What Our Panel Thought
Aroma: “Oaky with moderate vanilla, light roast malt, caramel, hints of dates and raisin, anise, minty hops, and smoke.”
Flavor: “Mild sweetness. Fruity malt character is chocolate, caramel, and a little roast. Warming alcoholic finish. Wood cuts the sweetness somewhat. Some cherry, grape, and plum mix with a wild-hops flavor that adds a metallic note.”
Overall: “A well-crafted imperial black ale with some nicely complex malt characteristics that developed some cherry and grape characteristics with its time in the wine barrel. It just didn’t all quite come together in the end.”
What the Brewers Say
“No beer is above the law around here, including Gnight Ryder. This imperial black ale is interred in red-wine barrels and emerges unrecognizable. It’s not the general; it sure ain’t the sheriff; it’s the Gnight Ryder.”
