33 cl bottle, marked 5.5% ABV.BB feb/2011On July 23, 2010 at Dahlbergs, HelsingborgClear dark brown color, tan head. Caramel, malty, sweet, coffee, salty scent. Sweet, malty, fruity taste. Medium mouthfeel, medium bitterness.Rather nice, though I’d like to call it a brown ale rather than a stout.

Grabbed a bottle while out for Ethipopian in NYC last night. Pours a reddish brown and taste like molases and malt and earthiness. Not a bad beer when i had zero expectations but certainly doesn’t taste like a Stout, and for a country reknown for their coffee there is none of that flavor here.

Bottle at The Office in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. You know how Hollywood movies can be really hoaky and unbelievable? Like when Sylvester Stallone rips the bullet out of his abdomen, pours gunpowder in the hole, lights it on fire, and walks away fine? Well, to swallow that sort of thing, you need what’s called "suspension of disbelief." Put your skepticism on hold, and just enjoy the moment. Try that with this beer. OK, it’s not a stout. Yes, it’s a bit on the sweet side. But compare it to any beer in any developing country on earth, especially in Africa, and you will find they are almost all incredibly boring lagers. This one is at least different. Yes, you can see through it, and the head disappears quicker than my IRA did. But it has some complexity to it. It starts out with caramel and molasses, then a bit of cocoa, then a faintly bitter burnt coffee finish. I can think of no better way to celebrate the end of Ramadan. Eid mubarak!!

Sampled from a 12 oz brown bottle this beer poured a dark red-brown color with a large brown head. The aroma was sweet, tangy and fruity with noted molasses and a touch of roasty malts. The flavor was bitter, tangy and roasty with light coffee, fruit and molasses. The finish was short. Not a stout at all but pretty tasty anyway.

Bottle at Queen Sheba in Sacramento, CA. Very hazy dark amber color with a slight beige/tan head. Sweetish caramel aroma. Medium body with mild carbonation. Flavor is like medium dark fruit (raisin/fig/?) and darkish caramel; more sweet than dry. More like a Beglian ale than like the typical stout. Also brings Mongozo to mind. Finishes towards dry with very light bitter. Glad I had it.

Bottle at Queen Sheba in Sacramento, CA. Slightly hazy light gold color with a fine, strong white head. Light grain aroma. Near medium body with frothy carbonation. Flavor is lightly bready with a strong dose of citric and noble hop. Arguably an ungespundent pils. Quite good.