On tap - this one poured a dark brown color, some ruby notes - with a small thin, tan head. Aroma was some light sweet malts, some toasted notes, caramel characters. Flavor was nice and malty sweetness, not too heavy thankfully, sweet brown sugar, light toffee character. Very enjoyable.

On tap. Pours a clear light brown with a tan head that dissipates slowly to the edges. Aroma has notes of chocolate and light sweet grains with just a bit of underlying spice. Flavor is a bit thin with light sweet chocolate backed by a hint of roast and dark grains.

750 ml corked and caged bottle. Pours dark brown-amber with a large long-sustaining beige head that leaves decorative lacework. Aroma is roasty and consists of dark fruits, SweeTarts, toffee or caramel, booze. Taste is sweet and sour with a dry finish. It’s a little acidic with umami. I also taste spices (cinnamon?). This is a well-made and creative brew, so I give it props for that, but at the moment it’s not doing much for me. It’s easier to admire than it is to drink. Addendum: any type of admiration I had for this beer in my initial review started to wane the more I sat with it. Banana and solvent notes started appearing, giving me a headache. What was initially a chore to drink became damn near impossible. Every category from Aroma on down to Overall was brought down. What was an admirable yet hard to drink 3.9 beer became a less desirable 3.3. Even with its many faults, though, there are still things to admire about it, so it’s not a total loss.

Location: Bottle shared w/ jcos, and dbarnold, 10/21/12

Aroma: The nose is malty, with caramel, a little oak, some wood, nuts, and a roast
Appearance: The pour is a brownish-dark amber color with a beige head
Flavor: Tastes similar to the nose, on the malty side, minimal bitterness, and a touch metalic on the finish
Palate: The body is light-medium, it has a soft feel/carbonation to it, and a malty, mildly metallic finish
Overall Impression: Overall, this one wasn't a favorite for me. I did feel like there were good components to it, and I am generally a fan of Boulevard beers (collaborations included) and Pretty Things' beers, but this one just felt a bit underwhelming as I was drinking it.

(tap) very dark reddish brown with small tan head; aroma of stewed fruit; tart flavour, not bad but nothing great either

Tap at Three Fires. Roasty malt, brown sugar, toast, and dark fruit aroma. Deep chestnut with a moderate off-white head, thick creamy lacing. Bready toast malt, vinous fruit, peppery spicy hops, and burnt sugar flavor. Medium body, low carbonation. Very nice.

Pour is a dark brown with a small white head. Aroma is dark tea, dark fruit, molasses and dark sugar. Flavor is tart to start, then comes some caramel and toffee. Finish is again sour with some bitter fruit. It’s something different. Sour with a brown sugar backbone. I’ve only had the Sam Smith stingo to compare this to, it’s not as good but it still is a decent beer.

On tap at The Hay Merchant. Pours a clear ruby with medium beige head leaving sticky lacing. The aroma is roasted malt and pepper. Medium mouthfeel with a sweet malt and light spice finish. A good English strong ale from Boulevard.

This is the second beer that I’ve had that claims to be in the stingo style, ironically the other one made by Samuel Smith is rumored to be a recipe designed by Dann Paquette. Pours a dark brown with ruby highlights and a huge beige head that sticks around forever as it laces the sides of the glass. I got lots of chocolate and a bit of banana right after popping the cork on this brew, but those seem to have subsided. Lots of caramel and dark sugars with some dark and tart fruits along with a hint of spice. this reminds me a lot of a Belgian Strong Dark. The flavor is really complex and varied. I get a rush of caramel, chocolate, and dark dried fruit maltiness right up front. Tart fruit and a hint of ethanol break through that and never really let go of you. There’s and earthy almost salty flavor that cuts in somewhere towards the end. Medium to thick body with a moderate to ample level of carbonation and a sweet salty tart mouthfeel going on. I thought I had reviewed the Yorkshire one, I guess I didn’t, I would have really liked to compare the two. This is an interesting beer, it’s wildly complex and varied, but maybe to its detriment, as the flavors seem a bit less than harmonious. If I come across another bottle I may pick it up just to see what a little age does to this.

Draft. Hazy brown color, medium tan head. Aroma of burnt toast, caramel. Taste is dark fruit with a burnt edge. Nice.