21/05/2015. On a Eurostar train, somewhere....

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 9 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8

Bottle. Nice pine aroma, bit of cream too. Light roastiness too. Taste is great. Quite subtle. Chocolate, light coffee, then citrus fruitiness. Bit funky maybe. Creamy, very nice. Subdued in its deliciousness. Further down hop hit has gone, just lovely maltiness.

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 2 | Flavor - 5 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 3

19.04.2014, tap @ Mikkeller Bar Stockholm:
Nice creamy mediumlasting head. Aroma is sulfur, dark malts, burnt coffee, caramel, cardboard, old toilet, hops, hay. Taste is dry roasted grassy, espresso, leafs, grass, burnt caramel, ashtray, hops, paper, pine needles, burnt grain. Longlasting bitterness, very dry burnt mouthfeel. Meh!

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 10 | Overall - 7.5

Bottle from the Mill, Cambridge. Very dark brown, threatens to be black but never quite makes it. Slightly sour smell with blackberry, vanilla, quinoa, lemon curd all vying for attention. Balanced bittersweet and slightly sour taste, with hints of salt liquorice, black pepper and soy sauce in the finish. On another night I may rate this lower, as the complexity seems to muddle the overall impression. But tonight it seems right to have a beer that makes me think.

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 8

On tap. @Cimmeria, Oviedo 03/09/2015 Color negro, espuma beige, aroma herval, sabor maltoso, final seco.

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 8

Draught @ BBB. Pours hazy black with a big frothy mocha head that leaves lots of sticky lacing and trace in the glass while dissipating. Smell is malty and roasty with roasted malts, burnt caramel, rye bread, grapefruit juice, mango, cocoa powder, moist grass, pine needles, moist soil, sweet liquorice candy and lemon peal. Taste is bitter, herbal and earthy. Mouthfeel is heavy astringent and medium bodied. Finish is bitter with roasted malts, grapefruit juice, dark roast coffee, bitter chocolate, moist grass, pine needles, moist soil and lemon peal. Bit rough...

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

Bottle sample @ Leuven Beer Innovation 2015, shared with the RB Belgian crew. Brune un peu claire, col beige. Arôme aux notes maltées alternant grillé, caramel, pointe choco et un accompagnement houblonné fort réussi tirant bonne mesure des houblons C, retrouve les notes agrumes, résineux avec un léger tropical. Palais est malté, pâle, léger grillé et fine touche chocolatée, rétro houblonné agrumes et surtout agréable léger profil résineux. Passe bien restant très légère, complexe dans son usage des houblons, mais dont les propriétés de pas mal se recoupent.

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 9 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7.5

English BIPA with stable, off-white, light beige head and very dark bronze colour, approaching black but still transparent. Lovely ’dank’ aroma of pine resin and pine needles, grapefruit, orange peel, thyme, wormwood, coffee, bitter chocolate and caramel; fruity onset but ’clean’, dried plums and candied figs, nice spicy hints over a smooth, caramelly and eventually restrainedly roasted bitter malt basis, paving the way for a wonderfully aromatic, ethereal, citrussy and piny hop bitter finish, long and satisfying. Very good black IPA.

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7

Due to artificial coloured illumination, appearance not estimable, arbitrary 4/5 ’Dark’ C-hops, but also grapey , like Nelson Sauvin. Bit of caramel or toffee to sniff. Dry,a shes, dried hops, dried dark bread. Light body, but quite some slickness. Not so special, but bring it on anyway!