7.9

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5

12 ounce can into tulip glass, best before 8/2017. Pours lightly hazy/cloudy very dark brown color with a 1 finger dense light khaki head with good retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings around the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation retaining the cap. Aromas of big milk chocolate, cocoa, caramel, brown sugar, mint, nuttiness, and toasted dark/brown bread; with light notes of vanilla, cream, coffee, smoke, dark fruit, herbal, grass, and roast/toasted earthiness. Very nice aromas with good balance and complexity of dark/roast/bready malt, mint, cocoa, and light earthy hop/fruity yeast notes; with great strength. Taste of big milk chocolate, cocoa, caramel, brown sugar, mint, nuttiness, and toasted dark/brown bread; with light notes of vanilla, cream, coffee, smoke, dark fruit, herbal, grass, and roast/toasted earthiness. Light herbal/grassy hop and roasted bitterness on the finish. Lingering notes of milk chocolate, cocoa, caramel, brown sugar, mint, nuttiness, toasted dark/brown bread, light coffee/smoke, herbal, grass, and roast/toasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Great complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malt, mint, cocoa, and light earthy hop/fruity yeast flavors; with a great roasted bitter/sweet balance, and zero cloying flavors after the finish. Minimal dryness from hop/roast bitterness. Touch of cooling mint character lingers after the finish. Medium carbonation and body; with a very smooth, creamy/bready/grainy, and lightly silky/sticky/chalky mouthfeel that is great. Zero warming alcohol as expected of 6.9%. Overall this is a delicious flavored English/Brown porter. All around nice complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malt, mint, cocoa, and light earthy hop/fruity yeast flavors; very smooth and easy to drink, with the mildly bitter and very creamy finish. Nicely rich for the ABV with a great mix of malt complexity, and nice pleasing mint/cocoa balance without being overdone. A very enjoyable offering.