Sample at the brewpub. The beer pours a solid black color with a medium thin light brown head that diminishes slowly. Rings of lacing. Roasted malt and coffee aroma, with notes of chocolate and hops. Medium-bodied with a roasty character that is predominantly coffee and malt. Some milk chocolate is present as well. The finish is moderately bitter coffee and hops and it lingers awhile. Pretty solid overall.

A pitch black beer with a beutiful though collapsing brown head. The aroma is sweet roasted with notes of caramel and chocolate. The flavor is very roasted and dry with notes of caramel.

(cask) Black. Dark brown head, dense. Chocolatey, tobacco, even smoked-like. Taste is sweet and mild-bitter, 'acidity' suggested by the roasted barley and the oatmeal. Very full-bodied without being oppressive. The mouthfeel is velvety - like a sageleaf indeed. But that is the only point where I would think of sage in this beer.

Very dark brown colour with a good tan head. Dark roasty malt in the aroma with fairly good coffee esters. Served at cellar temperature. Good roasty flavour with coffee and chocolate tastes. The taste was a bit watery, but it could have been much worse. Overall, pretty average for the style, nothing special and nothing wrong. I had this on tap at the brewpub in Denver, Colorado on 12-August-2003.