Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7.5 | Flavor - 8.5 | Texture - 9 | Overall - 8.5

Bottle from HOTM. A viscous, oily pour that reveals a dark brown to black brew with a tan head that quickly fades to a thin ring around the edge. Boozy on the nose and in the mouth, with plums and rich black coffee to the fore. There's some milk chocolate, roasted malt, and fig and liquorice too, and a smooth, sumptuous, rich mouthfeel. Perfect balance between sweet and bitter here, but the booziness is possibly a little too obvious throughout. Nevertheless it's a superb brew; dangerously drinkable for the strength, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6.5 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 5.5

0.33 l bottle shared with Marko and Karlo at the Goblet Beer Store, Zagreb. Dark brown to black, small off-white head. Aroma is caramel, dark bread, soft roasty notes and some licorice. Smooth, light to medium body. Flavour is cardboard and harsh roasty notes. Dry finish.

Appearance - 7 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 7 | Overall - 7

Bottle at Goblet with Hrabren and Karlo. Very dark brown body, off-whtie head. Heavy, nutty, caramelly aroma, some raisin, bit of vanilla maybe. Dried plums, raisins and caramel in the taste, bit floral, the roastiness giving it some astringency too. Old school, for better or worse.

Appearance - 10 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 6.5

Il naso riconosce sentori di caffè, cioccolato e marron glacé. La finezza olfattiva è elevata, permanendo in maniera apprezzabile. Il manto birroso superiore color marrone chiaro resiste abbastanza. La grandezza delle bollicine è a grana media. Il colore è scuro impenetrabile. Il corpo è strutturato. Il dolce è medio in buona armonia con l'amaro medio. La forza gustativa è elevata e la permanenza è buona. Il gusto è piacevole. Le sensazioni boccali finali risultano di birra beverina. Il retrogusto è intenso e persistente. Al palato arrivano note di caramello, miele, crosta di pane, nocciole tostate, frutta secca, agrumi, mandarino, frutta passita, prugna, mandorla fresca, vino Porto, pepe bianco, chiodi di garofano, liquirizia, vaniglia e torbato.

Appearance - 7 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 7.5 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7

12 oz. bottle from mixed 6 at Trader Joe's. Deep brown-black pour with a big tan head of foam. On the low end of an imperial stout, so I'm smelling mostly some dark roast malt, not much alcohol. But not bad. Also a whiff of what I believe is the Yorkshire brewing water. Taste is pleasant, a lighter stout roast malt. Some roasty bitterness comes in, and there's some of the alcohol. Enjoyable.

Coffee, rich, some notes of liquorice

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5

Bottled. Dark and very black, lots of head, really really good. taste is sweet but not overpoweringly so.

Appearance - 9 | Aroma - 9 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 9 | Overall - 9

2003: A beer for extremists - if the brewers / maltsters had roasted the malt more, we'd be talking about cremation! An excellent after dinner beer, could stand in for a cup of espresso. Aftertaste lasts forever. One bottle is enough for the evening.

Appearance - 10 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 6.5

0.355 l bottle from Beerlovers, Vienna. Pours black colour with huge, everlasting beige head. Slight cocoa, some roasted malts and coffee in aroma. The same notes appear in taste, with creamy mouthfeel, soft carbonation and medium body. Leaves traces of chocolate and cocoa that last medium. Altogether not bad, but too light and easy.