Darkest brown witha thin beige head. Aroma is chocolate, vanilla beans with a herbal touch, sweet, milk. Palate is chocolatey, indeed vanilla, nutty, lactic milky malt variations. Medium bodied with a roasty aspect that becomes more evident when it warms. Quaffable and without apparent defaults although balance tends to be much more on the sweet/watery side, nor stand out qualities.

On tap. Poured a dark brown color with a larger sized off white head. Aromas of roast, caramel, nuts, and chocolate. Tastes of chocolate, vanilla, caramel, cocoa, and lighter roast. Thinner body. Lacing left on the glass.

Bottle... Crystal clear, very dark, ruby ale with a small, creamy, off-white head. Coffee and vanilla nose. Tangy and very decently bittered, but a bit thin. Short on malt and vanilla beans. Light-bodied and watery with fizzy carbonation. Short, crisp, clean finish. Thanks to growler for the bottle.

Winter 03-04 bottle: Pours a rich very dark brown with a thin tan head. Very roasty, bitter black malt aroma with coffee tones. Nice malty sweetness and subtle chocolate flow throughout and a good hop balance. Vanilla is nicely worked into the mix. Finishes dry with a roasted almost smokey malt flavor. A little thin for a porter, but overall pretty good.

Crème brûlée wurbling a quaffable lactic smoke...Genuine vanilla hips and a fluffy roasted kiss...A bit thinnish for my tastes, I prefer a bit more flesh...