The eleventh issuing in this fascinating series, intended to exalt the art of brewing to its purest form. Three year old vintage bottle - of which the synthetic cork was very hard to remove. The front label is as concise as it is powerful, with the letters in relief. Very dark mahogany brown colour with a ’black soul’ but transparent on the edges; negligible head, all I got (with forcing) was a very thin, yellowish beige rim around the glass and a thin, discontinuous veil over the rest of the liquid’s surface. Powerful, enticing, unusual and complex bouquet of sweets and spices; the first thing which jumps to your nose, is the ethereal, unmistakable smell of (actual) dried ginger, after which all kinds of less volatile odours of chocolate sauce, meat broth, fish sauce, hazelnut oil, exotic peppers, crème de cassis, very old madera, tea, paprika, India ink, curry, leather, vanilla, basil, diluted coffee and, last but certainly not least, soy sauce rise up from the glass. The taste is equally intense and equally complex, candied sweetness and syrupy chocolate sauce at first, somewhat tart presence of the blackcurrant, but most strikingly: spices immediately present, as well as the kind of soy sauce saltiness which typifies yeast autolysis in old dark beers, but not too disturbing here. Smooth and thick, deeply (and genuinely) caramelly and chocolatey, oily maltiness follows, supple with a soft, low carbonation but some delicate tingling still there. The added spices become increasingly stronger towards the finish, with a retronasal effect of - you guessed it - dried ginger but also a drying effect I remember from beers heavily spiced with coriander seed; the peppers add a touch of heat, some peppery hops support this and blend in nicely, and a warming, quite strong, liqueurish alcohol effect further dried the throat. Result: a sweet onset, full malty and spicy middle phase and very long, dry, bitterish, (perhaps too) alcoholic and very spicy, warming finish leaving you in a state of wonder and respect. Maltiness lingers on with a roasted bitter touch, but nothing coffeeish as e.g. a heavy stout would have. Unfortunately, the saltiness was the last impression in the mouth, which did put me off a bit. The spiciness also becomes somewhat too intense in the end - I think the combination of ginger and hot peppers is just a bit over the top, though I cannot but sympathize with this kind of boldness when it comes to making arty craft beers... I can’t help feeling a bit privileged to be able to taste this rare bottle (n° 9366 of only 9819 total) and I must say it was an exciting experience. Not something to simply drink, but something to savour and contemplate over carefully (this is mighty strong even for a barley wine), like anyone with good taste - and I’m not saying this applies to myself - would treat an old single malt. Liquid art indeed and absolutely inspiring if you’re a true beer afficionado, like most of Brewdog’s most elusive brews. But something in my head tells me this behemoth was a bad choice to start a tasting session with...

Bottle. It’s a dark brown beer topped by a few beige bubbles. The aroma has ginger, roasted malts and a touch of other spices. Licorice, brown sugar and some vegetable hints. There’s some chili burn in the mouth, it’s full-bodied and warming, with an oily feel. Not much carbonation going on. Roasted malts, coffee hints, beef stock, some oxidation, a touch of berries and chili. Well, more vegetables than chili. Lasting finish. Nice this one, but very demanding to drink as it’s rather boozy and very full-flavored, on the dark side. 141228

Bottle (not numbered) from BrewDog nottingham. Dark almost black, little to no head. Not got the strong ginger aroma I expected, taste has liquorice, and starts with subtle ginger, but the ginger grows and grows. Maybe too much in the end.

375ml bottle

Bottled 08/09/12, bottle #5707/9819 - Pours pitch black with no head. Aroma of ginger, cinnamon, spices, pepper, syrupy malts and berries. Taste is sweet, spicy and peppery with notes of berries, syrupy malts, ginger and cinnamon. Finish is warming with peppery notes, sweet and syrupy with some spices, ginger and cinnamon. Spicy and sweet barley wine with a touch of berries and chipotle. A bit weird, but quite interesting.

37,5 cl bottle @ lusikka. Bottle #5707/9819, bottled 08.09.2012
Aroma has ripe fruits, licorice and some raisins. Feels somewhat sweet. Flavour is rather spicy with peppery tones, chili, ripe fruits and some licorice. Herbal tones take over at the end of the glass. A spicy christmas brew but more strong than the usual suspects. Does not work for me.

Very dark brown, almost black, color without head and carbonation. Aroma has notes of red fruits, molasses, candy sugar, toffee, barley malts and caramel. Flavor is quite the same as aroma standing out hints of molasses, ripe red fruits like berries, some wooden notes, notes of honey and sweet red wine. The final is moderate sweet, no cloying with a low presence of alcohol that is hidden by caramel and toasted malts notes. creamy, dense and smooth on palate.

Odense catch-up from the cellar. Black with a tiny off-white head. Aroma of licorice with a strong ginger note that appears very unusual for an imperial stout. Sweet and ginger dominated flavour with licorice, dark chocolate and fresh roasted coffee. Overwhelming ginger, but quite interesting