Twisted Ankle
The Twisted Hop

 

 

This has a big, rounded malt flavour with burnt toffee and vegemite notes. A moderately-high bitterness is nice as is a slightly earthy undertone. The aroma is similar. The clear, dark copper colour is good as is the medium body with moderately-low carbonation. Tasty.

Pours a dark murkey colour, black everywhere except for a red tinge up to the light. Nice bubbly head from the cask, retains pretty well, but after a while sinks to a thin film of beige foam. Lace is awesome though, sticky and thick. Pretty damn nice.

Nose is dark, toasty and sweet. A fair toasted malt character with hints of dark chocolate and a fair licorice fragrance as well. Slightly herbal with notes of fresh bark and some mint as well. A bit subdued actually, but a lot of nice characters.

Taste is quite strong, really, and yet smooth. To explain: starts with a dark malt flavour which develops quickly into a cocoa-tinged flavour with good amounts of dark malt, some oaky character and a bit of cherry, maybe some mint as well. But it's very balanced, and it's a smooth rise and fall of flavour, finishing nicely roasty bitter on the back. A bit lacking on the mid, tastes just a bit watered down there, but it's a very smooth, polished flavour journey, hitting all the right dark and sweet notes.

A bit watery as far as texture goes, but has a presence. I think it's just that firkin soupiness. Firk that.

This is a smooth, enjoyable ale. Strong at times but leaves you feeling mellow and chill.

A - Very dark brown with a ruby red tinge when held to light. Couple of centimetres of bubbly off white head that falls pretty fast.
S - Bittersweet chocolate notes with some dark fruit aromas. Very vague vanilla and oaky hints.
T - Very much like the smell; chocolate & dark fruit initally with some subtle vanilla and oak flavours.
M - Medium bodied, pretty much zero carbonation as is expected.
D - A nice enough beer but not something I could session. Worth trying though.

Served from a bar-top cask at the Local Taphouse for their ANZAC Day SpecTapular.

Pours a deep dark red black, like the depths of a Gotham city basement. Crackly head from the cask, with a tight ring staying around. Lots of nice lacing though. Nice enough.

A little leather on the nose, with some smooth ripe freshness to give it a lift. Hints of shiraz-toned oak. Quite muted all over, but what's there is nice.

Nice on the palate as well. Very smooth and incredibly drinkable. Vanilla comes through with a big welling flavour. Very round with a light chocolate malt finish. Mouthfeel good off the cask, as is to be expected.

Very drinkable and smooth. If it's not the most complex beer, it can be forgiven.

A short pint from the cask.
Appearance- A very dark brown, a few shades from looking black, body. A tan frothy head that disappears into a ring within five minutes. Some lacing.
Smell- Like your grandma's kitchen, very earthy with chocolate malt, a sweetness that I agree is like molasses.
Taste- Lighter than the color or smell indicates. It lacks a big roasted coffee malt taste which was really a nice change. There was a firm malt backbone with slight sweetness and oak/maple flavor. No real hops to speak of.
Mouthfeel- Smooth and slightly oily. This is a chewy brew, mmm. Low carbonation and very complex flavors smooth out the finish.
Drinkability- No indication of any ~6%ABV so its quite good.

A: Really deep maroon-brown color. Thought it was black at first. If you don't hold it up to any kind of light you might not even notice. Small but thick khaki head that has that creamy cask beer character.
S: Smells of roasted malts predominantly, with a little bit of licorice spice in there as well. Smells are really light and subtle with this one.
T: Was nervous about the licorice going in but turns out to be a really nice subtle compliment to the roasted malts that dominate this brew. Some nice bitter chocolate and hops in the aftertaste. Would have liked it to be a little bolder and have some of that 6% ABV to come through.
M: Silky smooth feel but just a light too light bodied for my taste for the style.
D: "...dangerously easy to drink - beware!" states the menu and this is definently true.

Poured a dark brown, but far from black with a tan head that lingered for a bit, most likely a product of being served by cask. The smell was very sublte, but malty and smelled slightly woody. The taste is much lighter than anticipated, especially for the alcohol level. Tastes of roasted malt with a hint of licorice, a product of the molassas used in the brew. Mouthfeel was light, but slightly syrupy. It is very drinkable, perhaps too much so for its alcohol level. A very good, lighter tasting dark beer with enough complexity and alcohol to hold its own.

A delightful surprise. Beautiful dark amber body with a thick whipped, creamy, light khaki head. Nose has dark fruits, figs, licorice, a little whiskey, and roasted bitterness. Taste follows suit, only more thoroughly. The medium-bodied, fruity malt is not too sweet and the roasted character combines with fresh hop bitterness for a perfect finish. Delightful, and dangerously drinkable.