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Starman is Cygnus X-1 with star anise added.

A - Well, it is certainly well carbonated. Normal pour produces a glass that is half full of light brown foam. The head is sort of loose and recedes at a medium rate. Body is dark brown and slightly cloudy.

S - Whoa, the anise is huge in this! It's like liquid black licorice. It's so much bigger than I expected. Beneath are the aromas of Cygnus I know. Nice roastiness. Touch of rye. Little bit of coffee and chocolate.

T - Starts off like regular Cygnus. Nice roastiness with light chocolate and coffee flavors. Roasty dark malt continue to shine. Anise comes in big and bold. It's like all the sudden some black jelly beans were dropped in my mouth. Rye comes in, making sort of a strange bedfellow with the anise flavors that are swirling around. Finish is a bit more of the anise sweetness along with the nice roasty background. Once you have a little and it warms up a bit, the anise seems to mix in with the other flavors much better.

M - Medium bodied and very smooth. Carbonation seemed big on the pour, but it is right on in the feel.

Overall - I thought the anise was a bit overpowering at first, but as I ended the first pint I had adjusted to it. Either that or it mellowed out a bit as it warmed. Nice twist on what was already a very good beer.

Served In: Pint Glass