Black beer, filmy head. Toasty malt, aniseed and a little hop in the smell. Taste is actually more like you'd expect from a hoppy porter or a strong black IPA, with some hops and a touch of zestiness along with chocolate and malt. Has the rich, smoothness of an imperial porter though so it's an interesting mix.

bottiglia 33 cl, schiuma cappuccino quasi inesistente, colore nero impenetrabile, al naso cacao caffè caramello vaniglia e legno bagnato, in bocca è cremosa liquorosa caffè caramello cioccolato fondente frutta secca, corpo medio, l'alcool è un po' sbilanciato e si sente troppo, carbonazione piatta, oily, amaro accentuato lungo nel finale. Non è male ma è spigolosa e poco equilibrata. c. Bottega della birra Arona 14.03.20

33cl bottle: BB Dec 2021. Poured into a thistle shaped glass at home on 28th Feb 2020. Jet black body, wisp then no head at all. Harsh coffee taste with a heavy alcohol bite, bitter dark chocolate aroma; malty and strong throughout. Pity about the head and it's harshness.

Frothy tan head on a rich dark brown still body. Chocolate & cocoa aroma. Medium bodied, sharp on the palate with a clean back. Lactose, heavy malt, dark berry, demerara, cocoa & dark chocolate tastes. Banging!

[33cl bottle from Beer52.] An opaque glossy black pour with a fast fading tan head; the aroma is vinous with some charcoal, chocolate and coffee; smooth and rich in the mouth with an immediate herbal bitterness, then a chocolatey body with red fruit and lots of alcohol; and a lingering black forest gateaux finish. A boozy joy of a stout.

Bottle from Beer52. Deep chocolate brown to black colour with a tan, quickly disappearing head. Aroma soy and sweet liquorice taste sweet malty, maybe a hints of chocolate. Medium to full body.

330ml bottle. Jet black colour with small to average, frothy to creamy, half-way lasting, minimally lacing, beige to tan head. Roasty, chocolately, dark malty aroma, notes of dark chocolate, couverture, a very cautious smoky touch, earthy, grassy undertones. Taste is moderately bitter, grassy hoppy and bitter roasty, slightly chocolately dark malty, earthy, notes of weed, hay, moss, dark chocolate, a smoky touch of paper ashes.Oily to viscous texture, smooth and soft palate.

Caña en el lúpulo feroz Oviedo 26.. 06..2019 (r70). Color negro con pequeña capa de espuma beige oscuro que desaparece al poco tiempo casi por completo. Sabores maltosos tostados que se quedan secos al final con ligero amargo y suaves toques a café torrefacto. Cuerpo medio con bastante sabor, seco y amargo al final. Buena. Para repetir.

The fiftieth Reservoir Dogs beer apparently, for which an imperial stout seems prestigious enough as a celebration of the occasion; many thanks to Davor for the bottle. Shared with Goedele. Mocha beige, creamy, dense but thin and eventually dissolving head, ink black colour with a hazy mahogany hue visible for not much more than one millimetre off the edge. Aroma of strong coffee, roasted chicory, cold espresso, black chocolate, salmiak, black peppercorns, burnt toast, walnut oil, hazelnut paste but subtly so, mocha ice cream. Sweetish onset, dried dates with a presence of something 'drop'-like (liquorish), soft carbonation, thick and oily, even greasy mouthfeel. Thick toasty-walnutty maltiness, unsugared chocolate, quickly shifting to a very coffee-like, strong roastedness supported by a spicy hop kick - yet in this one, it is the roasted barley that provides most of the bitterness, even to a rooty, spicy, mouth-filling degree, lasting very long in combination with a warming, wodka-ish alcohol glow that nonetheless remains well in place; the 'drop'- or liquorish-like accent from the beginning keeps lingering in the background as well. Bitterness lasts and lasts, this is a very powerful stout indeed, and very old school as well: we are far removed from the sweetened versions of imperial stout that come out of the States, Scandinavia and other craft beer regions 'en masse' nowadays. Not the easiest one for a young craft beer geek palate I think, but for me personally it works fine. Again I am impressed that Slovenia can already boast beers like this in its still very young craft beer culture.

On tap @Open Baladin Rome. Nera, densa, impenetrabile, schiuma color cappuccino media e persistente. Al naso note di cioccolato e caffè, leggera mela verde. In bocca è dolce all'attacco con finale amaro caffettoso, alcol nascosto. Corpo medio-alto, carbonazione medio-bassa. Al di là di qualche difetto, le manca un po' di rotondità e corpo.