coal tar and perhaps a bit chemically. One could call this unbalanced but I think its appropriate for a "maximus" IPA and suspect it will appeal to true hop-heads. It definately screams AMERICAN pale ale. I would like to see the alcohol a bit more masked and a touch better balance in the bitter hops versus the malt base and I find myself wondering if the malts are actually toasted or crystal. Heads can be tuff in a high alcohol beer but I think this aspect could be improved. Went back for the second pour and dis so less gingerly, much nicer head and lace this time, kicking it up apoint.

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

Well I am long overdue to review this one. Its kind of a standard for me, good to have around for folks who usually just drink swill but will try something else occasionally. Aroma is INTENSLY apricot with maybe just a bit of black pepper. Pours a white frothy head with very little retention and light alce. A nice light gold foggy body with decent eppervescence> Mouthfeel is nice, a bit slippery, medium bodied with good tingle, kind of like a heffe mouthfeel.Taste is straightforward the sweet fruity apricot with a very gentle hops hit right after, ends a bit sour and maybe just slightly mettalic. I like hat 9, its a good thirst quencher and an easy drinker although the apricot may be a big turn off for some. Never had it on draught which might be interesting.

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

Nose is sweet, carmelized malts with an interesting balance of hops floral and piney. Pours a very dark copper, almost black. Nice big frothy dirty beige head with decent staying power. Really nice lace! Wow this is interesting, very silky and full mouthfeel. Hits tart and then the sweet, carmelized malt comes on but stays fairly hoppy throughout. Unusual hop presence for a porter. Flavor lingers and changes for a fairly complicated taste. Goes a bit sour towards the end, fruity sour...figs and tart citrus. Finishes dry and fairly clean. None of the tastes are "big" but they are all there and well balanced. AFter all the fun tasting the finish somehow sesms just a bit watery. Another interesting showing for Sam.

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

review from memory (last night) on this one. A pale copper color and decent head with OK lace. Very hoppy nose, pine and spice. Suprising hops profile in the flavor considering htis is an english strong made by an English brewer. There answer to American Pales I guess, which is nice to see. Pretty well balanced, not as hoppy as an APA but mabye for an English brew it lives up top their standard of what very hoppy is. Some malt is present but not what you would expect in an English Strong. Fairly clean dn dry after taste. Light to average mouthfeel and teh alcohol is well masked. A very pleasant beer. If you want hops without being killed by it this is a nice choice and would be a great session beer.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 9 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 8

Mild hops nose; pine, orange peel, pepper, and carmel candy. Minimal to almost no head, whats there is beige and tightly knit. Leaving a very small but distinctive lave that withdraws downt he side of the glass like surf retreating from the beach, leaving only very small dots behind. All that sitting on top of a classically copper-colored body with a lot of transparency. Mouth feel is silky and suprsingly tingly in spite of the visual absense of carbonation. A full and balanced flavor starts piney hops and goes quickly to yeast and then toasty carmel malts with a significant grain presence. The finish is dry with alcohol predominating the aftertaste, and prehaps a bit of chemical in the aftertaste as well. I would rate this sticke altbeer a bit higher if the aftertaste was more pleasant.

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

Easy drinking! Vanilla, malt, carmel in the nose, nice big creamy dirty beige head with good lace over a very ddep copper colored body. Mouthfeel is soft and satin and a bit slippery and a bit foamy, lotta carbonation here. Flavor is not too complex but very nicely balanced. Fairly bitter with a good balance of toasty malts. It finishes clean and dry. There is also a little sour throughout the taste. Very drinkable, perhaps the ultimate session brew. I think I can taste a bit of corn and would reather not.

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

I had been away from hoppy beers for a while and thought I would pick this six up. Nose of pine, lemmon, pepper....what a good IPA nose is all about. Pours very frothy with a ibgt loose head that soon reduces to a skim coat floating on top of a light copper-colored clear body with a few tight bubbles constantly rising to the top; replenishing the skim coat. Very nice lacing all the way down the glass.Motuhfeel is nicely foamy, slightly slippery and clean. Better balance then I expected after reading hte label "homicidally hoppy". Not to say the hops aren't there, they are and in a big way, but they do a lovely dance with a quality malty sweet body. The taste of this beer is not so much about stages of flavor as it is about a constant really well balanced blend of flavors. That said it does hit hoppsy floral, goes sweet, and finishes VERY astringent. The more I tatste the more I like this beer, its just excellent balance for a very hoppy brew. There is an interesting fruity note well hidden in there, prunes perhaps and I am starting to think the malts are toasted, almost a carmel sweetness floating around with great bitter hops. Perhaps my favorite IPA, alwasy a tuff decision.

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

Big big nose on this brew. Sweet fruits, figs, raisins, orange and nice spice notes mostly pepper ... a winey nose. Pours a real nice frothy pale carmel-colored head. Medium to dark brown clear body with not much continuing fiz, somehow thin in appearance. Excellent lacing. Mouth feel is thin and a bit flat, the carbonation is underdone. Flavor was strong on the first swig but seems to dissapear as I continue drinking. There is a lot of toasted malts and very mild hop flavors, it hits sweet then tingles a bit with the touch of hops, but stays sweet throughout and ends fairly dry. Not complicated and a touch winey. No doubt an easy session brew.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 8

Very small in the nose when poured cold more aroma seems to develope after the head dissipates. Still not a strong aroma but nuts, citrus and bread detected along with a nicely done peppery aroma. Pours a great thick carmel colored head that does not last. Laces nicely with small bubbles continuing throughout the drink. A deep honey, light bronze cloudy body... an apealing looking brew that always leaves a bit of residue on the bottom of the glass. Mouthfeel is a touch chewy and a touch slippery...medium bodied, again its nice. The mild flavor suprised me. I hadn't read that they were crafting and English style Pale and was expecting (for no real reason) an American style. The hops are definatley present but not overwhelming. It has two very distinct tastes as it starts nutty and honey and then bang go the hops its bitter and acidic. Finish is a bit floral and goes tart at the end but leaves a clean after taste. Balance on this beer is spot on. A moderately complex brew, very well crafted and perfect for introducing a novice to hops. Great for sessions as well I suspect.