The coffiest coffee stout ever. Loads of coffee in the aroma. Flavor is bitter coffee, so much so that is like drinking cold coffee. Well crafted, there is something here to enjoy. What sets this apart from others is a lack of sweetness.

Maybe the best Irish ale I have had. Aroma and appearance are common; light malt, and red. Good flavor. Lots of sweet malt with some hops. Dry. This beer is about the malt.

Well done. Hops aroma. Yellow, with less head than I like on a pils. Flavor is a surprise. I was prepared for bitter hops and got light fruit flavors to go with the bitterness. This is very smooth. The fruit characteristics add complexity to a style than can be very simple.

2004 vintage, I assume, hand bottled by Footbalm and sampled with MartinT, Muzzlehatch, Rastacouere and Tiggmtl on 3/25/05. For being bottled from a growler, this sure did pour a wonderful tan head atop a dark black/dark-mahogany brown body. The head was about one-finger high and quickly diminishing, probably due more to the alcohol and barrel-aging. Aroma has notes of vanilla, sour-mash whiskey, lightly charred oak, thick, salty chocolate and bitter black malt. Light alcohol esters are perceived, but it is not anything out of the ordinary for a barrel aged Imperial stout. Flavor, for me, was incredibly over-aged in the bourbon. It was sharp, alcoholic, acidic, bitter and just intensely dominated by the bourbon. Dry wood notes, stinging whiskey and light smokiness all make me cringe as I drink it. I did love the body, however, which was rich, creamy and thick to the last drop. As the beer finished and there was some respite from the barrel, a velvety, sweet chocolate flavor emerged, that had been hiding behind the barrel-flavors. This is the good part, and I thought it a shame that the barrel masked this through most of the flavor experience. Low carbonation, very well-made stout with a rich body, but just way too much harsh barrel-character, at least for my tastes. If this had a subtle barrel character, my score would be more like a 9/5/8/5/17

A good beer for sure. Aroma of hops. Light orange, small head. Flavor starts off with hops everywhere. The hop intensity was all over. After coming in closer to room temperature, some fruit flavors started to show. Moderate palate. A much better than average ipa, but not up to their Masala Mama, which has more fruit, and more body.

I was ready to be shocked and awed but the beer didn’t do it. Some malt aroma, also chocolate. Black, but barely any head. Several flavors, coffee, chocolate, raisins, and the dominant flavor; soysauce. Rather sweet, but held back by just enough hops.

This beer benefits from being in the cask. The manager said it is the coffee stout without the coffee. I think it is a sweeter version of their oatmeal stout. Either way, well done. Roasted flavor followed by swee taste.

Simple, some malt in the aroma. Hops and malt in the taste. An ale? Tastes like an ESB to me. Good.