Date: 9/10/2008 Source:Richbrau Brewery Brewers reserve bottle courtesy of brewery. Big roast grain aroma with notes of chocolate and coffee. Dark amber almost black clear with small tan head. Rich with some grain astringency. Moderate amount of hot alcohol…not real hot but there. Body is light with a medium mouthfeel. Nice dry bitter finish with more coffee and chocolate really coming through.

From BA pentathlete as part of BIF 18, this beer came in a brown bomber with a homemade looking label. The pour was dark brown to black with almost no head or carbonation worthy of note. The body also lacked the heft I’ve come to associate with an Imperial Stout, and looked a bit more Porter-ish. The smell was mild and sweet with licorice and chocolate coming to mind. The taste was sweet with rum-raisin filled chocolates and coffee cakes. Roasted barley astringency provided balance to the sweet taste. Not too many hops in this mix. The mouthfeel was warm with alcohol, but way too thin for the style. Good, but not great.