Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7

I have to admit to being fairly leery of this one but it proved to be more enjoyable than I expected. +++ Sampled on draft at the brewpub this beer poured a dark black color with a medium sized foamy very dark brown head that faded fairly quickly and left a bit of lacing. The aroma was hickory, licorice, semi sweet malt and was a touch meaty. The flavor was strong licorice with a bit of root beer following and a sweetish undertone of hickory, coffee and cocoa. The finish was long and malty with lingering licorice and hickory. Moderately full bodied, smooth but almost greasy. Interesting.