beerguy101 (3488), Newark, California, USA Apr 18, 2005 Eclipse black color. Large cascading beige head. Nice cascading action. I always enjoy looking at this action. Long lasting very thick head. Aroma is chocolate, coffee, touch of vanilla with some oakyness. Lots of hops in there as well. A medium to full bodied Imperial Stout. Malts are roasty, chocolate and coffee. Lots of oak notes and tannins. Seems to be a little young yet. Flavors are a little unbalanced. Hops and oak dominate. Hides the 9.5% alcohol well, you can tell its there but it doesn’t overwhelm all the other flavors. Mouthfeel is full and round. Finish is clean and smooth. Aftertaste is slightly bitter.
BarliTruebeard (17), Greeley, Colorado, USA Oct 3, 2008 This has got to be one of my most favorite imperial stouts of all time. Rich thick head, excellent lacing. Aroma of chocolate, toffee, vanilla, wood. Extra creamy smooth taste. The alcohol bite is covered well by the wood chips. One of the best I’ve had. I highly recommend pairing this with vanilla icecream. Oh so good. Better than Old Rasputin and Stone IRS and Ten Fidy. Rune (1809), Tromsø, Norway Oct 3, 2008 Completely black body with a dark brownish, bubbly head. Great glass-lacing. Succulent aromas of cocoa and hops together with a peaty touch behind it all. Well blended taste of chocolate, caramel and roasted malts backed by hops and gentle liquorice acidity. Even bitter coffee notes can be spotted. Smooth and velvet in the mouth. Harmonious and amazingly balanced. Nothing less than a masterpiece (500ml from tap shared with larsga and reakt at Plan B, Copenhagen 15.09.2008, and 250ml on tap - guest brew - at Nørrebro Bryghus, Copenhagen 20.09.2008). mwelsh13 (189), Maryland, USA Oct 2, 2008 2005 bomber. Very little pop when I opened the bottle. Poured a jet black with a medium oil consistency. Deep aromas of raisin, fig, molasses, currants, and some wood. Very smooth. No hop bitterness or roast dryness. A lot of chocolate with some vanilla/butterscotch flavors. Aged nicely. RasterMaster (8), , Oklahoma, USA does not count Sep 29, 2008 Updated: Sep 30, 2008Thick dark black pour (almost molasses) from 22-ounce bottle forming into a dark brown head which eventually settles into heavy traces of lacing on the glass. Creamy head lingers giving a strong aroma of burnt oak and roasted cofee with chocolate malts. Strong, heavily charred smoked oak finish with light vanilla flavor, touch of bourbon-laden hoppy bite leaving a pleasingly sweet duration. Haslinger (549), Syracuse, New York, USA Sep 29, 2008 22 ounce bottle courtesy of Zinister. Aroma is chocolate coffee. Pours pitch black with a dark head into a snifter. Leaves some nice lacing. Taste is a delicious mixture of roasted coffee, chocolate and definite bourbon. The oak is subtle yet thick. There is a lot of hops in the aftertaste that you don’t notice at first because it’s overpowered by the intensely rich bourbon taste. Great brew.
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