RichardW (237), Carlisle, Cumbria, England May 6, 2009 Bottle, Rehills, Newcastle. A perfect bottled ale. Beautifully red-tinged black appearance, with a caramel coloured head. The sweet, malty taste is perfectly accompanied by a juicy fruity flavour and a roast, slightly smoky aroma. Plenty of body, but neither heavy, nor cloying. I wish they did this in cask, but when the bottle is this good, there can’t be too many complaints. A beer I regularly come back to..... favneighbor (8), North Carolina, USA does not count May 4, 2009 Frothy cream colored head, smelled of chocolate. Super strong tasting beer, chocolate, coffee, roasted nuts and an orange citrus like bite made for a suprisingly strong palate. Could drink this as a meal replacement it was so thick.
alexanderj (2212), Chino Hills, California, USA May 4, 2009 Bottle. Nice looking pour; dark brown with a medium, firm and long lasting dark tan/light brown head. Aroma of oats, fruit, roasted meat, caramel and vanilla. Flavor really had a nice blend of sweet vanilla and caramel, with some roasted oats and light meatiness in the finish. Palate was pretty good, surprisingly almost bordering on watery. However, it worked and made it quite drinkable. After taste was quite tasty. Can see why this is much loved and surprised I haven’t rated this (although I had it a good 4 or 5 years ago). Pershing (146), Garland, Texas, USA May 3, 2009 Deep dark brown with a nice size tan head. Slightly bitter dryness on the palate. Excellent malt hop balance. The 550 ml bottle is filling. Snot19kilo (81), Oakwood, Illinois, USA May 2, 2009 Updated: Sep 26, 2009Dark malt and chocolate aroma Pours almost black with a bit of little red tent. A very thick stout.Flavor is barley, strong chocolate/toffee , vanilla and dark fruit. Finish is dry, aftertaste of chocolate a sweet bitter after taste. some I didn’t get much carbonation going down. Good beer though. bbrock81 (218), Le Mars, Iowa, USA May 2, 2009 Pours opaque brown/black, with a small, tan head. Aroma is very roasty, with malt and dark chocolate undertones. Flavor starts out on rich, sweetish malt, then progresses to a nice roasty and bitter finish. The palate is outstanding, very full and smooth. Maybe Samuel Smith’s best beer. l1br4r14n (274), Washington, Washington DC, USA May 1, 2009 Aroma of sweet dark malt, some chocolate. Pours very dark brown with a little red. Flavor is roasted barley, dark chocolate, a little hazelnut and dark fruit. Finish is very dry, aftertaste of chocolate lingers for a while. Medium carbonation. kkearn (994), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA Apr 30, 2009 bottle. Pours deep brown, capped with a medium sized tan head. Aroma is on the sweet side, with oats, roasted malt, and some chocolate. Flavor is sweet as well, with chocolate, oat and barley. Medium bodied, with a slightly nutty finish. This was one of the first "good beers" that I tried, its nice to revisit it.
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