Sampled at DLD 2006. Pours dark with a ticker brown head than on most beers of this strength. Deep coffee smell and taste (Duh!), but with the creaminess of oatmeal, too. A bit rough around the edges, but yes, a good breakfast beer when you intend to waste the day.

Bottle Pours a very thick syrupy hazy orange amber with a nice thick foamy white head. Dence sheets of lacing. Quite sweet aroma, not so hoppy as I expected. Flavor was more of the IIPA type. Full heavy and sweet malt flavors. Strong but ballanced hop flavors as well. Lingering heavy bitter bite at the end. Very full body and rather soft carbonation. A nice hefty IPA. Thanks to BeerCellar2 for this one.

2006 bottle shared by SuIIy on 4/26/06. Also sampled on draught at GABF 2005
The beer settles out to borderline transluscent-transparent, with no sediment on bottom, seemingly rather filtered, though upon pouring it seems opaque. Deep black, hardly any tinge of the usual auburn/garnet highlights on the edges, some deep crimson, at most, when held to the light. Head is poorly retained for an Imperial stout, starting out at one-finger high and fairly rapidly diminishing to cover and finally a ring of greyish-tan bubbles.
The nose is tremendously understated for the style. At first it just seems like a strong oatmeal stout, with light prunes, some notes of brandy (a very vinous overtone, mixing with some light fusels) and a oat and barley smoothness that is quite apparent and creates a chalky, near-milky note when taken with the chocolate malt and roasted barley. Hops are certainly present, mainly adding citrus and resin notes, but are not overdone in the least, just slipping through on the end, to add a zestiness to the finish and more strength. Continued warming does not produce any huge variation. The softness of the flaked ingredients, with the light chocolate and moderate hops all hang in balance. Alcohol does grow a little more apparent as the fusels evaporate, however.
The flavor is as gentle and soothing as the aroma. Roasted barley vinousness immediately presses in to the palate, but is rounded, somewhat, by a gritty, almost chocolate-peanut butter-like texture and flavor. Chewy and moderately sweet (some fudginess enters, briefly), it quickly begins to fade on the end, allowing a more dry vanilla and light black malt ashiness to enter. This is cleansed, in turn, by the fairly bright, but light (for the style) hop bitterness and light green leafy-juiciness. Vinousness flares up, with an almond liqueur-meets-brandy sort of effect. Aftertaste and retronasal are all vinousness mixed with alcohol notes. I’m not quite sold on integrating any apparent alcohol with other flavors, but I must say, it is intriguing. Coffee hangs about throughout the whole experience, but is also tastefully done. A very mellow example, with low carbonation. Texture seems chewy-gritty at first, and then becomes oily and finally loosens up on the very end. Not the most flawless of executions, as some others have noted, but a great recipe and balance. If they could just rid the aroma of the alcohol....

A hazy amber beer with a lazing beige head. The aroma is super hoppy combined with ligth notes of caramel, while the flavor is sweet with strong notes of both caramel and hops. A nice hoppy monster.

Bottle on 12/20/2008. Clear deep copper body with ruby highlights and a medium creamy tan head. Sweet citrus and floral hop aroma with some tea-like hints. Sweet tea-like flavor, some caramel, toasty hints, with citrus and floral hops. Medium body with moderately low carbonation and a bit of warming. 7/4/8/4/15 - 3.8 04/09/2006: Hazy dark amber color with a thin off-white head. Sweet hoppy aroma with some light earthiness. Sweet caramel flavor with some light earthiness and a touch of citrus hops. Thanks to CaptainCougar for sending this to Richmond. 8/4/8/3/16 - 3.9

Bottle from BeerCellar2, thanks. Looks macro yellow, pours with almost no head. Can see through the beer. Some faint smell of vanilla, barely noticeable. Very tasteless, but not off putting. While there is nothing off putting about this beer there is also nothing whatsoever about this beer.

Bottle from jimbowood. Deep opaque brown body, thin tan head. Aroma of chocolate (Hershey’s syrup), soy, coffee, heavy on the black malt. Some coffee in the body but dominated by roasted malts and the toast and dark fruit flavors imparted by the black malt. Earthy, bitter finish. This beer isn’t watery but something seems to be missing.

Dark brown, not much head. The aroma is fairly bright oatmeal and coffee with a bit of chocolatey accent. Light coffee, chocolate flavours and quite a bit of oatmeal. Overall a lighter beer than I was expecting, but the brightness appeals to me.