5.1

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 5 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 4.5

CO2 draught at The Tap, 3/25/05 with Tiggmtl, MartinT, Muzzlehatch and Rastacouere. Dark black body is opaque and the head is initially about one finger high. Tan and fizzy, it quickly recedes to nothing. Aroma smells strongly of debittered black malt. Quite intense, so much so that the concentrated coffee/roast smell gives off soapy or almost metallic notes. Not much aroma behind the roast. Upon first sip, I’m greatly disappointed by the body, which is watery, to say the least. Notes of cappucino, mocha, light chocolate and slight roasted malt all wash over the palate, and there’s no lack of flavor, but I was expecting some sweet malt flavors, maybe some bananas, caramelized sugar, or something along the lines of, say, Lion Stout or even Coopers. The body denies all possibility of any chewiness or fat malt. Loose and ever thinner, as it warms and breathes, I am getting more of a dry stout, certainly in texture, with the requisite coffee bean and light barley flavors. It’s very drinkable and thirst quenching, being so light of body, and the alcohol is masterfully hidden, but I was looking for something more substantial. Low carbonation, rather lifeless body. 5/3/6/3/11.
Nitro draught later the same night. Yikes, this dosent seem well-suited to nitro. The already watery nature of the beer is hugely exacerbated by the thinning nature of the nitrogen. The flavor is dulled and it’s just a watery, thin mess of light coffee and a hint of chocolate. Little, if any, aroma. The light tan head is retained, this time, due to the nitrogen, but that’s about all this has going for it. 4/4/4/2/7