Ye Olde Strong Ale
Thunder Canyon Brewery

 

Thanks to hopdog for sharing this growler...
Appears a semi transparent, dark chestnut with a small tan head that fades into a mild collar. Scattered lacing is left around the glass.
Smell is of malty grain, molasses, roasted nuts, and ripe fruit.
Taste is of maple, caramel, vanilla, toffee, molasses, raisins, and a touch of hoppy bitterness.
Mouthfeel is medium-full bodied, hoppy, decently balanced, with a slightly thin finish.

Dark amber in color with excellent clarity, head is only about one cm thick. Dissipates quick. Smell is kind of faint, slight aroma of dark, toasty, caramel malt. Taste is quite sweet with a cinnamon spice, malt flavor is nutty and caramelly. Fairly hoppy at first, but not really that bitter in the end. Not sure of the alcohol content but for a strong ale it doesn't show much, which is nice. Subtle carbonation, medium in thickness. Quite smooth and easy to drink. Give this one a try before its gone as it is only a seasonal offering...

Pours from the growler a brilliantly clear, rich, deep amber-ruby hue. It is topped by a frothy, two-finger thick, amber-tan colored head. Bubbles from carbonation cascade viscously up to the surface. The aroma is nice and malty; a mix of toffee / caramel notes and rich fruit notes of raisins and cherries. As my nose gets used to it, notes of freshly toasted bread and hints of brown malt begin to come to the fore. The aroma is purely malt driven and is actually quite nice.

The taste is quite rich up front, not so much the sweet side of things, though it is lightly so, as it is rich and bread-like. The heft of this beer is just about perfect; rich and satiating, yet not cloying at all. Really the lack of sticky sweetness really helps this beer along as well.

This is best described as a doubled up malty Brown ale. The hops are barely perceptible, and it is the rich malt notes that shine through; I get notes of toasted malt, toffee, hints of coffee and roasted grain in the finish. I am really quite impressed by this beer; it is so rich and satiating without being sweet and cloying.