Taster pour at the source. Appearance is dark brown, almost black, with small light brown head with a bit of lacing. Aroma is roasty, dark fruits. Taste is dark roasted malts with mix of mild chocolate, dark fruit, a bit bitter. Palate is full bodied with thick, frothy texture, average carbonation with mix of sweet and bitter roast finish. Overall, a nice porter with a range of flavors.

On tap at Goffe’s Watering Hole Hazy deep yellow color with a small but short lived bubbly white head. Huge lemony citrus on the nose with hints of bready spicy maltiness. Tart puckering lemony citrus on the flavor in spades. Faint malt barely balances the tart. Tart and tasty.

(Thanks, John! "johnnnniee") Bottle. A- Espresso, earthy coffee, brownie batter, subtle cocoa, subtle booze. A- Black color, black liquid, tan head. T- Mild bitterness, slightly sweet, coffee, cocoa, subtle oak. P- Full body, average texture, average carbonation, balanced finish. O- Held on to this one for just a bit to share with a friend. Surprisingly, the barrel aging was almost non existent. That isn’t a bad thing though. Sometimes they can get too booze and overpower the beer. This one wasn’t anything exceptional but it was a well done Impy Stout with all flavors balancing each other and nothing really forcefully standing out. Decent stuff.

A deep dark brown porter with a thin mocha head. In aroma, sweet fruity chocolate malt with light coffee notes, banana esters, OK. In mouth, a nice sweet chocolate malt with light nutty notes, coffee grind, musty character, alcohol warmth, very nice. Bottle at Spinrsx tasting.

Bottle. Most recent vintage. Pitch black color the snifter. Head died real fast, showing no retention. The biggest aroma is black licorice, along with charred malt and a touch of chocolate nuances.

Mouthfeel is smooth and silky but the body isn’t what I consider full for the style. And at the gravity I was expecting more fullness. Licorice seems to dominate the palate, with notes of chocolate, raisins and prune juice. The ABV is almost completely hidden. Over all I love imperial stouts and this is a classic non- barrel aged example of the style. For my personal tastes it shows just a bit much licorice or anise flavor.

Hand pump at Cask and Vine Dark brown color with a bubbly frothy off white head. Rich chocolate and caramel with a touch of earthy hops and bits of woody oak. I pick up a bit of diacetyl which is a little distracting, but not uncommon from a cask served brew. Decent pint.

On tap at the Kelsen Anniversary Party at cask and Vine tonight. Slightly hazy medium golden color with a smallish off white head. Juicy fruity hops with a slightly bitter astringent that I can only assume is the tannin from the tea. Light sweet bready maltiness. This one comes together so differently than the straight version. The perceived bitterness is amped up by the inclusion of the tea giving it a somewhat sharp earthy bitterness. It works because the tea doesn’t really add much flavor but it changes the rest of the beer. I enjoyed this, but the traditionalist in me prefers the original.