From Apr 2008

This pours from 16.9 oz swing top bottle a very dark brown with about an inch of tannish foam. It has some nice lacing and the foam shrinks to a fine layer after a few minutes but that little bit does last for the entire session.

The smell has notes of coffee, chocolate, roasted malt and maybe some wood. The nose is pretty light.

The taste has roasted malt, chocolate and cocoa up front which gives it a nice semi sweet flavour. Further in, there's some hop bitterness to go along with the cocoa and is most noticeable in the finish.

It's medium bodied and the carbonation is pretty light(could use a tad more?), oh...the alcohol is starting to show itself along with a woody taste. Interesting flavours here.

Bottom line: This is a pretty interesting and tasty Imperial Stout and I'm glad I got the chance to try it but... now that I've tried it, I doubt I'll look for it again. Maybe if it was available locally, I'd give that a rethink.

Bottle from QClub at home. Dark dark brown-black pour with fine tan head. Aroma of coffee, roast chocolate, some faint licorice. Taste is similar - some more coffee ground bitterness and sweet-licorice-ness. Not bad - a straightforward coffee/chocolate imperial stout. Palate is lighter than anticipated. Lasting bitter coffee grounds. Probably wouldn’t seek out again.

Pours black, small grey head. Smell is bit bitter, rather weak. Taste is bit sweet, roasted. Rather sticky. Some cocoa. Bit too old. OK.

Bottle. Nose is cocoa, fudge, fruit, berries, big umami. Lovely legs on black beer. A bit smoky in the flavor, chocolate and soy sauce. Full and smooth with medium strong carbonation.

Tap at Beer Temple, 3rd March 16. Black, aroma is leather, slight liquorice, bitter chocolate. Taste is bitter, cocoa, chocolate, liquorice. Really well balanced.

Tap @ Beer Temple, sample size. Pitch black color. Firm, brownish head with long retention and lace rings. Aroma’s: mocha, roasted malts. Retronasal more roast, almost sour, light sweetness, mocha. Flavor is moderate to full sweet, roasted, light bitter. Medium bodied. Finishes with hard roasted malts, almost dry, and rather bitter. Pretty good.

[2/2/16] Draught at Drake’s Dealership in Oakland. Black with a thick brown head. Aroma of roast, chocolate, licorice, coffee, alcohol. Bittersweet flavor with chocolate, roast, licorice, coffee, bitter finish with some alcohol. Full-bodied.

Bottle at Erzbierschof Zurich. Dark and roasty, almost burnt. Heavy roast taste too, but not so much else. Easy to drink though.

Tap at the brewery tap Drakes dealership. Opaque black / dark brown coloured pour with a lasting thin mid tan head. Aroma is nice figgy pudding, cake, rum soaked fruit, raisin, sweet fudge. Flavour is composed of a nice full malts, cakey, figs, nutty, dried fruit with a slightly woody finish. Subdued Belgian yeast character. Palate is medium full bodied, creamy , frothy on the tongue. Nice mellow roast character. Lingering woody, and dried fruit notes. Hides the abv pretty well and drinks pretty well.