7.8

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

16 ounce can into tulip glass, canned on 8/24/2017. Pours opaque dark brown/black color with a 1-2 finger fairly dense and fluffy dark tan head with good retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a moderate amount of streaming carbonation retaining the cap. Aromas of dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, vanilla, toasted oak, and dark/brown bread; with lighter notes of molasses, nuttiness, smoke, raisin, plum, peppercorn, herbal, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness. Nice and pleasant aromas with good balance and complexity of roast/bready malt, oak, and light-moderate fruity/spicy yeast notes; with solid strength. Taste of big dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, vanilla, toasted oak, and dark/brown bread; with lighter notes of molasses, nuttiness, smoke, raisin, plum, peppercorn, herbal, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness. Light herbal/roasted bitterness and yeast spiciness on the finish. Lingering notes of dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, vanilla, toasted oak, dark/brown bread, light molasses/dark fruit, herbal, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Very nice complexity, robustness, and balance of roast/bready malt, oak, and light-moderate fruity/spicy yeast flavors; with a nice roasted bitter/sweet and spicy yeast balance, with zero cloying flavors after the finish. Slightly increasing dryness from bitter/spiciness and carbonation. Medium-plus carbonation and body; with a very smooth, creamy/bready, and lightly silky/sticky/chalky/tannic balanced mouthfeel that is nice. Zero warming alcohol for 7.2%. Overall this is a very nice English/Belgian style stout. All around nice complexity, robustness, and balance of roast/bready malt, oak, and light-moderate fruity/spicy yeast flavors; very smooth and easy to drink with the mildly bitter/drying finish. Nicely rich and complex malt profile with nice oak spiral presence. Not overly yeasty with pleasantly complementing fruitiness in the background. A very enjoyable offering, and great style example.