Bottle, courtesy of Max. Shared with him and JFK10000. Black with medium beige head. Some smoke in aroma. Dark malts, some roastiness, some chocolate, easy drinkable, maybe a tad watery, bitter finish. Medium bodied.

Tap. Cloudy dark brown, a little yellow foam. Aroma: caramel, light wine, smoked cheese, a little dried fruit. Taste: caramel, light hop bitterness, a little smoked, a bit whiskey.

First off: extremely drinkable for an Imperial stout. On tap at craft vs. pub. Pours black with little head. Aroma is mild, slightly sour and smoked. Very little immediate aroma. Surprisingly light body, slightly sour mouthfeel. Flavour is surprisingly broad though. Acidity and smokiness are balanced out with a nice malt basis, medium bitterness and some coffee flavour. Finishes very bitter and with strong flavours of cacao. Nice if unusual Imperial stout.

Tap at Pub vs. Craft, Kiev. Cloudy darkest brown, mocha head. Dark oily roast, some sweetness, not much has character. Similar taste - some dark malt, no lovely sugars, grassy bitterness. As an impy, just Mediocre.

(Kiev 2016) 400 ml. draft @ Wooly Hops. Black with a faint purple hue (odd), huge! Creamy tanned head. Nose is thick blueberry syrup, thick molasses, low herbal syrup, very weird, syrupy with some plastic syrup. Taste is very weird herbal syrup, burned malts, molasses, plastic syrup, thick sugar. Thick plastic & molasses body. I encountered several dark beers akin to this from USA-style Ukrainian breweries, carrying thick weird thick syrup quality, blueberry plastic & thick herbs, this one is a bit richer than some, it is a very odd beer, very odd style / quality / interpretation. I don’t fully love it but I did enjoy it to a certain extent. Interesting even if not necessary what I look for in a RIS.