Anniversary Ale
Hollister Brewing Co.

 

Poured a dark brown with a nice whote head that stuck around even after a few sips. Nose is chocolate and maybe caramel malts with a big hop presence that left me scratching my head. There was some grapefruit, pine notes as well. taste is hop forward,no roastiness as I expected given the look of this brew. Unique in look and flavor but easily drinkable. I thought it was pretty solid and hoppy, tasty and the ABV was just right.

Pours a dark brown with a minimal white head and decent lacing.

The smell is really offputting and put me in a bad frame of mind for enjoying the rest of this beer. I thought it smelled like a wet dishrag, and my girlfriend was certain that the glass was just improperly cleaned. Little scent, but what was there smelled sorta funky and soapy. Not nice at all.

This beer is advertised as a "deceptively smooth drinking, super hopped black ale," with "all the hops of a double IPA and all the color of a dark ale, minus the roasted flavor." I have a bit of a problem with this description. While this beer is definitely hoppy, it doesn't approach the hoppiness of their (single) IPA, "The Pope." Also, it is quite roasty tasting, burnt even. This is the first time I've ever used this term to describe the taste of a malt, but I feel its appropriate here. Theres a charred, smoky flavor haunting the malt, and I don't really like it. Slightly boozy. It is not wholly bad though; the hops are nice, it just isn't super complex.

Mouthfeel is sorta thin, but the finish is clean and this beer could be refreshing under the right circumstances.

Drinkability is only ok; the alcohol content is noticeable, and there isn't a lot about this beer that screams "drink another one." But then again, if beer could talk, I probably would feel a lot worse about drinking it, so maybe that's a good thing.

Draught at the brewpub. Dark brown with a small, wispy beige head. Subtle roasted and chocolate malts in the aroma with some bread crust as well. The flavor is rich but dry with plenty of nutty roast and chocolate, with some slight burnt astringency and alcohol. Full and smooth mouthfeel. Cool beer, a nice boldly roasty and dry brown turned up a couple notches.

Consumed 05/25/08.

Very clear brew, this one, and a caramel brown color. Busy little bubbles. Some white foamy skin, some lacing.

Some caramel malt in the nose.

Flavor is as the nose: lots of caramel malt. A little thick, even syrupy. Somewhat sweet.

Hard to pin down the style, exactly... British barleywine? Old Ale? Not sure exactly what they were going for, but it's not terribly complex or interesting.