Bottle shared at Vál. Pretty average RIS, not bad by far, but nothing to write home about either. Earthy notes, roasted malts, coffee, low sweetness. Light bodied, almost too thin.

Bottle from the LCBO.
Pours a dark brown, with a medium brownish beige head. Aroma is incredibly malty, dark fruit, strong roasty notes, hints of cocoa and some coffee grounds. Thin mouthfeel, good carb. Finish is again, very malty, like doppelbock malty, and some resinous hops finish it off. Interesting take on the style.

Ergießt sich fast wie schwarzes Öl ins Glas. Recht dunkler Schaum. Süßer Malzkaffee in der Nase. Geschmacklich auf der süßen Seite. Röstig/bittere Noten sind für ein Bier dieser Färbung und Stärke fast vergleichsweise mild. Der sehr hohe Alkoholgehalt ist deutlich schmeckbar, aber nicht allzu störend. Ordentliche Substanz, schwer, aber trotzdem durchaus süffig. Macht vieles sehr gut - nur das Geschmacksspektrum ist mir etwas zu eindimensional. Trotzdem ein gutes Bier.

Just getting round to reviewing some old regulars. Just to counterpoint the last reviewer: the bottle is boring, as is typical in Germany even for craft beer. Pours to a thick black: only against a bright light can any tones of brown / red be seen. Dark tan head reduces down to 3mm within 2 minutes, fine pored, lacing. The nose is a bit of an underachiever, not that dominant. Hints of coffee, chocolate, dark malt, leather. In the mouth very present: up front liquorice, slight sweetness, hit of alcohol. Mid range the bitterness starts to come through on the roof of the mouth, sweet coffee, dark chocolate, more liquorice, cola. Lingering coffee and hop notes on the finish. Very boozy. Smooth and well rounded in total. Bit too bitter in finish, slightly puckering. Not a classic stout, not bad, but not weltbewegend.