Bottle from LCBO in Ottawa. Clear dark amber copper pour, minimal head. Aroma is mostly toffee bread malt, not much hops. Taste has some piney bitterness but again mostly bread/toffee malt. Some lasting bitterness. Not great but not bad.

Draught at Niagara Brewing Company, Nigara Falls. Pours hazy lightish amber with airy white head. Clear aroma of yeast and malt, with some hoppy touches. Sweetish, estery flavour with malty notes and touches of hops. Estery aftertaste. Drinkable but rather muddy and nothing special as such.

16 ounce bottle into snifter, bottled on 3/13/2015. Pours fairly opaque dark brown/black color with a 1-2 finger dense khaki head with good retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Light spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation retaining the cap. Aromas of dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, molasses, toast, dark bread, light dark fruit, herbal, wood, light char, and yeast/roasted earthiness. Nice and pleasant aromas with good balance and complexity of dark/roasted/bready malt, earthy hops, and light fruity yeast notes; with solid strength. Taste of big dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, molasses, toast, dark bread, light smoke/char, herbal, wood, light dark fruit, and yeast/roasted earthiness. Good amount of herbal/wood char bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, molasses, toast, dark bread, light smoke/char, herbal, wood, and yeast/roasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Very nice complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roasted/bready malt, earthy hops, and light fruity yeast flavors; with a nice roasted bitterness/sweetness balance and zero cloying flavors after the finish. Light carbonation and medium bodied; with a very smooth and fairly creamy/sticky mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is very well hidden with only a slight warmth lingering after the finish. Overall this is a very good Russian imperial stout style. All around good complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roasted/bready malt, earthy hops, and light fruity yeast flavors; and very smooth to sip on for the ABV. A nicely enjoyable offering.

500 ml bottle into tulip glass, bottled on 3/5/2015. Pours slightly hazy dark orange/copper color with a 1-2 finger dense off white head with good retention, that reduces to a thin cap that lingers. Light spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of caramel, toast, biscuit, brown sugar, brown bread, nuttiness, raisin, plum, light roast, herbal, grass, light pepper, and yeast/toasted earthiness. Very nice aromas with good balance and complexity of dark/bready malt, earthy hops, and light fruity yeast notes; with good strength. Taste of caramel, toast, biscuit, brown sugar, brown bread, nuttiness, raisin, plum, light roast, herbal, grass, light pepper, and yeast/toasted earthiness. Light herbal/spicy bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of caramel, toast, biscuit, brown sugar, brown bread, nuttiness, light roast, and herbal/toasted earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Very nice complexity and robustness of dark/bready malt, earthy hops, and light fruity yeast flavors; with great malt/bitterness balance and zero cloying flavors after the finish. Light-medium carbonation and medium bodied; with a very smooth and fairly creamy/bready mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is very well hidden with minimal warmth lingering after the finish. Overall this is a very nice maibock style. All around good robustness, complexity, and balance of dark/bready malt, earthy hops, and light fruity yeast flavors; and very smooth to drink. A very enjoyable offering.

Negra opaca. Excepcional espuma, superabundante, ultradensa, color ocre, muy muy duradera, dejando una montañita, se puede escribir en ella. Aroma rico, tostado, chocolate.También chicle. En boca, tiene algo de muchas cosas, pero nada en exceso. Café, licor, chocolate, tabaco, malta. Todo ello con un cuerpo ligero, minimamente agrio pero bebible, escondiendo bien el alcohol. Final bastante amargo y postgusto de chocolate, amargo y calentito dejando patente (ahora sí) el alcohol. En conjunto equilibrada y notable.

Bottle from the LCBO. Clear medium copper with a tiny off white head that disappears quickly. Nose is mostly biscuit and light toffee with only a slight floral note. Medium light toffee over light bitter hops. Medium oily mouth with slightly soft carbonation. Drinks more like an ESB than an IPA.

500 ml bottle into pint glass, bottled on 3/13/2015. Pours crystal clear deep orange/copper color with a 1 finger dense off white head with good retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Spotty soapy lacing clings down the glass, with a moderate amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of caramel, toffee, toast, brown sugar, brown bread, light nuttiness, grapefruit, orange zest, light pine, herbal, grass, and yeast/toasted earthiness. Nice and pleasant aromas with good balance and complexity of dark/bready malt and moderate citrus/earthy hop notes; with solid strength. Taste of caramel, toffee, toast, brown sugar, brown bread, light nuttiness, grapefruit, orange zest, pine, herbal, grass, and yeast/toasted earthiness. Good amount of herbal/piney bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of caramel, toffee, toast, brown bread, light nuttiness, grapefruit, orange zest, pine, and herbal/grassy earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Very nice robustness and complexity of dark/bready malts and moderate citrus/earthy hop flavors; with a nice crisp malt/bitterness balance and no cloying flavors after the finish. Medium carbonation and body; with a very smooth, fairly creamy/bready, and lightly sticky mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is well hidden with zero warming present after the finish as expected of 4.7%. Overall this is a very good amber ale. All around good complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/bready malt and moderate citrus/earthy hop flavors; and very smooth and crisp to drink. I definitely got some English yeast character from this, but the estery qualities were very well restrained. A nicely enjoyable offering.

500ml bottle. Darkest brown colour, dark ruby glimmer, with huge, firm, frothy, fairly lasting, moderately lacing, off-white head. Chocolately, dark malty aroma, fruity hoppy overtones, with hints of red and blue berries. Taste is chocolately dark malty, fruity hoppy overtones, notes of blueberry, hints of red berries; bitter and slightly chalky finish, (too) lively, prickling carbonation.