Hazelnut, chocolate malt, light ash and straw aroma. Black with large brown head. Moderately sweet hazelnut, chocolate malt, and mildly bitter ash and dry hay flavor. Good body.

** batch specific review for 2018 posted as such **

Re-rate ( or new vintage rating) of the 2021 edition. To say this beer improved, is an understatement.
Pours black, medium large, lightly tanned head. Scent is full, crunchy, hazelnut, chocolate, lactose isn't recognizable specifically, but makes it very 'milk chocolate' like. Taste is full, roasty, hazelnut, tad bitter. Very chocolaty finish. Nutella in a glass. not breathtaking, but certainly more than enjoyable.

Lots of roasted nuts and chocolate, thick, velvety and creamy. Lingering boozy sweetness. Very nice.

Can at home. Pours black, nose is massive hazelnut, caramel, chocolate, taste is similar, sweet, bitter.

12 ounce can into snifter, canned on 9/27/2019. Pours dense pitch black color with a 2-3 finger dense and rocky khaki head with amazing retention, that reduces to a large cap that lasts. Thick foamy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Amazing appearance. Aromas of huge milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, hazelnuts, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, vanilla, cream, toffee, toasted biscuit, and dark bread/crust; with lighter notes of licorice, molasses, dark fruit, leather, tobacco, smoke, charcoal, wood, herbal, grass, peppercorn, pine, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness. Fantastic aromas with great complexity and balance of dark/black/roast/bready malts, hazelnut, lactose, and light-moderate earthy hop/fruity yeast notes; with big strength. Taste of huge milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, hazelnuts, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, vanilla, cream, toffee, toasted biscuit, and dark bread/crust; with lighter notes of licorice, molasses, dark fruit, leather, tobacco, smoke, charcoal, wood, herbal, grass, peppercorn, pine, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness. Light-moderate pine, herbal, woody, grassy, peppery, roast/charred bitterness on the finish. Lingering notes of milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, hazelnuts, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, vanilla, cream, toffee, toasted biscuit, dark bread/crust, licorice, molasses, dark fruit, leather, tobacco, smoke, charcoal, wood, herbal, grass, peppercorn, pine, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Amazing complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/black/roast/bready malts, hazelnut, lactose, and light-moderate earthy hop/fruity yeast flavors; with an awesome hop/char bitter/sweet balance; and no cloying, acrid, astringent flavors after the finish. Light-moderate increasing dryness from lingering hop/char bitterness. Medium carbonation and very full body; with a very smooth, creamy/silky/velvety/bready, and fairly sticky/chalky/resinous mouthfeel that is great. Mild increasing warmth of 12%, with no lingering booziness after the finish. Overall this is an amazing flavored imperial milk/sweet stout. All around amazing complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/black/roast/bready malts, hazelnut, lactose, and light-moderate earthy hop/fruity yeast flavors; very smooth and dangerously easy to sip on for the huge ABV, with the mellowly bitter/charred/drying finish. Awesomely soft/silky feel for the ABV, and not overly bitter/charred. Amazing balance of super rich malts, hazelnuts, and lactose complexity; with balancing earthy hops, and restrained fruity yeast. Light residual sweetness with lingering hop/char bitter dryness. A highly enjoyable offering, and amazing style example as expected of both breweries. Very much like an RIS base style on bitterness.