Trader Joe's 2010 Vintage Ale

"I am given a message to deliver to a general.  I ride and ride, but the general's headquarters seem to get farther and farther away.  Finally, a giant black panther leaps upon me and devours my mind and heart.  This puts a terrific crimp in my evening.  No matter how hard I try, I cannot catch the general, whom I see running in the distance in his shorts and whispering "nutmeg" to his enemies." - Woody Allen

A long opening for a beer that took a long ride to get to the tasters.  This bottled traveled up the west coast in the saddle bag of a Harley Davidson.

Nutmeg is the key word here.  Trader Joe's 2010 Vintage Ale is a dark ale brewed with spices and natural flavor.  Nutmeg is a definite flavor note keyed on by the tasters and our guest tasters.

This ale definitely gets style points for the cork.  It loses a few points for being a product of Canada and not being brewed at Elsinore Brewery.  Remember, lawyers are for sucks.

ABV: 9%
Color: Coffee
Aroma: Burnt Malt

Seems to be highly carbonated (this could be due to long ride it took) and starts of smooth.  It has a funky finish and this is where the tasters differ.  Guest tasters loved the funky finish in the style of George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic.  The regular Alaskan Tasters found the funky finish more in the style of Lionel Richie after he left the Commodores and started stalking blind women.  Sorry Trader Joe's, this is not the one we are looking for.

RATING: 2.5