 Ibrew2or3 (1873), Safety Harbor, Florida, USA
Jul 17, 2008
Huge thanks to tpd975 for opening this rare gem. Pours dark darkness with thin dark brown that quickly vanished. The aroma is inviting with caramel, vanilla and rich ripe dark fruity esters of sweet Concord grape jam, plums and ripe cherries. A bigger draw begins to pick up the alcohol heat. The mouth feel is chewy fudgy slushy and sludgy sugar sticky sugar malts. I get notes from the nose showing up in the flavor such as vanilla, caramel, molasses, toffee along with faint notes of dark chocolate. The taste does have a solid alcohol warming sensation but well within reason for the gynormous ABV. This was very nice.
Sparky27 (683), Phoenix, Arizona, USA
Nov 19, 2008 2006 12oz bottle courtesy of crosling – thanks Nick. Pours a deep mahogany with a one finger tan had that receded immediately. Nose is toffee, dark fruit, molasses and whiskey. Taste is heavy on the dark fruits upfront with burnt caramel, brown sugar, oaky vanilla and booze with a fairly clean finish. At 18% abv, this isn’t the extreme booze bomb I expected, but it’s definitely warming all the way down. Medium mouth feel that’s pretty flat, but there’s still some carbonation in there. Interesting brew to say the last. I liked it more than I thought I would.
BlackForestCO (613), Fort Collins and Black Forest, Colorado, USA
Nov 17, 2008 Bottle shared by a local. Poured a deep garnet-brown color with a thin beige head that faded to nothing. Aroma of caramel, raisin, plum, grape, and alcohol. Smooth, sweet entry with some caramel, molasses, and spice with a hint of booze and some light fruitiness (plum, grape) and a hint of oxidization. Low carbonation, slick and full on the palate. Surprisingly enjoyable, but it almost seemed like more of a huge barley wine than imperial stout. Perhaps I will need to revisit.
jjpm74 (3395), Connecticut, USA
Nov 1, 2008 Pours black with some sparse white bubbles. Smells of up front alcohol, lots of bitter malt, some chocolate, some roasted coffee. Tastes of chocolate, creamy sweet malt, brown sugar, coffee. Considering the punch this packs, this is a good beer.
Wasatch (170), Layton, Utah, USA
Oct 25, 2008 Pours a clean/clear black color, tons of carbonation, little fizzy head which dissappears quickly, two small island left behind. The nose is of malts, alcohol, toffee, coffee, and caramel. The taste is sweet, malty, big alcohol bite, and caramel. Medium body. Drinkable, this is a nice brew, but compared to DL no way, baby. I like it, but the alcohol is not hidden very well. Highly recommended though.
colemgm8 (422), Alpharetta, Georgia, USA
Sep 27, 2008 bottle thanks to The Beer Sommelier. pours a light black/dark brown with little head. strong aromas of alcohol and a bit of coffee and soy sauce. a bit of bitterness up front, soy sauce over the top with a bit of chocolate on the sides. Slightly oxidized finish. Strong sipper that was a bit of a disappointment, but improved with time - either due to temperature or b/c of the 18% abv.
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