Bottle at home ... huge thanks to ygtbsm94 for this ... oily black ... no head ... well not any left as ive been supping it with my curry ... mosasis and roast malts ... little meaty nose .... rich deep soft toffee malts ... deep roast ... littlr coffee bitterness but not much coffee ... spicy oh no thats the curry :-) .... again a little meaty and little tobacoo... nice . going a treat ... Ok TK 2 end of evening finishing the rest of the bottle... WOW this just jump out as a cut above the others ... soft and smooth ... lacks a dryness that was in the of the Black Force One ... almost quite honeyish ... upping this a pip. -> 4.3

Bomber with eternal gratitude to scrizzz. Pours a dark brown with a medium head and dark fruit aromas that have a sort of molasses undercurrent. Flavor is a nice enough mix of the above with a little bit of dark chocolate and leather. That said, I wish there were a little more of a malt presence across the palate.

Sampled with Carr Valley cocoa-crusted goat cheese. Almost entirely black with a very dark brown head. Stingingly pungent, with rich dark fruits and dark chocolate. Sugary thick body is almost like a Cuban coffee. Very tasty - hints some sweet high notes, and only has a slight bourbon inflection. Nice brew.

courtesy of our jolly gillard. Pours deep black, with brownish/tan head. Aroma of wood, roastiness and chocolate. Taste is just out of this world. Maybe why Alaska is so out there in the north. Lots of roastiness and malts mixed with nice coffee, molasses. The oaky mouthfeel remains light but adds a load of goodness to the beer. Leaves a light bitetr chocolate finish, with caramel and sweetness almost vanilla.

Huge-r thanks to Gillard for scoring this brew for our weekly tasting, thanks Ryan. Pours inky black with brown head. The aroma is amazing with chocolate, coffee, caramel, molasses, wood and some red wine to go along with oak and vanilla. The taste is even smoothness and near silky. I get velvety chocolate, caramel, molasses and coffee then moving to wine notes, tannins, oak, vanilla and some booze. Very nice rich yet smooth blended brew. Just delicious.

2007 Bomber from puzzl! Nose of chocolate, light vanilla from the BAing, and the woodiest nose of any BA beer I have had; opaque black, brown edges, with a beautiful medium cinnamon-tan head; flavor of chocolate, oak, light coffee and bready notes, Alcohol well covered with a bit of hop bitterness for the finish.

2005 bomber, generously provided by OldGrowth on 1/22/06. Served well-chilled to begin with, but allowed to warm up to room temperature.
Fairly vigorous pour yields a large amount of tan, graham cracker colored head that forms of a multitude of ultra-fine bubbles that are slow to settle out. Head is lasting, dense and provides a fair amount of lacing (though on OldGrowth’s glass, the head was neither well-retained, nor did it lace). The body is opaque. Deepest of brown-blacks with magenta-violet tinges right at the surface and edges.
The nose is perhaps the most subtle, but richly rewarding I have smelled on a beer. At first, I mistake it for a weak nose, albeit full of delightful milk chocolate. However, it is truly anything but weak. Allowing the beer to warm fully and breath, a delicate vanilla and light woodiness emerges, aided by a graceful drying whiskey note that is only lightly apparent. Notes of Spanish coffee, brought on by a moderate roast with further sweet chocolate overtones round out the balanced aroma. Faint charred wood, adding a zip of acidity and drying bitterness puts the finishing touches on the aroma. The oak/whiskey in the nose is so well integrated with the rest of the beer, it almost feels as if the oak and whiskey character were a note imparted by the brewing of the beer.
Hardly being able to hold myself back any longer, I take a long and curious mouthfull. Damn. This is beer. Chocolate, light roast, bits of dry barley graininess, sweetened molasses and certainly more toffee, prunes and plums all explode on the palate. Perhaps explode isn’t the right word, as the flavors are neither forceful nor overdone, but they are just so vibrant and homogenized. Light whiskey dryness, in the perfect medium of sweet caramel-chocolate-toffee, is carried from start to finish while the charred wood note emerges towards the end and further emphasizes the style. Light peanut skins, vanilla, bits of cocoa and finally a sweeping (but balanced!) ending of prunes, toffee, chocolate and whiskey. Texture is so perfect, you don’t even think about it. Tight, engaging, low carbonation, but ample enough to keep the beer from becoming anywhere near too sweet or sluggish. Alcohol provides light warming tones on the end, and is masterfully masked. Creamy, at times chewy and malty. Reminds me a lot of Orval. It’s just what beer is all about. Something about this beer is so compelling and yet so simple, it just screams "Enjoy me!" and proves very difficult to concentrate on.
Yes, it is a low key example, I suppose. Certainly nothing in your face, and the aroma must be worked at to unlock its mysteries. But what does low key really mean? Beer shouldn’t be about quantity. This is quality if I’ve ever seen it. It may even be mistaken for a lighter example, but then, taking in to account its ABV, it is a difficult stance to maintain. It’s just so elegantly done, so subtle that it comes off that way. And don’t even get me started on the barrel aging of this beer. It is (in my mind) the model all other bourbon beers should follow. Barrel character is just an aspect, rather than the dominant character.