8.1

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

16 ounce prowler into pint glass, filled on 3/17/2019. Pours clear nearly opaque dark brown/black color with a 1-2 finger dense and creamy tang head with fantastic retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lingers. Nice dense soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Fantastic appearance. Aromas of dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, toasted biscuit, and dark/brown bread/crust; with lighter notes of molasses, licorice, dark fruit, smoke, charcoal, herbal, wood, grass, pepper, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of roast/bready malts, light-moderate earthy hops, and light fruity yeast notes; with good strength. Taste of big dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, toasted biscuit, and dark/brown bread/crust; with lighter notes of molasses, licorice, dark fruit, smoke, charcoal, herbal, wood, grass, pepper, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness. Light-moderate herbal, woody, grassy, peppery hop; and roast/char bitterness on the finish. Lingering notes of dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, toasted biscuit, dark/brown bread/crust, molasses, licorice, dark fruit, smoke, charcoal, herbal, wood, grass, pepper, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Awesome complexity, robustness, and balance of roast/bready malts, light-moderate earthy hops, and light fruity yeast flavors; with an awesome roast/hop bitter/sweet balance; and no cloying, acrid, astringent flavors after the finish. Light-moderate increasing dryness from lingering hop/char bitterness. Medium carbonation and body; with a very smooth, creamy/silky/bready/grainy, and fairly sticky/chalky mouthfeel that is fantastic. Minimal warming alcohol for 5.5%. Overall this is an outstanding Irish dry stout. All around awesome complexity, robustness, and balance of roast/bready malts, light-moderate earthy hops, and light fruity yeast flavors; very smooth and easy to drink with the mellowly bitter/drying finish, awesomely soft feel for the style. Not overly bitter/charred. Amazingly clean and rich roast/bready malt complexity, balancing earthy English hops, and mild fruity yeast notes. Light residual sweetness with lingering dryness. A highly enjoyable offering, and amazing style example all around. Pretty much perfect.