(Bottle 35,5 cl) Opaque, completely black with a brownish head. Malty and slightly vinous - port wine - aroma. Very malty, slightly ashy flavours with notes of both coffee and chocolate. Surprisingly light body, almost watery, and absolutely no bitterness. 170705

Pitch black in colour with a small amount of light getting through on the bottom (90% opaque) with a full microfroth brown head. Nearly perfect to the eye. Aroma of bitter oats, coffee, chocolate and some faint tea. Medium to Full-bodied; Suprisingly acidic and lactic taste with cherries, milk and tea dominating the flavour. Aftertaste shows some chocolate and coffee, but mostly the lactic tastes I had initially. Overall, a good beer - looks and smells great, just comes off a bit different in the taste. Regardless, good to try! I sampled this 12 ounce bottle purchased from Merchant’s Fine Wines in Dearborn, Michigan on 21-May-2005 in the Motor City.

(bottle - Indiana brewers fest) Deep black stout with a thickl off white head (too much). The server seemed a bit slushed and served it too qucikly is my guess, Light choclate aroma with a powdery chocolate mouthfeel and some good hops.

2003 bottle. Pours a violet/red tinged dark brown. Good dark-tan head, lots of it, with a small amount of lacing. Bottle conditioned, lightly hazy, opaque or nearly so. Smells of dark, dry roasted barley, light hints of vanilla flavored coffee. Lightly nutty, (or oaty, I suppose). Hops are too apparent. Flavor is bitter, highly roasted, with lots of black roasted malt, and tons of cascades apparency. Why the hell would you put cascades in this to such a degree. Tastes hoppy and bitter on top of being roasty and bitter. No balancing sweetness, very thin body, watery and lightly oily. Yuck. I kept trying to drink the other bottles in my six-pack, but either poured them out or gave them away.

Replacing earlier notes. Starboard is a pretty unique stout, opening with an unusual sugary, soapy aroma. IMO this borders on a roasted brown ale, with plenty of brown sugar, a touch of soy, and an interesting grapiness. Roasted malt flavors are rather subdued. Thin-bodied, finishing with woody notes. Is somewhat dissimilar to most sweet stouts so this is perhaps best considered on its own merits, regardless of style.

Part of an Arcadia sampler: Pours almost black with a medium but quickly dissipating light brown head. Decent lacing. Aroma of coffee and malt. Flavor was creamy and somewhat thin, consisting of chocolate, coffee, and malt. Finish was creamy and slightly metallic. Interesting but not great.