willblake (1923), Long Branch, New Jersey, USA Mar 1, 2005 03.01.05 First beer of the third month of the sixth year of the...oh, forget it. This is my last bottle of the love that is B.O.R.I.S. I sent most of my bottles away. In fact, I din’t know I had this one. Black pour with silly, typical HW monster head is dark brown like chocolate whipped cream. Aromas are deep, coffee, chocolate kisses, creamy, almost unreal like a coffeemate creamer. So inviting. Palate is unctuous; it coats the glass and the gullet. My teeth even feel a bit sticky after swishing. Outstanding! Dark fruit flavors off the bat with a serious burst of coffee, chocolate, coffee, and burnt chococoffee. Some Heavyweight sourness comes in as a signature. Tends towards bitter as it finishes but steps back and lets in a full dose of fruit and cheese plate, barnyard, sage, fig, cooked prune -- then back to earth, and I mean earthy to finish. Bitter, rough, and salt in the end. Bitter finish is oily like old coffee. Please Tom, make more of this great brew! Cornboy (410), Eastampton, New Jersey, USA Aug 15, 2004 Poured black as night. Very little head as expected. Aromas of dark fruit and malts with slight chocolate alcohol finish. Nice heavy mouthfeel, not cloying at all. For a big beer thats young, quite smooth. Please bottle it for the masses, they deserve it too!!
Superb! railcat1 (485), Hammond, Indiana, USA Feb 17, 2008 I found some old notes from DLD06 and this was on there,it was a dark black thick IPS and very sweet and malty ABV was not present but after tastng beers all day i may have missed some flavors that day,hints of smoke and wood with a fruity type finish,i wish i could get more to try by its self but got lucky to even try this gem.CHEERS! TAR (1998), Boulder Co., Colorado, USA Jan 31, 2005 Permeable black with ruby gleams. Beige foam of silky consistency. Elegant malt nose of soft roast, milk chocolate, and port. Understatedly airy and pruny. Soft and creamily full. Impeccably conditioned, which allows for a seamless fusion of buttery-soft caramel and smoked black chocolate to grab foothold. Multilayered and lushly full with caramel and espresso swirled with oily coffee beans that lessen the graininess of the alcohol. Soft bedding of roasted grains possesses some deeper scratchiness, as well. Tardy, but bracing, black malt snap lends a distinct edge of tingly-sharp acidity to the flavor, as well as some chalky dryness, which sparks a palpable earthy hop onset. Closes gracefully rich without showing a hint of char, and mistily dry, with cocoa, piecrust, and moist fudge cake nuances. This is a gem among many, many stones, as it derives its complexity from a vast array of subtleties, rather than redundantly bowling you over with one-dimensional brutishness. Very traditional version, which is quite refreshing, particularly in a land where far too many average and overdone Imperials are deemed superior. loweredsixth (939), Fresno, California, USA Oct 20, 2004 Black color with a small beige head. The aroma was absolutely delectable...dark chocolate, butter (lots of butter), roasted coffee, and a hint of raspberries. The flavor was equally fine...butter, chocolate...yum!! The feel was slightly thick and ever so creamy...wet finish. A huge thanks to Willblake for this gem!
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