Assassin
(has 13 batches)

2016 Purple wax bomber, drunk 6/10/17.
Dark, inky, ebony of undetermined clarity, seemingly opaque. Dark tan head atop is initially large and shows moderate retention.
Nose is thick with rich fudge peppered by dark fruits and a liqueur-like character reminiscent of rum-vanilla-chocolate. There’s a good bit of ash and/or char-like "dryness" on the end to blunt some of this "sweet" fudge character and thankfully no sharp alcohol ever hits on the finish; probably a product of its year in the bottle. Nicely aromatic, as one would expect, and though I wouldn’t go nearly as far as to call this a "British-style Imperial Stout" as many apparently do, it does have a good helping of dark fruits that the newer American versions are sorely lacking. Liqueur-like vanilla, German chocolate cake and rich char linger long on the finish.
Rich and quite sweet in the mouth, unsurprisingly. It’s "thick" though thankfully not syrupy or cloying. Still, there’s a ton of base malt here, mixing with the dark malt to provide quite a bit of fudge character. Good amount of dark fruit, adding prunes, raisins, plums, etc...that help add complexity and gentle acidity in concert with the moderate roast and char character. Carbonation is low but engaging while alcohol is held to just a bourbon-rum-vanilla-like character that is quite enjoyable. Strong ash and light vinousness do indeed dry out the finish somewhat, though the beer is still very much on the sweet side. As is usually the case with these "iconic" monster American Imperials, I’d prefer it be considerably more dry, but it’s still pretty well-done/not messy for its size.

On tap at Ratebeer Best. Aroma is interesting with some dark fruit and red wine notes: grapes, raisins, plums and prunes with hints of berry. Moderate chocolate notes with some light roast notes. Light bourbon and a bit of oak. Pours black with a medium small, thick, dark mocha head that recedes steadily to the edges where it lingers before disappearing. No lacing and moderately long legs. Flavor is similar to the aroma with a moderate fruit character including raisin, plum, prune and lighter berry notes. Moderate chocolate with medium light roast and hints of tobacco and ash. Medium bitterness. Light bourbon notes with a bit of oak. Some light alcohol spice. Mouthfeel is full bodied with medium carbonation. Low astringency and medium low alcohol warmth. Overall, not the beer I was expecting. The dark fruit was off-putting and the malt profile was a bit more muted and not as chocolate forward as I was hoping for.