Mountain Sun Pub & Brewery Hop Vivant

Another beer I ordered at Mountain Sun Brewery & Pub was the Hop Vivant. The beer pours a copper color with a frothy cream colored head. The aroma consists of grapefruit, tangerine, pine, lemon, and caramel. The taste is sticky and oily with plenty of bitterness and citrus flavors including tangerine, grapefruit, and orange. All of these flavors are built upon a solid caramel base that hangs on for a second before an alcohol burn with pepper spices takes over on the finish. The alcohol content is 9.7% ABV. I would say that the Hop Vivant really warms the soul and, in my opinion, is better than Pliny the Elder. For confirmation purposes, I ordered a glass of Pliny the Elder the same night at Falling Rock Tap House, and I stand by my claim.