8.4

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8.5

12 ounce bottle. Spaceship Earth Coffee. Jet black pour. Large, frothy, dark tan head. Big, bold roasted malt aroma hints at chocolate and chilies. Flavor upfront is bittersweet chocolate and espresso. Earthy, roasty notes. Initially, the vanilla and chili pepper notes are subdued. Sticky, oily mouthfeel. As the brew warms, the booziness, vanilla and chilies become more pronounced. This is a complex stout that really opens up as it warms. Outstanding.

8

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8

4 December 2022. Merry on the Prairie #2 @ Hal 16. Thanks, Jasper, and cheers to the crew!

Vintage 2021.
A: toffee, chocolate sauce, mocha, vanilla cream.
T: sweet toffee, milk chocolate, bitter espresso.
F: herbal hops, toffee, coffee roast and warming coffee liqueur-like alcohol.
P: full body, oily texture, soft carbonation.
Clash between bitter and sweet; peppers aren't really noticeable. Nice!

7

It's pizazz is dying out for me, or this bottle wasn't treated well, not much spice, medium meh coffee, missing BOMB impact.

8.3

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8

Bottle. Opaque black with a one finger tan head that slowly dissipates to a ring around the glass. The aroma is strong with dark fruits, chocolates, vanilla, and something I can't quite identify--could be the ancho peppers. The taste features dark chocolate, raisins, dates, chilis and molasses. The palate is full and syrupy thick with soft carbonation. Finishes long and sweet. Overall: top shelf stuff.

8.6

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 9 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8.5

8.4

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 10 | Overall - 8.5

Backlog May 2017. Dark amber, almost black body under a small beige head. Strong and nice aroma of malt, caramel, chocolate and coffee. Taste is sweet with dark malt, chocolate, caramel, coffee, molasses, alcohol, fine bitterness and balancing chili hot. Full bodied and long lasting aftertaste. Nice desert beer from the time when not every stout seems tom be pastry-fied.

7.5

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7

12 oz bottle. Pours black with a tan head. Cocoa and molasses aroma, vanilla, dark fruit. Flavor is of slightly roasty cocoa/coffee, dark fruit, molasses, a bit of chili pepper. It's good, though it falls a bit flat for me compared to many other imperial stouts.

7.5

Appearance - 4 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8

355ml bottle. Jet black colour, no head. Roasty, chocolately, dark malty and spicy aroma, notes of dark chocolate, couverture, espresso, peppery spicy notes of chili, hints of vanilla, fruity whiffs of blueberry, red pepper. Taste is sweet-ish and roasty, moderately bitter, chocolately dark malty, slightly caramel malty, slightly spicy, notes of dark chocolate, couverture, espresso, some vanilla, peppery spicy hints of vanilla, slowly accumulating hotness, a fruity touch of red pepper. Viscous texture, smooth, soft, silky, slightly cloying palate, fine, soft to flat carbonation. Harmonious, balanced, not overspiced - very good.

8.2

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 10 | Overall - 8

(Bottle) Dark brown colour, almost black, with brief beige head. Malty, roasted nose with notes of milky chocolate, cacao, vanilla, toffee, coffee and hints of peppers. Malty, roasted taste with cacao, vanilla, coffee, toffee and a mild chilli heat in a finish with a gentle cacao bitterness. Medium body, quite sweet. Really nice, with a good mix of flavours from cacao, vanilla and chilli. Great balance. Very nice.