Elysian Brewing Company Dragonstooth

“Muted aroma with soft hints of espresso, chocolate. Light pine/citrus hoppiness, dark roast, caramel body to balance. Well-integrated and balanced malt richness with some underlying alcoholic heat.”

__Aroma:__ “The toffee, nutty, and buttery caramel notes dominate the nose. Roasted malt is secondary to that, and there’s a low, earthy, grassy hops aroma. More notes of sweetness, cream, oatmeal, chocolate, raisin, licorice, sherry, plums, and sweet molasses are also present.” __Flavor:__ “Dark roasted notes with a great nutty flavor of almonds comes through on the first sip, along with chocolate and mint. Raisin, licorice, molasses, dark fruits, earthy hops, and toast are also present. The beer is creamy throughout, but the carbonation is a little high and offsets some creaminess. Slight roast astringency on the finish.” __Overall:__ “This is a nutty beer that really allows the oats to come through and the roast to play a secondary role, making it a balanced beer with a good level of complexity despite its drinkability. The creaminess and chocolate malt sweetness carried through the most, and it tasted slightly different than the aroma. Overall, pretty good.”

**Aroma:** “Piney and citrusy hops notes up front work well with the malt spiciness. A touch of malt sweetness comes through, maybe with a hint of caramel. Medium yeast notes of plum and apple cider. Pine and citrus hops give it a slightly earthy character.” **Flavor:** “A bit more subdued on hops flavor than most APAs, with the hops flavors competing a bit with rye and maybe even caramel malt notes. This pale doesn't make the hops the star of the show; it’s more a bit player behind an intriguing maltiness with bread crust, caramel, and biscuit notes. Earthy and spiced notes of rye add complexity.” **Overall:** “I like the complexity the rye malt adds, but think it would work better with larger amounts of spicy hops, such as Chinook. The citrusy hops don't seem to play as well with the rye. Enjoyable, and a different take on APA. The spice and malt character blend well with the hops that come through more in the finish than on the front. Very drinkable.”