500 ml bottle. Purchased at 16th St. Pours like black syrup. Brown orange head that stays to the end. Super roasted malt nose, with smoke and chocolate presence. Thick, smooth mouth feel with espresso and dark chocolate flavors up front and slight bitterness to follow. Not sweet. Impressive.

Bottle at Tadg’s. 6 months past the drink by date. But malty chocoalte nose with wheat. lovely brown head and trailers on a black beer. Smooth, fruity, chocoalte, malty flavor, not much burnt roast at all, but rather a smooth weizenbock like aspect. Very drinkable and delicious. A bit thin, though, and the finish is a bit short and boring. Lovely, though.

500 ml bottle into snifter. Batch 90: Aug 07 bottling, best by Aug 2011. Pours pitch black color with a nice 1 finger dense tan head with good retention that reduces to a thin cap. Some spotty lacing on the glass. Aromas of big licorice, soy sauce, roasted malt, coffee, dark chocolate, biscuit, herbal, light charcoal, wood, earth, and molasses. Nice and interesting aromas, with good complexity. Taste of dark roasted malt, dark chocolate, coffee, molasses, smoke, wood, licorice, earthiness, light soy sauce, and light herbal spiciness. A bit of earthy bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of smoke, roasted malt, chocolate, and earthiness on the finish for a bit. Nice balance of flavors, with no cloying sweetness. Medium carbonation and medium-full bodied; with a fairly creamy and slick mouthfeel. Alcohol is pretty much completely hidden, nothing more than a hint of warming after the finish. Overall this is a damn nice and unique imperial stout. Very smooth and balanced; with some interesting and complex flavors.