Beer Review: Bitter Valentine

Reviewing the Bitter Valentine from Williamsburg AleWerks out of Virginia. This, like Pipework's Ninja vs. Unicorn, is a highly hyped and newer IPA on the market. Thank you ProperHops (Joseph) for sending me this treat!
Score: 84

No bottle date, which is never a good sign for an IPA bottle. Why do brewers even bother selling beer without bottled on date? Marginal revenue at the expense of bad customer experiences and quality control is never good marketing. Served in a Half Acre tulip and enjoyed on 05/04/12.

Appearance: Pours a lighter, but translucent, orange-amber color with one-plus fingers of seafoam tan head at pour that settles to a thin foggy cap and bubbly ring around the glass. Average lacing, above average retention. 4/5

Smell: Malty orange citrus, dirty/earthy hops and a little lemon. Residual onion/horseradish. 3.5/5

Taste: Bitter orange rind and malty orange. A bit of sharp/spicy onion on the midpalate. Bitter earthy hops on the back of the tongue. You can tell this is not the freshest, but it's still pretty solid. Seems to get bitter/maltier as it layers, with less citrus flavor. Lingering hop bitterness. 3.5/5

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, medium carbonation. Oily mouthfeel. Bitter finish with a little residual intensity on the tongue. 3.5/5

Overall: You can tell there's potential here, but this beer was likely not the freshest. Williamsburg AleWerks really should bottle date their stuff. I would like to revisit this when a new batch is released.

Recommendation: A decent IIPA as is, but seek this one out fresh. Bitter/oniony hop haters and casual beer drinkers should probably avoid this beer.

Pairings: Grilled chicken.

Cost: $7.99 for a 22 oz bottle.