Compass Rose 'Secret-Spiced' Ale
Outer Banks Brewing Station

a: deep brown in color with a nice off-white head

s: beautiful rosemary aroma...and I fucking love rosemary, smells of fresh picked and sappy rosemary leaves and woody stems with a nice dose of Belgian brown malts, expected yeast characteristics bring formidable esters

m: medium carbonation and medium-full body

t: similar to the aroma, fleshy rosemary leaves and gritty stems bring a great herbal flavor to a solidly malty Belgian brown; I can see how the rosemary could be mistaken for menthol, but it's something I've always wanted to taste in a beer and thus am thoroughly delighted

d: limited, but quite intriguing

my one review from the Raleigh World Beer Fest after 4 samples...sue me

Appearance: Mahogany brown hue, with a thick off-white head.

Smell: Caramel malt and a very strong herbal note that reminds of rose petals, as well as menthol or eucalyptus, and a floral hops bouquet.

Taste: The herbal taste dominates to the point of tasting like ointment. It's like "Vaporub Ale". The eucalyptus-like, menthol flavor is just too strong. It kills the enjoyment of the somewhat complex dark malt. The "Trappist Ale yeast" they purport to use doesn't save this flavor.

Mouthfeel: It's smooth, with medium-to-low carbonation. The herbs and hops bouquet leaves a dry finish.

Drinkability: REALLY low. Of the four beers in the sampler I got, this was the only one I couldn't bear to finish. Three sips and I was done. I'm afraid I can't recommend it, complex as it may try to be. They advertise the use of Trappist yeast, presumably with the hopes that people will see 'Trappist' and thinking they're drinking some kind of abbey ale. Not so. They're drinking Vaporub Ale.