Not as hearty as one would expect a winter ale to be, but as a brown ale, it is certainly unique - quite spicy and nutty, with loads of dry cocoa and slight sweetness - subtle background caramel and bready malt - not great, but quite drinkable.

Bottle. Burnt sugar, oats and hops aroma. Opaque black-brown color with small head. Burnt coffee flavor with moderate astringency - nicely blended and pretty strong for the style.

Dark clear brown ale with a very thin off white head. Smokey chocolate aroma. Rather nice sweet chocolate, with smoked peaty notes. Medium bodied. On tap at the CNY Brewfest 2006.

tap into a half gallon jug; got this of the tap from a local distributor. Pours dark brown but closer to black with little head. To me it smells like black bread, not the wonder bread but real black bread. Some aftertaste of chocolate and nuts but nothing dominate. Its an ok beer overall.

2005 version on draught at Publick House, 12/20/2005. Pours a deep, thick, dark brown, opaque from the outside, it seems. Head is beige and well-formed being retained quite well, but no lacing is left. Aroma of distinct coffee, light caramel and toffee suggestions from the crystal malts with a wintergreen hops sort of thing. Light cocoa-vanilla notes as well and just a touch of creamy butterscotch to top it all off (very dry yeast nuances as well, quite fresh and unpastuerized). Flavor continues with the coffee aspect, while toblerone-like honey milk chocolate notes briefly appear, followed by a light hint of tar and ash and then a bit of pine and green herbal hops on the end (just barely perceptible at first). They do grow, sowewhat, more in flavor than bitterness and seem quite American. Retronasal confirms this with some light piney-floral hop notes. Coffee softens somewhat as it warms, but a light roast is left in its wake, with light honey-cream toffee notes. Medium-full bodied, not thin on the end, and fairly comforting in texture, the carbonation being quite large (but it is a keg afterall). Slippery, and lightly creamy otherwise and well-balanced. Seems like a stout-porter mix, as I don’t get any fruitiness and ESAs don’t (AFAIK) employ dark roasted malts and American hops.

12oz bottle-pours a thick, light brown head that reduces. Black color with red tones. Aroma is strong coffee, malt. I know the label says: Cocoa. Taste is strong coffee, cocoa, malt, good carbonation. Coffee aftertaste. Not my usual taste, but well done. Best by 4/9/06.

Paid $1.50 for a 12-oz single. Clear rubious brown with a small head. Smells bready, malty, and fruity. Flavor is bitter and bready. Bitter finish. Nothing extraordinary, but it is drinkable.

Dark brown amber, low head. Nicely balanced. Fruit and berry notes. Grassy hop retronasal.

Bottled (under license by Fredericks Brewing). Dark ruby, rich head. Grapefruity hoppy nose. Clean mouthfeel. there's some crystal malt and loads of toffee. Velvetty, yet bitter, finish with spun sugar and pine needles.

2004 Batch at new bottling line:
Amber coloured body with light red highlights and a frothy, large bubbled tan head. Aroma of raisins, figs, hops, malt, caramel and toffee. Strong caramel and malt flavour up front showing off a lot of hops. Medium-bodied; Strong lingering hoppiness with a good pit fruit background and a pleasant malt overture. Aftertaste leaves nothing behind, the hops, sugars and malt come out to play. Overall, better than the first batch I had, but still not versatile and complex enough to be an excellent seasonal. Rating for this sample: 7,2,7,3,13
2002 Batch:
Brown in colour, standard ’aley’ smell! No depth to the taste...and no aftertaste! Rating for this sample: 3,2,4,2,7