Darkling
Bullfrog Brewery

Early 2010 rate.

This isn't gonna be one of my better ratings as I had the beer over a week ago and didn't take any notes. On tap, poured clear chestnut, kind of reddish. Light fruit, hops, and malt in the nose, some bitter chocolate and coffee. Really crisp and balanced in the mouth, minimal fruit and malt sweetness balanced nicely by light English hops. This would be a great beer to drink like 10 of.

Poured a dark mahogany-chestnut that's only the slightest bit transparent. Some reddish edges and a nice beige head. Smells of toasted chocolate with a bit of toffee, caramel, and hints of hop bitterness. Taste is the same, with a bit of earthiness added in there. Chewy, bready body with low-level carbonation. Very nice session beer.

On tap @ the Bullfrog on 1/30/10. Served in a pint glass.

Pours a deep ruddy red/brown (some ruby highlights come out along the sides) with a 1/2 finger of light mocha colored creamy head. Retains with a thin yet rich look, leaving a strong smattering of spotty lacing behind. The aroma smells floral, earthy, and citric from the English hops, with some underlying caramel notes and smoky roast. Very tangy and green feeling in the nose.

The taste is sweet malts up front that then get a bit more roasty and dark tasting towards the back. Hops are fairly aggressive and biting here for a Mild Ale, but I don't mind, with them adding plenty of earthy grit to the finish and ending things with PLENTY of spice and dryness. The mouthfeel is lighter-medium bodied, being pretty mellow overall in the mouth but still puts a sharp prickle across the tongue.

Nice. Full flavored, easy on the palate, and most of all, low ABV, this was quite the enjoyable and sessionable offering from the Bullfrog. This was yet another one of those beers that makes me long for a hand pump here. Maybe one day...

So, I find out that after I mentioned to Brewer Terry about the Amber Gone Wild reminding me of a British Dark Mild and wouldn't it be nice if he actually made one....guess what? Well, he went and made one...for me! Wow! What a guy!

A-Deep copper with a thin tan head that hangs on strong and leaves spotty lace.

S-Light dry oak notes and a touch of spicy hops. Nothing crazy here but enough to enjoy.

T-Oak dryness up front just like a good dark mild should have. Semi-sweet biscuit malt backing and a mild spicy hop finish. Quite dry in the end.

M-Medium bodied, quite "round", creamy and very smooth. Goes down very easy. Good lingering oak dryness and mild bitterness.

D-Umm...yep! This one is solid. On cask...oh, I could only imgine! This is a beer after my own heart....lots of flavour, creamy plus you could drink it all day! All this with a low ABV---wonderful!

Pours a dark chocolatey chestnut brown that's completely opaque with the slightest of dark mahogany edges and a two finger frothy light beige head. Gret retention, slowly fadng into a lasting cap that leaves chunks of soapy lacing behind.

Slightly toasted chocolate malt aroma with hints of toffee, slight earthy hops, caramel biscuit and frsh bread.

Chewy medium body which is a nice surprise considering the low ABV. Toasty sweet chocolate malts, caramel, toffee, bu=iscuit and a slight lactic creaminess. Subtle dry hops in the finish provide nice balance. Very drinkable session beer.