Rye stout at imperial ABV level, bomber bought at Biergenot. Thick and creamy, dense, pale greyish beige, moussy head leaving dots of lacing around the glass and retaining well, crowning a black beer with translucently hazy, mahogany yellow-brown edges. Assertive and very pleasant bouquet of burnt toast, bitter black chocolate, salmiak, cold black coffee, mocha ice cream, fresh fig, roasted peanuts, dried banana, liquorish, kahlua, soggy rye bread, pink pepper, tea, old dusty cocoa powder, cappuccino, black olive, salsify, pine wood, mushrooms fried with brown sugar, hard butterscotch candy, dried tarragon, vanilla, sweet red curry, honey-glazed spareribs, old dry pipe tobacco, green beans, sweet cherry tomatoes, vague eucalyptus oil, hazelnut paste, charcoal. Restrained but elegantly positioned dried fruit sweetness in the onset, hints of fresh fig and green banana, surrounded by a soft, blackcurrant-like sourishness, thin umami edge, medium carbonation, a tad above average for the style but certainly not disturbing, smooth and ’full’, oily mouthfeel. Deeply rooted nutty maltiness ensues, sweetish and a bit caramelly at first but quickly shifting towards an assertive toasted and black chocolate-like bitterness, eventually ending in a coffeeish roastedness, with a very clear rye spiciness underneath, cleverly accentuating the pungent toastedness of the general malt profile. Ends in a beautiful symphony of bittersweet malts - yet more bitter than sweet - surrounded by a strong, spicy, peppery, leafy and almost ’bright green’ hop dosage leaving behind a trail of bold bitterness alongside a warming, rum-like alcohol sensation. Hopped up stouts (as in these new East India stouts and porters) often tend to cross the border with black IPA, but this brew firmly remains as stout-like as it gets, the hops providing a pungent ’end bitterness’ but no overwhelming grapefruit or pine aromas, though New World hop fragrance is noticeable in the background. The rye is generously applied it seems, adding an outspoken spiciness which fits in very well. Not overly alcoholic either. All things considered, this may not be the most famous or acclaimed American stout by any means, but it is a beautiful piece of work, I hugely enjoyed it. Very well done!

Bottle from Beerlovers. Almost black color with minimal beige head. Nuts, chocolate, coffee, wood in aroma. Taste, chocolate, coffee, wood, bourbon, cocoa nibs. Long coffee bitter finish. Tasty.