Bottle split at the XmasKracker tasting, big thanks to the Wingmane, Watford 10/12/21. Pitch black with a dirty tan cap that settles as a swirl. Nose is dark malts, ripe fruits, toffee fudge, hint of Rocky Roads, cacao nibs, mellow oak. Taste comprises dark fruit rinds, spice, charr, mellow roast, dark chocolate pot, bourbon nip, trace of dried red berries. Full bodied, fine carbonation, semi drying close with a balanced rising boost. Solid BA affair.

Bottle shared in Watford - cheers to Dave. Pours black-brown with a creamy, tan head. Medium to big sweet flavour, notes of torched wood, burnt honey, rich dark chocolate, burnt toast. Medium to full bodied with fine carbonation. Lightly warming finish, more cocoa, raisins, bourbon, light ashy roast. Well balanced, really tasty.

Bottle shared at the watford Christmas tasting 10/12/2021. A thick dark black brown coloured pour with a halo tan head. Aroma is big oak, vanilla, bourbon, cakey, dried boozy waxy. Flavour is composed of semi sweet thick dark chocolate, tangy, berries, tangy berries, dark choco. Earthy, bitter blackberry.

Draught sample at MBCC 2021. Near black with a creamy tanned head. Sweet aroma with caramel and chocolate malts. bourbon barrel, liquorice, tobacco, rye notes. Taste is sweet. Full bodied. Sweet finish. Excellent.

Draught @ MBCC, 2021. Pours black with a smll creamy beige head. Heavy roast and wood. Warming, slick and vinous. Good coffee. Big sipper.

Taster at MBCC 21. Black with little head. Roasted malts, bourbon, coffee, Chocolate, Smooth.

On tap at BA Day. Pours black with medium tan head leaving spotty lacing. The aroma is roast, cocoa, rye, wood, licorice. Thick body, chewy roast, wood, tobacco, licorice, rye, boozy finish, very nice.

Bottle at home. Pours black, nose is chocolate, fudge, soy sauce, spicy rye whiskey, taste is similar, chewy, thick, bitter, roasted, woody. Plenty of barrel influence as you'd expect.

Pitch black pour with a thin espresso head. Huge bourbon notes, vanilla, marzipan, almonds, espresso, bourbon-soaked oak, lots of chocolate, cinnamon, subtle coconut, bourbon-soaked cherries, amaretto. Very complex notes, and the bourbon perfectly balanced the base beer, not overpowering. Beautiful stuff. Cycle is amazing.

Cycle stout aged on whiskey barrels (mind the “-e-“) from a micro-distillery in Florida; bomber bought at Beerdome. Deep ruddy-beige, dot-lacing, mousy, opening head over a jet black beer, no light coming through. Wonderfully rich bouquet of hot chocolate sauce, toffee, chestnut purée, venison sauce, horse steak, vanilla-scenting oak wood and a lot of it, whisky, cola, shoe polish, treacle, latté macchiato, dried porcini, almond, hazelnut. Sweet onset, dense and concentrated, raisins, fig jam, blackberry compote, light umami accent (beef stock), soft fizz, very thick and viscous, oily mouthfeel; thick layers of toffeeish, black-chocolatey, roasted pecan nut- and latte-like dark maltiness, a wonderful bittersweetness filling the mouth cavity with that light umami touch continuing in the background. Finishes with a blast, lots of lingering bittersweet chocolate and coffee maltiness penetrated by vanilla-like oak wood, nuttiness, spicy hints (clove, ‘pepernoot’, bayleaf, even vague liquorice) and whisky-like booze which somehow manages to avoid wryness, remaining perfectly in the position where it belongs. Horse steak and porcini aspects linger aside all this. This is immensely delicious, American style imperial stout hardly gets any better – this is the quality level of Toppling Goliath’s Morning Delight, Surly’s Darkness, Bell’s Black Note or Three Floyds’ Dark Lord for me. Extreme refinement in a bold, soothing, overwhelming way. Well worth its high price tag.