Got in a BIF from beerloserLI. 12 ounce bottle into snifter, no bottle dating. Pours dense pitch black color with a small dense dark tan head with good retention, that reduces to a thin cap that lingers. Light spotty lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation retaining the cap. Aromas of dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, molasses, toast, dark bread, light raisin/plum, herbal, light char, and roasted earthiness. Nice and pleasant aromas with good balance and complexity of dark/roast/bready malt, earthy hops, and light fruity yeast notes; with solid strength. Taste of big dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, molasses, toast, dark bread, light raisin/plum, herbal, light char, and roasted earthiness. Moderate amount of herbal/roast/charred bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, molasses, toast, dark bread, herbal, light char, and roasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Very nice robustness, complexity, and balance of dark/roast bready malt, earthy hops, and light fruity yeast flavors; with a nice roasted bitterness/sweetness balance and zero cloying flavors after the finish. Light carbonation and full bodied; with a very smooth, creamy, and slightly slick/sticky/chalky mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is very well hidden with only a small warmth lingering after the finish. Overall this is a very nice Russian imperial stout style. All around good complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malt, earthy hops, and light fruity yeast flavors; and very smooth to sip on for the big ABV. A very enjoyable offering.

12oz bottle pours a very inky, opaque black with some creamy, brown head. Nose has lots of red grape, rubber too, pencil lead, molasses, some yeast, chery, chocolate, even a little strawberry, roasty too. Flavor has cola, malt, rubber, roast, yeasty bread, a little mushroom. Full bodied finish.

Rich deep dark brown coloured body with a 95% opaque black glow and a very thin, oily deep dark brown head - fades very fast. Aroma of roasted malt, molasses, alcohol, earth, brandy, cognac and mushrooms - very pungent. Medium to Full-bodied; Oddly watery taste at first gives way to some molasses, caramel, burnt sugars and a touch of earthy and pungent malt. Aftertaste is largely absent as well, with roasted malt, alcohol and water the major components - interesting. Overall, a very subdued and mild beer, especially for the style and even more unexpectedly - especially for any beer close or at/above 10% abv - it doesn’t taste like there is more than 6% here, aside from the smell. I sampled this twelve ounce bottle purchased from New Beer Distributors on 01-November-2013 for US$2,99 sampled at home in Washington on 16-November-2014, a touch over a year after purchasing this one.

Bottle. Pours a cloudy brown with a medium creamy tan head that lasts. The aroma is roast coffee, chocolate. Medium mouthfeel with dark chocolate, roast, bit thin, good.

Bottle from Bottleselect.com. Pours dark black with red glints and a transient fizzy dark tan head. Aroma is black/burnt cereal and chocolate. Med body, quickly thinning as carb leaves. Flavor has lots and lots of smooth coffee. A little chocolate in the background. No heat at all. Yummy.

Bottle - thanks BrewtopiaofPJ. Pours pitch black with a small brown head that leaves good lacing. Aroma is very roasty, cigarettes, coffee grounds. Flavor is the same, lightly sweet, cocoa powder, medium bitter and a bitter finish. Medium body, creamy mouthfeel. Pretty decent.

Tap at Rattle’N’Hum, NYC, 20/05/13. Pitch black with a dirty tan head that retains well, good lacing ensues. Nose is roast malt, bitter chocolate, mineral notes, light espresso, touch of alcohol. Taste comprises chocolate maltesers, molasses, roast malt, sugars, touch of booze, leather. Full bodied with fine carbonation, booze evident in the finale. Ok impy stout, the alcohol is pretty well integrated but this is a few notches short of top draw.

Whole Foods, Bowery 355ml ($3): Pours opaque black with a creamy tan head. Aroma is chocolate, pine, fresh coffee, and a hint of booze. Taste is very smooth. The piny hops still taste fresh and nice. Nicely bitter and mildly sweet. There ain’t nothing extreme or brutal about this, as this is very nice and smooth. I could have probably chugged the entire bottle in one go if I had wanted to do so. A welcome surprise.