Great presentation, from the oily brown colour of the beer, the soft tan head and a magnificent nose featuring cinnamon, lavender and ginger. This is a challenging, rich, layered imperial stout. The taste profile works its way through semi-sweet chocolate, hot chilli, fresh ginger, cinnamon, lavender, paprika and mild coffee. The heat and bite of the spices and chilli builds over time. A massive array of fresh taste elements.

Found a bottle dated September 2012, which is a great date if you follow the history of this beer. Toffee, butterscotch, soft and roasted malt, some nuts and enough hops to create some counterbalance to the dark sweetness. Over the last year the brewery has introduced some confusing Belgian yeasts into this and some other of their higher octane Imperial IPAs, Barleywines, and nut brown ales. I’m not telling you what store in the Ottawa/Gatineau area I got this from. I am going back to buy out their stock!

On tap at Les Brasseurs du Temps. A rich black colour topped by an appealing tan head. Strong roasted coffee and some booziness in the nose. This is an imperial stout of large tastes. Heavily roasted coffee, roasted malt, chocolate (not too sweet), molasses and a touch of vanilla. The booziness in the nose carries over to the taste, adding some nice warmth. There is a moderate bitterness to the finish, working with the aforementioned roasted elements. It is full bodied with a slightly creamy texture. This might not be your beer if you like hyper blended understated Imperial Stouts. But it’s right up my alley.