I have been drinking this for a few weeks now and it is pretty darn good and is definitely reflective of the flavor of a #9. From the first bottle I felt like there was some kind of an "off" aftertaste but couldn't really put my finger on it, so I did a side by side tasting with Magic Hat's #9.
The magic hat #9 has a much more pronounced apricot flavor, and aroma, and I think this is due to the aftertaste I was picking up on. When tasting them side by side I feel like I was able to better identify the aftertaste. It is an "alcohol flavor" for lack of a better description and now that I have identified it I pick it up in the aroma as well. It is almost like the aroma you get from a cheap vodka or tequila where you sort of smell the alcohol evaporating in the glass. Is this what people are referring to when they talk about esters?
I let this thing ferment in my basement, and was able to keep it around 74 degrees most of the time, but as I was not using any dedicated temperature control there are days that it probably got a little bit warmer. I am curious if this is the reason for the slightly off flavor, or if it was the dextrose addition for alcohol boost.
I have a chest freezer with temp control now so I think I am going to brew this one again and see how it compares, but am debating whether to do it exactly the same (with the 1% boost) or omit the dextrose.
Either way even with the aftertaste this is an extremely drinkable beer, and I have gotten a lot of positive feedback on it and its resemblance to #9.