7.2

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

330ml bottle. Jet black colour with average, thick, creamy, moderately lasting and lacing, tan head. Caramel malty and chocolately, dark malty, slightly nutty aroma, notes of toffee, fudge, dark chocolate, a touch of praline, whiffs of alcohol-soaked dried fruit, plum, cherry. Taste is sweet-ish, dark and caramel malty, notes of toffee, dark caramel, fudge, chocolate, some praline, some alcohol. Viscous texture, smooth and soft palate, fine, soft carbonation. Style-adequate flavours, sadly in a mode (quality) not fully matching with my liking, slight booziness - OK.

8

#russia

7.5

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

Black, lasting small beige head. Choc and roast aroma, fudge. Sweet flavour, choc and fudge, molasses, a little fruit. Well balanced.

7.5

Appearance - 10 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 8

Bottle at home in Hackney - picked up from Etre. Pours black-brown with a sturdy, frothy beige head; it looks fantastic. Medium to big sweet flavour, some gooey chocolate, moderate roast, a faint metallic note, raisins, nips of coffee, earth. Medium to full bodied, lightly oily, with fine carbonation. Mellow warmth to finish, some sticky toasted sugars, coffee ice cream, restrained roast, soft earthy bitterness, dark fruits. Pretty nicely rounded. Fairly drinkable given its heft. Nice one.

7.5

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7

Tap. Dark brown color, creamy foam. Aroma: sweet, caramel, coffee, a little chocolate, milk and waffles, nut butter. Taste: sweet, caramel and milk chocolate, nuts and vanilla, light bitterness, original.