Sampled on draft at D’s in Monroeville this beer poured a dark black color with a large creamy brown head that lingered and produced good lacing. The aroma was roasty, bitter and full of floral hops and had a touch of cherries underneath. The flavor was dryish, roasty, malty and bitter with notes of ripe cherries, cocoa and strong floral hops. The finish was long, dry, roasty, hoppy and had a touch of cherries. There was a light yeasty undertone. The body was thick and full. Very good.

pours dark brown, thick beige head. Really blown away by how drinkable and amazingly fantastic this one is. Aroma of spices, malty with hints of chocolate/vanilla, thin woody scent Flavor, malty, choclate, spices are present, but not overwhelming, hitns of pepper. Thin bitterness and long lasting chocolate mouthfeel. Same as with the aroma, palate is engulfed by chocolate, light vanilla and hints of wood, with a faint bitter hop in the finish all mixed with the spices. A lot better than I had anticipated.

Pours a deep brown, almost black color with a thick tan head. Aroma is notes of coffee, chocolate, citrus. Flavor is roasted malts, notes of coffee, chocolate, citrus peel. Hmmmm, very "Terry’s Chocolate Orange." As warms, alcohol becomes more present. Alcohol is well disguised through most of this, though as it warms the alcohol becomes more present. At first seems less than what bottle says (8.9%).

Bomber from Bevmo. Pours dark brown with a 2-finger dark tan head. Aromas of darkly roasted malt, dark fruit, citrus, light fruit esters, yeast/spice. Full bodied with creamy carbonation. Starts with hot bits. Dark roast malt. Darkish fruit. Banana ester. Yeast. Belgian spice. Finishes towards dry. More bitter than not. Exceptionally tasty ale. It’s really exceptional.

Rated first on 9/28/2009. 22 oz bottle into a Trappist glass. Aroma is of dark roasted malt, but not overbearing--something I like. Appearance: pitch black, even when held up to the light. Tastes of dark chocolate, black coffee, lots of hops leading to a nice bitter flavor which lingers on the back of the tongue. Tastes much more like an imperial stout than anything Belgian. Another great entry in the Vertical Epic series. I have enough of these to try every year until 12.12.12. I can’t wait to see how it matures. 6, 5, 10, 5, 19 = 4.5



Second rating on 10/15/10. Got a bottle of the 10/10/10, so I want to rerank this one. Not looking at my above review from over a year ago. Aroma is amazing now, full of chocolate (think Whoppers), coffee. Smells very much like a Samuel Smith dark beer (not very Belgian!). It’s a not completely opaque black but it’s close. It’s a dark brown around the edges when held up to the light. Has a thick tan head that dissipates in a few minutes, leaving some nice lacework and a thick collar. Taste is amazing--smoke and tobacco are very noticeable; some anise in the finish. Carbonation is low to medium; way full body; oily; perfect. An amazing beer that has definitely aged well. I’ll be ranking this one again next November. 9, 4, 10, 5, 19 = 4.7



12/22/12 re-rate: Pours pitch black with a thick tan head with great retention and lace. Aroma is doughy, toasted marshmallows, maybe a little vegetal. Taste starts out sweet, turns bitter, nice and roasty throughout. Looking back at my previous reviews, it seems I was really blown away by this both times, but especially the second time. This time around, it doesn’t seem as impressive, but it’s still the best so far after the ’07 and the ’08. 7/5/8/5/17