 ryan (1707), Beltsville, Maryland, USA
Nov 27, 2005 Updated: Feb 15, 2007
11/23/05. This beer pours beautifully; it is thick and black as death. As the beer rolls slowly into the glass a large brown head begins to form, very tight and creamy. The head lasted about 15 minutes before fading to a cover. It left behind a ridiculous amount of lacing. Big roasted nose, chocolate, coffee, smokiness and citrus round it out nicely. The first sip is quite overwhelming, I feel as though I just got hit by a train. There is too much going on at once. It takes a few sips before I can get my mind around this and begin to dissect what I taste. It starts out with lots of burnt, roasted notes and a truckload of very dark, bitter chocolate. I pick up orange and grapefruit mid sip before a tidal wave of sweetness, molasses, caramel, toffee, and dark fruit, soothes my palate. This beer has incredible balance. The 12% ABV is well hidden. The finish is eternal,warming and bitter with roasted notes and more citrus hops. The mouthfeel is amazing, expedition-like, thick and coating, smooth and creamy. When I roll the beer around in my mouth to stimulate the soft carbonation, it becomes the texture of chocolate mousse.This is an imperial stout by default only. It simply doesn’t fall into any category. This is a wonderful example of true American over-indulgence, and I loved every bit of it. I’m very glad I have a lot of these to age. Happy 200th rating to me!
JaBier (77), Capital City, Ohio, USA
Nov 29, 2008 12oz bottle. Dang, I forgot to write down the batch number on the back label (he he). Pours pitch black with a huge tan head. Aroma of bourbon, dark fruit, chocolate and coffee. Flavor is pretty much the same, with the alcohol presence being just a tad too much. Surprising, seeing as this stuff was bottled in ’05. Wonder what another year or so might do. Still an amazing beer.
Hophead22 (363), Redlands, California, USA
Nov 26, 2008 12oz bottle from pantanap, thanks Kan. Pours like oil, dark tan head. Great aroma, dark roasted malt, dark fruits, very rich. Nice little bitterness to it, coffee, dark bittersweet chocolate. Very tasty brew.
antisnobJP (271), St. Michael, Minnesota, USA
Oct 22, 2008 Bottle. Had first one almost 3 years ago, and last one now. I remember the first one taking an hour to drink. I spilled a drop on my sock and the spot never completely faded in the wash in two years. That should tell you all you need to know about the depth of blackness in both color and flavor of this beer. Intensely flavored and mind-numbingly viscous. Actually feels like you are drinking evil. Good evil.
cgarvieuk (2612), Edinburgh, Scotland
Oct 16, 2008 Bottle at home ... <br /> Thanks to one of my traders for this ... sorry i kept forgetting who ... </b> WOW this is a Stout.!!!! ... Maybe a Stout crossed with a Barley Wine ... Saying that mmmm .... Deep black ... no head ... sweet caramalised toffee barley wine malt nose ... Sweet juicy deep and rich ... low carbonation ... medium to full body ... rich vineous fruits ... litttle spirit ... some deep roast malts ...little chocolate ... quite sweet.
PilsnerPeter (1631), Flushing, New York, USA
Oct 13, 2008 Bottle: Shared by beastiefan2k back at the hotel during G.A.B.F. 2008. Opaque pour with a deep khaki dense lacing head. Very pungent and sweet nose. Chocolate syrup, espresso, boozy and burnt. Slick and thick texture. Sugary sweet flavor with burnt espresso roast and chocolate liqueur. Extremely rich and hard to drink.
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