What beer are you drinking now? #2289

4.5 year revisit review, 2017 edition. This was incredible. Poor head retention and no lacing as expected. Aromas and flavors of huge milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, caramel, brown sugar, vanilla, toffee, fudge, brownie batter, bourbon, coconut, toasted oak, and brown bread; with light notes of coffee, roasted nuts, molasses, licorice, raisin, prune, fig, date, smoke, leather and yeast earthiness. Increasing booze in the aromas as it warms, but not too overwhelming. Light roast bitterness and bourbon/oak tannin spiciness on the finish. Light-medium carbonation and super full body; with a very creamy, slick; and lightly syrupy, chalky, and tannic mouthfeel. Lightly increasing lingering bitter, tannic, spicy alcohol dryness; no cloying sweetness. A bit rough on barrel tannins and spicy alcohol. Lightly increasing warmth of 19.6%, mild lingering barrel booze. Pretty smooth, slow sipping. Fantastic balance of rich malts, vanilla, cocoa nibs, and bourbon barrel presence/integration. Not nearly as mind blowing as I remember. This is just ridiculously massive for a beer. Matches up with most of the rest of the Black Tuesday variants as expected. 4.3


Cheers

Only took me 2 days to get re-addicted to this band.

 

7 year revisit review. This was delicious. Great rocky head retention/spotty soapy lacing. Aromas and flavors of big red grapefruit, tangerine, lemon, peach, pineapple, apricot, mango, melon, berries, citrus peel/rind, wood, peppercorn, pine, honey, toasted oak, biscuit, and light caramel/oaken vanilla. Light-moderate pine, citrus peel/rind, herbal, floral, grassy, peppery bitterness; and oak tannin spiciness on the finish. Medium carbonation/body; balanced creamy/bready malts, sticky/resinous/rindy hops, and oak tannins in the mouthfeel. Light-moderate increasing resins/tannic oak dryness, no astringency. Very smooth, not overly aggressive, minimal warming 6.2%. Great classic feeling Columbus, Centennial, Chinook, Amarillo profile. Very vibrant, dank, earthy, and fairly juicy hop complexity; with great oak presence, and bready malt backbone. Minimal residual sweetness from lingering resin dryness. Very enjoyable, would buy again. Better than I remember, but I like old school hops more now. 3.9


Cheers

 

Delicious IPA as always. Flavors of big grapefruit, tangerine, peach, pineapple, apricot, lemon zest, orange peel, citrus rind, light peppercorn, and pine hops; with some honey, toasted bread, light caramel malt balance; and herbal, floral, grassy hop earthiness. Moderate pine, citrus peel/rind, herbal, floral, grassy, peppery bitterness on the finish. Medium body/carbonation, and moderately crisp finishing. Balanced creamy/bready/grainy malts, and sticky/resinous/rindy hops in the mouthfeel. Light-moderate increasing resin dryness, no hop astringency. Very smooth, not overly aggressive, 6.7%. Balanced juicy, vibrant, dank, earthy hop complexity; nice bready malt backbone, with minimal residual sweetness from crisp resin dryness. They changed the hops from Chinook/Centennial/Amarillo to Chinook/Centennial/Citra/Crystal late 2016. Not seeing much of a difference. Glad to see they tried to keep it consistent on taste. I love the entire series of the Hero IPAs. Always buy the new 12 packs whenever they come out.


Cheers