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I found this beer this afternoon, when I was cleaning out the basement. I like to hide beers in the basement, where it’s cool, and find them later. I figured I’d kick off the big game with a big beer, and the Super Bowl just kicked off. I bought this beer a year or two ago at the liquor store, with the intention of sticking them away and having one every year or so.
Location: Poured into a small goblet glass at my home in Bloomington, IL.
Numbers: 9.6% ABV, ~340 Calories
Appearance & Aroma: It’s a brown color with a good amount of red highlights, and slightly hazy. The thin head is khaki colored and creamy, and fell to just a very thin layer across the top of the glass after a minute or two. The aroma is sweet, with a big caramel malt smell.
Taste & Feel: The body is full and the mouthfeel is smooth. The flavor up front is sweet and caramel malty with some alcohol and earthy bitterness. The caramel malty sweetness grows significantly in the middle and into the finish. However, the earthy hop bitters grows in the finish matching the big sweetness in this beer. Both the big caramel malt and earthy bitterness last for a minute or two in the aftertaste.
Food Pairing: I had this beer with some of my wife’s Super Bowl chili, and both the caramel sweetness and bitterness mixed nicely with it. I think this would also be a good pairing for a steak, burger, or other flavorful, hearty meal.
Overall Impression: I had one of these about this time last year and it was obviously not ready yet, with a lot of alcohol and bitterness. The alcohol mellowed quite a bit, but the earthy bitterness is still there in full effect. I think I’ll give it another couple years before I try another one of these, because I think it’ll only get better with age.
My Rating: 
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