8.4

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

12 ounce can into snifter, no can dating. Pours opaque dark brown/black color with a 1 finger dense and creamy khaki head with fantastic retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lasts. Thick soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Fantastic appearance. Aromas of big milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, cinnamon, chile pepper, roasted nuts, toasted biscuit, and dark/brown bread/crust; with lighter notes of vanilla, toffee, molasses, licorice, raisin, prune, cherry, fig, date, smoke, char, herbal, grass, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of dark/roast/black/bready malts, cinnamon, chile pepper, cocoa, and light-moderate earthy hop/fruity yeast notes; with big strength. Taste of huge milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, cinnamon, chile pepper, roasted nuts, toasted biscuit, and dark/brown bread/crust; with lighter notes of vanilla, toffee, molasses, licorice, raisin, prune, cherry, fig, date, smoke, char, herbal, grass, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness. Light herbal, grassy, roast, char bitterness; and ancho chile/cinnamon spiciness on the finish. Lingering notes of milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, cinnamon, chile pepper, roasted nuts, toasted biscuit, dark/brown bread/crust, vanilla, toffee, molasses, licorice, dark fruit, smoke, char, herbal, grass, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Fantastic complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/black/bready malts, cinnamon, chile pepper, cocoa, and light-moderate earthy hop/fruity yeast flavors; with a great roast/hop bitter/sweet, and cinnamon/pepper spiciness balance; with no cloying, acrid, astringent flavors after the finish. Lightly increasing dryness from lingering hop/char bitterness, and cinnamon/pepper spiciness after the finish. Medium carbonation and fairly full body; with a very smooth, creamy/silky/bready/grainy, and lightly sticky/chalky mouthfeel that is great. Minimal warming for 11.4%, or lingering pepper heat after the finish. Overall this is a fantastic Mexican style imperial stout. All around fantastic complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/black/bready malts, cinnamon, chile pepper, cocoa, and light-moderate earthy hop/fruity yeast flavors; very smooth and dangerously easy to drink for the big ABV, with the mellowly bitter/spicy/drying finish. Great soft feel, not overly bitter/charred. Amazing balance between super rich malts, cocoa, and spices; with solid earthy hop presence, and restrained fruity yeast. Lightly sweet with lingering bitter/spicy dryness. A highly enjoyable offering, and outstanding spot on style example. Not overwhelming on any aspect.