 boboski (1095), USA
Dec 15, 2007 Updated: Jan 7, 2008
Copious lacing, formed from a slowly dimisnishing mocha head that looks quite creamy. The body is black with chestnut hints at the perimeter. The aroma is exploding with complexity and just smells terrific. Coffee is inundated with brandy and anise, cake batter and soft but everpresent roasted grains. Nutmeg is glowing, nearly tangible, and dials up the fun another notch. Dark fruits are everywhere. Cardamom is noted as well. Fresh vanilla, wood and chocolate, with minor coconut make appearances. The flavor is highly astringent, loaded with spruce notes and astonishingly awkward. Chocolate now takes on the persona of raw and bitter cocoa. Moderate prune notes and molasses blend in a strange manner with pinesap and acrid but light smokiness. This is wild. The mouthfeel is medium-full bodied, spicy and zippy. The finish is chocolatey, pruny and medium bitter. Really good and really odd. I dig it.
GregClow (2332), Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Sep 1, 2008 Bottle shared with HogTownHarry, blankboy, tupalev, jerc & garthicus - courtesy of HogTownHarry. Dark brown - almost black - with a big beige head. Aroma is spicy, funky, malty and roasty - very unexpected, and very cool! Flavour starts as a solid porter, and develops into a tart and funky... something, with a long, herbal finish. A very interesting beer, and very good as well.
ChainGangGuy (1536), Kennesaw, Georgia, USA
Sep 1, 2008 Appearance: Pours a black body with a very tall, very frothy, tan-colored head.
Smell: Aroma of dark malts imparting notes of chocolate and coffee and maybe chocolate-flavored coffee. Touch of spiced, stewed fruits.
Taste: Chocolaty dark malts, a taste of roasty coffee and an expressed sweetness. Moments later the chocolate flavor begins to deeper, becoming a bit more dessertlike. Slight sourness. Spoonful of plum pudding. There’s a growing spicy, herbal component, as if they chucked into a couple Ricolas into the fermentor. Herbal, roasty finish.
Mouthfeel: Medium-full body. Medium carbonation.
Drinkability: A mixed bag for me, I appreciate the pleasant maltiness, but I found the sourness and herbaceousness to be more of a hindrance than anything else.
garthicus (550), Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Aug 27, 2008 Shared with HogTownHarry, GregClow, Tupalev,Jerc & Blankboy -- courtesy of HogTownHarry. App: Thick, pancake head with a tremendously black body. Aroma: Creamy & minty with some all spice and sourness, yeast in the aroma too. Flavour- Bitter, celery - spicy - coriander with a long bitter finish. Thanks for sharing Harry.
blankboy (2570), Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Aug 20, 2008 Bottle (750ml) shared with HogTownHarry, GregClow, tupalev, jerc & garthicus -- courtesy of HogTownHarry. Pours a very dark brown with a small diminishing frothy light-brown head. Aroma: Wow, I love this -- like a Porter mixed with a Jolly Pumpkin beer or something! Funk, tart fruit, spices, coffee, wood and roasted malt. So unique. Flavour is yeasty, funky, spicy, malty and fruity along with some chocolate notes, plenty of roastiness and a dry bitter finish -- what a tasty and interesting beer. Medium bodied, oily mouthfeel. I friggin’ loved this beer!
HogTownHarry (3200), Toronto (Harbourfront), Ontario, Canada
Aug 14, 2008 Bottle (750ml). Shared with blankboy, garthicus, GregClow and tupalev. Deep ruby-brown, average beige head. Sweet, overroast, spicy and mildly boozy. Like a herbal/roast caramel barleywine, sticky and funky, slightly sour - reminded me of a porter mixed with a Jolly Pumpkin dark beer. Tastes the same - quite bitter and herbal, almost too much. Average body, very astringent, nearly sour, pungent floral bitter finish. Interesting - a little overwhelming.
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