Samuel Smith Old Brewery Organic Pale Ale

__Aroma:__ “Pronounced vanilla, milk, chocolate, and molasses on the nose, and it’s sweet and inviting, like a chocolate candy bar or milkshake. Some cherries and coconut are also present. A wonderfully fragrant beer.” __Flavor:__ “So smooth and creamy, like adult chocolate milk. Vanilla and chocolate hit up front, giving way to the sweetness. It’s very sweet, with big chocolate, fruit, vanilla, coconut, and cherries, with some roast and a very small floral hops presence that give a clean balance to the finish. Dangerously smooth.” __Overall:__ “This is a very easy-drinking beer that tastes just like chocolate milk. The sweetness, cream, and chocolate dominate, and a touch more roast would have perfectly balanced the sweetness. Overall, it’s a great beer if you are interested in a sweet stout that really showcases chocolate, cream, and slight vanilla.”

__Aroma:__ “Moderate dank notes, with light lemongrass, citrus, light and dark stone fruit, lemon, orange, strawberry, and cherry. A delicate sweetness emerges as it warms, along with a moderate dank note.” __Flavor:__ “A blend of light malt sweetness, bright hops juiciness, and perfect bitterness to keep it in balance. Hops flavors are intense and complex, with mandarin oranges, peaches, and melon. The malt, though a touch sweet, is layered with a touch of biscuit and bread, and a creamy body. Strong esters, and a slight minerality that accentuates some bitterness. Dank notes are in the background, and the finish is bitter with hops flavors and long lasting.” __Overall:__ “Bigger bitterness than expected for the style, with a big creamy body and a touch of sweetness toward the end. Nice fruity complexity on the aroma that is deceptive when it comes to the wonderful flavors that follow. A great beer that uses the hops and malt quite nicely.”

**Aroma:** “Medium spices with a slight acrid note. Moderate cinnamon evokes a bit of pumpkin spices and a touch of chocolate. Cherries, dried and fresh. Not a lot of stout (roast, coffee, chocolate) in the aroma. Some smoky notes and spicy pepper.” **Flavor:** “Chile flavor starts out high with moderate cherry notes and starts to burn slightly as it sits in my mouth toward the aftertaste. The hotness continues to grow well after the taste—a bit like hot cherry juice. A bit of caramel sweetness is there to balance, but the body is still svelte. The spices from the nose are here, too, but the chile heat presses them down into mere accents to the warmth.” **Overall:** “The chile heat is nice, but it ultimately overpowers the other flavors—more chocolate and a touch of roast would be nice. But if you love heat more than balance in a chile beer, you should try this.”