Newport Storm - Alyssa (Cyclone Series)
Mahogany with a very creamy light beige head that stays up and laces as the beer goes down. Aroma is weak, but interesting. Molasses, toasted grain, toffee, and cigarettes. Flavor immediately strikes me as more of an "American Strong Dark" as opposed to any relation to a brown ale. Nice raisins and a bit of coffee with the alcohol not hidden at all. The malt would be great here if it had something to balance its taste - more IBUs, or spiciness, or phenols. The sweetness grows tiring half-way through the bottle, even though I tend to like sweet beers. Right after being poured the carbonation and alcohol make the thin feel come across fine, but as the beer sits it loses some of its life. Kind of a skanky, subpar finish to this decreases its drinkability. Again, I am thinking that some more IBUs would have helped here. A decent beer that is unique, but not something I would be likely to get again.