22 ounce bottle into tulip glass, best before 11/15/2014. Pours crystal clear very dark brown color with a 2 finger dense light khaki head with good retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Nice soapy lacing clings around the glass. Aromas of big grapefruit, tangerine, lemon zest, orange peel, pineapple, floral, grass, pine, chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, toast, and floral/roasted earthiness. Very nice aromas with good balance and complexity of juicy citrus/floral hops and moderate dark/roasted malt sweetness; with good strength. Taste of big grapefruit, tangerine, lemon zest, orange peel, pineapple, floral, grass, pine, chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, toast, and floral/roasted earthiness. Fair amount of pine/roasted bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of grapefruit, tangerine, lemon/orange zest, pineapple, pine, chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, toast, and floral/roasted earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Very nice complexity, balance, and robustness of juicy citrus/floral hops and moderate dark/roasted malt sweetness; with a great malt/bitterness balance and zero cloying flavors after the finish. Medium carbonation and body; with a very smooth, moderately sticky, and slightly creamy/chalky mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is well hidden with only a slight warming present after the finish. Overall this is a very nice imperial black IPA. All around nice complexity, robustness, and balance of juicy citrus/floral hops and moderate dark/roasted malt sweetness; and very smooth and fairly crisp drinking for the big ABV. A very enjoyable offering.

Purchased a 650 ml bottle from Craft Beer Cellar, Portsmouth. Color is pitch black with fast dying head leaving nothing in its wake. Aroma is lingering pine hops with mild chocolate, mild ash.

The body is medium with a dry roasted finish. Resinous hops pretty much dominated the other flavors that are here. Traces of caramel, baker’s cocoa with weak floral notes. My overall thoughts… it’s a pine bomb and hard to get the other flavors but for the 9.5% it drinks rather well.

Bottle. Annoying wax, points off. Aroma of light roast and pine. Taste is bright bitter cocoa. OK.

Bomber from Whole Foods Charlottesville, opened 6/1/14. Pours a clear very dark brown color with a medium sized creamy tan head. Good head retention. Aroma of chocolate, roast. nutty notes, earthy, resin, dank hops. The taste is citrus, earthy hops, chocolate, roast. Thin-medium bodied, slight lingering bitterness, decent balance.

Drought. Dark brown with reddish tint, beige creamy head, slight roasted malt aroma, low carbonation, caramel and hops prominent in taste with alcohol aftertaste, medium finish. The alcohol kicks in a bit later than the first taste. Quite nice.

Sampled on draft at 3R6P this beer poured a very dark brown with orange highlights and a large foamy tan head that lingered and left good lacing. The aroma was dry, malty and a bit roasty with strong floral and fruity hops. The flavor was bitter and roasty with black food coloring flavor and moderate fruity and floral hops. Medium length finish. Medium body. Meh.

Bottle. Pours black off white head. Nose and taste of pine, ashy chocolate, roast, resin and earth. Medium body.

Pours a dark, copper-reddish brown, with good-sized head. Aromas include coffee, hops, and dark fruit (plum/prune). Flavor has coffee, chocolate, a ton of roasted grain, some leather, and hops. Not a bad beer.