Score: 92
Late January 2014 bottling. Served in a Toppling Goliath chalice and enjoyed on 02/02/14.
Appearance: Pours a clean amber color with two fingers of cream colored head that settles to a ring around the glass. Excellent lacing and retention. 4.75/5
Smell: Resinous pine, big caramel malt, orange rind, a little herbaceous hoppiness, earthiness and spice. A little onion too. As it warms up, a bit of tropical fruit comes through. Around room temperature, the beer features a nicely integrated mix of tropical fruit, pine and earthy hoppiness. 4.25/5
Taste: Sweet malt flavor upfront, quickly followed by a biting bitterness that lingers. Orange rind, earthy hops and spice, wood, and then caramel and black pepper towards the finish. Has a mellow alcohol bite and a lingering spice, resinous pine and caramel flavor. Really nice and aggressive flavor here. Reminisce of The Oracle, but done much better. Increasing maltiness as the beer warms. The tastes does not feature the tropical fruit character that the nose developed as the beer warms up. 4.25/5
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, good carbonation. Oily mouthfeel. Quite bitter. 4/5
Overall: Similar to Bell's The Oracle, only way better. The aggressively, spicy hops integrate well here. This is definitely not a beer for those that dislike IPA.
Cost: $12 for a 750 ml bottle.
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