Boohag
Moon River Brewing Company

a style we dont see enough of anymore, and while maybe not their best beer i had while i was in, i enjoyed it, if partially just for the nostalgia factor, back in the day i was a freak for these, now they dont come around often. this one has a little murk to it, pours more brown than black, and the head dissipates pretty quickly from the shaker pint they serve it in at the source. definitely not as dark as expected, and that is true in aroma and flavor as well, the bitterness definitely all comes from the hops, and while there is some roast to this, its subtle, and overall the malt profile lands more in the toasted and chocolate range, fully compatible with the hops no doubt, but not as deep and bold as i think it could be. there is a layer of smoke and tobacco too, mild but there, and thats where this one gets a little more complex. the hops are a tad one dimensional to me, bruising pine intensity with high alpha bitterness, pretty consistent through the whole drink and as it warms. some woodiness, some decent body for its color, not hurting for that, and a modest carbonation that lets this unfold at its own pace. faintly green, nice and bitter, spruce and gin to me, lightly dank, cocoa powder at the end, could use just a bit of cleaning up, but its a nice throwback overall.