7

Canned. Poured dark, lots of cinnamon allspice and dark fruits, dark malts. Pretty good

8

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 9 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 8

Very dark brown coloured body with a relatively thin, single centimetre tall strong brown head that leaves a nice, velvety lace on the sides of the glass, above the 90 per cent opaque dark brown body. Aroma of strong caramelised sugars, vanilla, nutmeg, canella, coffee, allspice, anise and some 'light' alcohol and molasses - strong in the nose, but nice throughout. Full-bodied; Very rich, chewy roasted malts, oatmeal and grainy notes noticeable at first with some lactose, cream, vanilla, alcohol and much deeper molasses and strong canella, allspice, nutmeg and anise spices are strong here with a deep pungency and alcohol bite that is noticeable at the end, but shows some nice sweetness, too. Aftertaste shows a good complexity from all the spices with a pretty far-reaching malt and creamy, pungent backbone with coffee, lactose, cream, molasses and vanilla all here. Overall, a nice Imperial Stout with a lot of spices noticeable throughout that brings out some enjoyable sweetness at the end and some lactosey, creamy and especially oaty finishes. Good to sample from the twelve pack as this one is better than I expected (although I don't drink 'fresh' Imperial Stouts much). I sampled this twelve ounce can, purchased from Costco in Arlington (Pentagon City), Virginia as part of the Christmas 12 Pack Sampler, on 23-December-2022 for US$9,99 with a 'Best By' date of 31-January-2024! but sampled at my house here in Washington, a few blocks away on 13-February-2023.

7

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

A black beer with a beige head. Aroma of pumpkin spices, cinnamon, strong dark malt. Taste of dark spicy malt, cinnamon, pumpkin. Warming finish.

7

Creamy grainy beginning. Lots of roasted grain, caramel, spices. Roast, toffee, deep dark with spicy herbal end. Nice.

7.8

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 9

Can. Black beer wth a brown head. Chocolate and spice aroma. Chocolate and cinnamon flavor with vanilla and caramel. Medium bodied. Chocolate and spice linger with vanilla and caramel.

7.4

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

Can. Pours dark brown with faint red highlights against the light, large spongy tan head, mocha aroma, low carbonation, bitter mocha taste with alcohol undertones, cinnamon-cloves-nutmeg flavors, smooth thin body, long bitter finish. Spicy and satisfying.

7.4

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7.5

Vanilla, raisin, devils food cake nose. Black, thin tan head. Nutmeg, vanilla, charcoal. Full body, easy carbonation.

7.5

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

Can from !2 Beers of Christmas 12-pack, sent to me by Clown Shoes. I meant to go through the ones with a Best by date of 1/30/23, but this one, dated a year later, had the best reviews, so let's go. Besides, despite the label claim that it would improve with age, I've found spiced beers can turn unexpectedly. So this pours a deep, black body, with a thick yet bubble brown head. I'm now decided the primary smell is nutmeg, with cinnamon just behind, some clove and orange peel. Spices are pretty strong, but okay if that's what you expect. Taste is equally spicy, but with some coffee roast bitterness. And then some hops manage to be known. A pleasant, spicy experience. A spicy holiday dessert beer that I think goes best fresh. Glad I didn't hide this away.