Bottle from Appellation Wines. Appearance - deep dark and opaque with a nice fawn head. Nose - green, very herby, chocolate coming through too. Taste - sweet malt, cereal, nettles at the back. Palate - close to medium bodied with a tangy texture and a dry balanced finish. Overall - complex and interesting.

Spiced porter from Mikkeller, bottle bought online. Very thick, towering, dense, deep beige head leaving cobweb lacing on the edge of the glass; colour is an extremely dark burgundy brown, but completely black in appearance. Aroma of espresso beans, charcoal, tree bark, dried chili peppers, dusty old cocoa powder, dried thyme and bayleaf, green pepper, cedar wood, mocha ice cream, almond and even toasted coconut, smoked pipe tobacco, earthy black radish, raw potato, liquorice, black shoe polish phenols, black tea, dried mushrooms, caramel, toasted rye bread, ’natural’ iron. Quite intense onset of candied fig sweetishness, deep blackberry sourishness and, perhaps more than anything, beef stock ’umaminess’; soft carbo, smooth but thick and oily body especially seen the ABV, deep and rich nutty and toasted malt bittersweetness leading to roasted coffeeish bitterishness aided by the peppery and herbal hop bitterness on the one hand and a subtle dried chili pepper ’burn’ on the other hand, functioning remarkably well together; alcohol remains completely hidden and a lovely black chocolatey and roasted malt bitterness remains in the throat after swallowing for a long time; so does a slight, subtle, weak chili burn, by the way. I do not get the avocado leaves at all but that is probably just because I have no idea how they are supposed to taste... I love this: this beer is packed with flavour and a warming aroma. For not even containing 7% ABV, it presents itself as thick, rich and vividly spicy - another Mikkeller masterpiece.

On tap at Craft Room, Opatovina, Zagreb, Croatia. Pitch black, coffee colored with brown head, big, diminishing but lasting. Hoppy, herbal, citrus, spicy, tequilla, some coffee aromas, too. Very complex, very hoppy, very bitter finish. Bitter chocolate and powdered cocoa. Creamy texture. Dry and bitter. Good but very bitter, too much for some maybe.

Presented it today, on tap, at Craft Room. Pretty much pitch black body, with a brown-gray head, lasting. Full aroma, slightly herbal, but generally malty, chocolate and caramel. The taste is, especially as it warms, a well of complexity. Creamy, full, heavy with huge malts without being cloying, fresh herbal notes. Roasty notes, some hops, but not too much, various herbal notes showing up from time to time, presumably from the herbs added, certainly weren’t hoppy or from the chili - which basically shows up in the finish and in the aftertaste, helping create a warming feeling one would associate with a stronger beer. Great, complex beer. Certainly not anything resembling a session brew, but you’ll enjoy every sip of it!

Bottle in Belgrade-Serbia. Pours deep black color, tick brown head with medium retention and adhesive. Nose: quite smoky feel, burnt grains, aggressive notes of burnt malts, a bit milky with this pungent chili in the end. Mouth: round, rich, complexity of roasted malts. Chili is there but just a mild finish. Some nutty character, a bit too heavy. ---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone

Black color with tan head. Espresso aroma, also chocolate. Nearly like an Imperial Stout. Taste is chili, black chocolate, very rich. Espresso finish. Very silky mouthfeel. Excellent for this ABV.