 Drnk_McDermott (1517), Park Forest, Illinois, USA
Nov 19, 2005 Updated: Nov 9, 2007
Bottled. RATING #700. More symmetry than when I had Batch 6,000 as my 200th rating. What a beer to be tasting. Pours a thick solid blackness that is steeping into the stem of my tulip glass. Smells rich, like chocolate covered cherries and a slight trace of pipe tobacco. Very thick pour, with a miniscule maple head. Tip the glass a little and see the beer, not the head, clinging to the sides. Taste makes me feel like a newbie; it’s almost too complex to describe. I can call it for bitter cacao, very astringent, yet smooth. Strong alcohol leaves my sore throat kind of tingly. Leaves an viscous coating all the way down. A lot of hop resins at work, too! A powerful, bitter and very young brew that deserves to lay down for a few year, if I can keep my hands off it or not trade it away!
mcox90 (302), Wilton, New Hampshire, USA
Jul 12, 2008 My 300th rating & a big shout out to BBB63 for supplying me with this nectar of the Gods. 12 oz. bottle served in a snifter. Pours a jet black with a small brown head. This stuff is thick and oily. It coats my snifter like motor oil. Nose is like rum cake & rum filled cherries. Mouthfeel is thick, heavy & oily. The flavor was heavy on malts with flavors of molasses, dark chocolate, dark fruits and rum. This was an absolutely delicious brew.
rallison (26), USA
Jul 9, 2008 Huge thanks to northernbrews for this extra!
A: Thick, thick black with a 1/2 finger tan color head that just warns you that this is going to be a big beer.
S: Tons and tons of dark fruits. Sweet dark fruit infused chocolate. Light molasses and carob notes. So far, very nice.
T: The dark fruits are still very much at play - more so than many imperial stouts I have had. I would guess the age has brought them out to the forefront as often happens with imperial stouts. The taste is actually reminiscent of blackberry infused dark chocolate - I know there is no blackberry in this, but the similarity is there. Carob and lightly roasted malts give a wonderful interplay with the dark fruits. Some rich espresso plays in the background as well. Incredible. Complex, balanced and utterly tasty.
The mouthfeel is decadently rich with moderately low carbonation yet never borders on the syrupy side. Drinkability is phenomenal for a beer of this strength.
Highly recommended. This is up there among my favorite imperial stouts.
badbeer (391), Iowa, USA
Jul 5, 2008 Poured out black, with a dark brown head and decent lacing. Aroma was roasty, but also fairly hoppy yet, even with being over a year old. Taste starts out very nice with chocolate and dark fruit, but then a bitter roastyness comes up followed by even more bitter hops that just seemed a little out of place yet. It was good, but it seemed like those hops we casting a shadow over the wonderfully malty flavors. With age I think the taste would be even better. Full bodied and lighter on the carbonation, but still pretty nice. This was decent, but I think it needs much more time to mellow the alcohol and hoppiness that is, IMO, in the way.
Need to re-rate this.
BelgianBeerGal (851), Sabbatical in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Jul 4, 2008 Bottle via trade with bgburdman9. Thanks for the help finding this treat. Oily black pour with a thin tan head. Very still appearance. Aroma of soy sauce, gentle hops and molassas. Maybe some plum and raison lurking about too. Stiff flavour that starts with molassas, strong hops and some rummed fruits. Finishes with espresso or maybe those coffee beans covered with dark chocolate. The hops hang around as well. Very bold beer and extra points for the uniqueness.
tronraner (1368), (Louis-, Sevier-, Knox-)ville, Tennessee, USA
Jul 2, 2008 Bottle, thanks to wetherel, shared with NachlamSie. Pours silent and viscous, dark black with thick legs and tan head. Aroma is strong raisin and dark fruits, mild espresso, some soy sauce, a little bit of pistacchio. Flavor is sweet and fruity at first, with a pretty strong coffee element. A touch of soy sauce comes through again, and then a pleasant strong bitterness follows. There is a pretty impressive hop bitterness, especially considering the age of the bottle. Ultimately it ends up quite dry with bitter chocolate and sour cherry notes. A nice charred roastiness floats around, too. This is a great beer.
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