A pitch black beer with a brown head. The aroma is sweet with very strong notes of prunes, while the flavor is sweet malty with the strongest component being chocolate, but also with notes of coffee.

Not the greatest of imperials - much like magic hat, which uses similar yeast strains, much of middle ages beers taste alike, with minor differences - this beer is no exception - it has that strong "middle ages taste" that overpowers the already thin cocoa and plum flavor - some aromatic, flower/hop thing happening, but not enough to make me get past that taste...that friggin’ taste! - some might call it distinctive (something that MA uses as a sort of calling card), I call it distracting.

Black with a tan head. Coffee , chocolate and some licorice make up the aroma. Starts with a chalky dry bitterness that covers most of the sweetness. The bitterness goes right to the finish.

Deep black with a light moka head. Smokey malt aroma with roasted coffee beans. Dry sharp bitter chocolate lingering and classy, burned toast, light alcohol, pleasant and nurseable, rich and resilient. On Tap at Blue Tusk, Feb.3, 2006.

On tap, 9/17/2005 at Redbones. Can I just say, "What OldGrowth said."? Probably not. But that’s pretty much word for word how I see it. Mostly black with some very deep chestnut brown tinges on the sides. Seemingly opaque out of the keg, with a small, foamy beige head, poorly retained, little to no lacing. Aroma of fruity, green, fresh, bitter hops. Leafy and juicy, they are quite inviting. A bit of smoke, anise, dark fruits (prunes, raisins, blackberries, grapes) in the nose. Very fruity, all told, with some graham crackers, moderate roast and sweet toffee. Flavor starts out very bitter, bitter from black malt and from the fresh hops. Some floral notes, juicy (but very bitter) fruits and low on the citrus, thank god. Charred smoked salmon anyone? Maybe not salmon, but charred wood/cedar smoke in there for sure. Caramel and toffee sweetness, a bit of grittiness to the texture is pleasing, but the body is mostly pretty oily and viscous, with very low carbonation. Respectable enough stuff, not too much of any one thing, though I could do with a little less hops bitterness. Moderate acidity grows on the palate. Flavorful and a medium-full to full body, that is fairly substantial. Alcohol well-concealed. I wonder if they will filter the bottles that are coming out soon? Probably.

Black in colour, strong in smell...heavy bodied and loaded with malt! Very strong and good!