Rich deep dark brown coloured body with a thick dense brown opacity and a nice, two centimetre tall tan and light-brown head. Aroma of pure chocolate, a ton of anise and canella, some brown sugars, bunches of cloves and a bit more spiciness - this time from allspice. Very pungent through and very complex and super nice. Medium to Full-bodied; Strong rich roasted malt flavours at first with some chocolate and a big dose of coffee, but the spices hit way harder than anything else with the anise and cloves by far the strongest. Aftertaste shows more of the pungency from the chocolate and roasted malt with a little spiciness and a tiny amount of alcohol near the end. Overall, a very well-balanced beer with a bunch of chocolate and roasted malt notes with even more spicy qualities and a touch of coffee as well, but well-spiced and showing some good sweetness, all with a slightly thin feel, probably due to the age, but hardly any pungency, astringency or bitterness, once again, probably due to the age! I sampled this 75 cL corked and caged bottle purchased from Costco in Pentagon City (Arlington), Virginia on 12-November-2015 for US$6,89, sampled at home on the Eastern Shore of Virginia in Pungoteague, Virginia on 26-January-2018, a bit after two years after purchase. Batch #4, Best By: February 2017 (from Cork) // Purchased: 12-November-2015 // Sampled: 26-January-2015

Bottle from Whole Foods Market Fair Lakes Aroma: roasty, chocolate, Appearance: black with a frothy head, Taste: medium sweetness, lightly bitter, Palate: full body, creamy, lively carbonation, long finish,