The craft beer revolution apparently reached even Brazil nowadays, and this must be one of the best results so far. Very dark mahogany colour, lightly transparent around the edges but otherwise black, with a thin, creamy, deep yellowish tan head. Lovely aroma of espresso and coffee beans, fried bacon, fondant, molasses, vanilla, bayleaf, bourbon, leather, fresh paint. Soft, rounded onset of candied fruits, thick and oily mouthfeel, soft carbonation which fits this style best, sharp and very coffee-like roasted bitterness setting in very quickly and accompanying the whole palate - it almost feels as if coffee has effectively been added. Bitter chocolate and nutty, toasted malts are there too, and the finish has a confident peppery hop bitterness along with warming, bourbon-like, but in all quite well hidden alcohol for a beer of this strength; the coffee bitterness remains stuck to the tongue for a long time. Highly recommended if you’re into black bitter beers; I do fail to see how this is a porter rather than a stout, though, but I guess the difference between ’imperial porter’ and ’imperial stout’ is a matter of opinion nowadays, rather than a purely technical issue.

THANKS to FlavioSP. 310 ml. bottle sampled @ Firestone Walker Tasting. Pitch-black, little dark tanned head. Thick syrupy mocha nose, warming, lots of sweetness, sugar, thick chocolate, cake. Taste is warming, lightly boozy chocolate cake, syrupy, thick coffee,… Very thick malt body. Very nice & I can see this getting more love if it had a well-known USA brewers name plastered on the label.