2005 vintage. The best wineter brew this year. Great chewy malt and balance, hop heads need not apply. Complex chocolate and mild roast swirl for extreme drinkability despite the strength.

Chocolatey aroma, smooth coffee malt without the evidence of the 9% alcohol! Very good beer.

.3 Litre on tap at the brewpub. Fruity, strawberry-like aroma with plenty of chocolate and toasty maltiness present as well. Sweet, toffee-like notes are also appreciated. Some molasses aroma also wafts my way. A pleasant and dynamic aroma. Mildly hazy dark mahogany color with a nice light tan head and pretty lacing. Sticky, sweet, caramel/toffee/molasses maltiness to start. Turns more roasted later on with some coffee flavors present as well. Some light, metallic hops come into picture later on. A fine example of the style.

Bottle... This beer rocks! Very dark, crystal clear, crimson lager with a mid-sized, creamy, beige head and good retention. Dark fruit, cocoa, black cherries and roasted nuts with just a whisper of smoke in the aroma. The malty, but well-balanced, flavor delivers notes of chocolate, light molasses and dried plum. Full-bodied and creamy with lively carbonation. Short, chocolatey, bitter-sweet finish. Thanks for the bottle, dark elf!

Translucent and cherry-lacquered mahogany in color with a doily grey wrung and an ice peninsula for the head, which eventually disappears. Aroma is promising, with black peppered rum raisin, rich chocolatey caramels, candy shelled juicy prunes, nutmeg and rustic merlot. Flavor gets a "hell yeah" from camp Joel, with a big force committing to dry, caramelized milk chocolate cocoa powder with pecan nut dust to enhance its underbelly. Jojoba teams with burgundy to emit some mild tannic activity. Black licorice meets campfire roasted prunes. Drumming semi-sweet chocolate yields rum raisin and black currant jam, embodying flavors of broiled brown sugar with special B intonations. Supply carbonation and one hell of a big body, harmoniously in tune and cranked up for the final stanza. Bark basted with chocolate bake mix sweetens the finish, topped with fire crisped concord jam, licorice, and nutmeg stirred with nutty ashes. Big thanks to tpkenned for the bottle!