Keg at Craft Beer Co. It pours opaque black with a thin beige head. The nose is dark chocolate, fresh coffee, dark caramel, tobacco and varnish. The taste is dark chocolate, ash, caramel, espresso coffee, roasted malt, smoke, tobacco, liquorice, salted caramel and some alcohol warmth in the finish. Full body and flavour, moderate carbonation and great balance. Delicious!

From tap at Craft. Pours pitch black with a small tan head. Aroma is roasted dark malty and breadish. Light liquorice touch. Medium sweet, liqourice and dark roasted malty. Lingering dense liqourice into a medium dry/vague sweet and bitter finish.

Test Batch bottle at home ... deep black ... only thinest tan lacing ... deep dark coffee roast ... deep solid roast ... barest hint of charcoal nose ... good body with just the right amount of carbonation (you listening Chris) to carry the big abv ... dark roast malts ... again heavy dark chocolate and a massive amount of coffee ... some of which is just a little too bitter for me ... soft spicy hop... little reminiscent of the Yeti ... mellow chocolate linger .... with a deep roast profile ... This is definitely impressive and a beer i so much want to see in cask and i definitely want to revisit when it gets its official bottle release as i can only imagine it would get better. But in the mean time i have a 2nd bottle to enjoy. keg .... at stockbridge tap ... deep black thin tan head ... soft coffee roast ... deep chocolate nose... dark malt ... big smooth chocolate ... soft coffee ...deep rich complex ... wonderfull 4.3 bottle at home ... deep brwon black ... thin tan head ... soft meaty chocolate nose .. hint but not really peppers ...light bitter charcoal front ... deep roast ... again meaty and hints of tabacoo... definitly some pine hop resins in linger ... in fact quite a lot of soft but hoppy resins ... 4.2 bottle at home ... deep black ... thick tan head ... deep roast malt ... chocolaty nose ... Dark malts ... dark dark roast ... loads of meaty chocolateness ... soft pine hop resins in linger ... dark rich and damn f....ing tasty 4.2 Bottle at home .. Deep black ... thick tan head ... dark mellow coffee roast nose ... light fizzz (little more than id like) ... deep chocolate ... little bitter malt tones ... little pine hop ... dark chocolate ... little coffee ... 4.3 Bottle at home ... drunk 0912 ... bbf 0612 ... deep black ... thin tan head ... soft coffee roast .. some pine hop ... dark malt nose ... soft mellow chocolate roast ... soft coffee and massive pine hop ... light oily hop ... rich dark roast ... totally sublime 4.3 keg at bat ... deep black ... small tan head ... soft dark coffee roast nose ... too cold ... bitter chocolate roast ... big coffee and loads of pine ...and its from this i think im getting the bitterness .. while i didnt notice it as fizzy it is making me bup and the burps are really quite soapy... i dont know if its hoppier or slightly different hop but im not diging this batch as much 4.0 Bottle at home ... batch 2777 bbf 06/2012 ... deep black ... big tan head ... deep rich chocolate malt ... soft dry pine hop and roast malt nose ... soft and smooth ... light sweetness ... big pine hop ..hint of black IPA ... but a fuller body .. rich soft chocolate ... dark heavy malts ... soft and silky ... superb ... 4.3 bottle at home batch 2777 06/2012 ... drunk Nov 2015 ... dark black ... thin tan head ... soft dark roast ... soft pine roast malts ... dark sweet chocolzate roast .. soft sweet malts .. dark chocolate roast ... soft malts .. sweet chocolate .. soft roast ... sweet malts .. soft sweet chocolate ... dark sweet malts .. light pine .. 4.4 bottle at home DEc 2013 ... dep black .. thin tan head ... soft deep roast ... ligth vanilla .. soft chocolate nose ... mellow malts ,,, rich chocolate .. rich malts,.. chocolat e... light bitter malt ... dark roast ...soft bitter chocolate ... rich deep and complex ... maybe a little too charcoalll... Early 2014 Version ... deep black ... small tan head ... dark chocolate roast ... soft mellow roast nose ... dark malts ... big soft chocolate roast .. mellow malts .. soft pine hop ... light charcoal bitterness... dark roast... definite pine bitterness... rich deep and complex... oh wait i said that last time ... crackin. 4.3 bottle at home... NYE 2017/18 bbf Jan 2015 ... dark black .. small tan head ;... soft ,eaty chocolate roast malt ... light soapy chocolate nose ... Dark Bitter chocolate ... soapy chocolate ... dark dry roast ... very bitter roast ... THe front reminds me of a EARLY big US beer i had and loved but cant place which. Maybe Sexual Chocolate ... but the finish is oddly bitter and soapy .not like i remember at all 3.8

Keg at CPK, London. Pours black with a fine, beige cream. Burnt, oily chocolate aroma, dark roast malts, coffee ice cream. Medium to strong sweetness, rich and dark chocolate, sugar, licorice, mild peat. Full bodied with smooth, fine and creamy carbonation. Mild warm finish, light dry roast malts, baking cocoa, some chocolate syrup, light grassy earth. Very easy to drink with wonderful nuance. Has the intensity of an espresso shot at times, then sweet coffee ice cream drizzled with chocolate sauce. Just really damn tasty.

On tap at The Craft Beer Co, Clerkenwell, London, 03.12.11 in company of Tom. Pours black in colour with brown head. The aroma is quite simply stunning, one of the best for me, like I said to Tom and Loz, I could happily stand here, taking a waft of this nose every few minutes and be very happy. It is so wonderfully full of masses of coffee but underpinned with copious amounts of dark bitter good quality chocolate as Tom pointed out, it is simply a huge indulgent sexy nose 10/10 for me on that one. Very full flavoured, but velvety and smooth, with coffee, chocolate and tons of soft creamy maltiness, superb flavours, with dark fruits, dark sugars adding to the kaleidoscope of sensory bombardments going on, brilliant stuff! I wish this rating could do this beer justice, but my phone had to suffice for this rating. A10 A3 T9 P4 Ov19 4.5