650ml bottle @ PBF 2013 from wchesser. Thanks!

Pours pitch black with a small head. Aroma is roasty, sweet, syrupy with notes of chocolate, grainy malts, molasses, dark chocolate and coffee. Taste is grainy, sweetish and roasty with notes of molasses, syrup, chocolate and coffee. Finish is sweet, syrupy and roasty with notes of molasses and dark chocolate. Quite balanced, but generic imperial stout.

Bomber from LetsPour.com. Pours a dark rather orange gold with a transient white head. Not getting much out of the nose, except some mild spicy citrus. Med body. Flavor is very Belgian yeast/fruity ester. To taste it is to know it’s Belgian. There are some very earthy aspects to it. And it’s also rather citrus. It’s a bit heavy for a saison, perhaps, but I have no idea why it has a low rating.

On draft at hops and pie in Denver CO. Pours black with a tan head. Oak aroma. Intense whiskey, oak and vanilla flavors.

Bomber from LetsPour.com. Pours amber with a slight white head. Aroma is like a light barleywine with a little floral hop. Full bodied. Flavor is very floral and fruity - like there are Belgian yeast type fruit esters all over this. There is some mild caramel backbone. It’s hoppy as all heck, but not harsh like a NW ale. Finishes with fruity ester which seems a combo of pineapple and something like peach. Very Belgian all the way through to the finish.

Bomber from LetsPour. Pours a very dark ruddy amber with a transient slight beige head. Aroma is primarily dark fruits - more plum than raisin. Could be some date. Med + body. Flavor is bitter dark fruit with a detectable banana ester. I’m going for plum and date. It’s a touch earthy. Heat shows up in the gullet. It literally seems to making my mouth water. It could be more a bit sturdier in the mouth, but it is nice as it is. It is the best of quads. It is the worst of quads. Well, Dickens can only be pushed so far. It has a very pleasant finish.

Batch 2, bottle 253/250. 22oz bottle pours a dark orange with some soft, white head. Smells of fresh wood, caramel, sugary, a little spice, vanilla, almost a hint of vermouth. Flavor is sugary, sweet, fresh wood, lightly herbal. Full bodied, sticky finish.

22oz. Bottle number 250/275. Pours a hazy, dark gold with some soft, white head. Nose is neat, smells like a freshly coopered barrel, some tropical fruit, flowers. Flavor is sweet, juicy, peach, tropical fruit, fresh wood, some white grape juice. Full bodied, sweet finish.

On tap at the JW Marriott. Pours a clear orange gold with a white head that dissipates to the edges. Aroma has a good amount of earthy grass and earthy grains with a hint of sweetness. Flavor has earthy light grassy hops and earthy grains that give an overall musty note, doesn’t work great.

(Re-rate - I’ve been meaning to revisit this for a while, and now that one of my go-to stores has it on sale for about six fiddy, I figured it was a good time - they’ve really improved this - incredibly complex malt expression, and very dry and balanced for the strength - a nice balance with a complex tannic tartness on the tail end - quite good) Bomber - pour is thick black with a substantial dark tan head/lace - initially, the aroma is of rich chocolate maltiness, roast, espresso, but the Belgian yeast has produced some off phenols (dirty, burnt rubber) and a sour acidity that ruins the more pleasant qualities - sadly, the flavor is much the some - creamy body, soft carbonation - the malt flavors appear first - rich chocolate, anise, espresso - but again that Belgian yeast is screwing things up - some burnt rubber and plastic - there is also an off-putting, nearly sour acidic note and a bit of copper in the finish - the malt character is pleasant and complex - if they went with a more neutral yeast rather than the Belgian they could probably have a really winner here - as it is now, the off qualities make it tough to enjoy.