Appearance: Nice black body with a thick 2-3 finger head. Smell: Thick aroma of smoke with some caramel & malt and a hint of dark chocolate. Taste: Smooth with apprarent smokiness. A nice balance between malty & a more robust character. Mouthfeel: The high point of this beer for me. Malt-like character makes for a creamy mouthfeel. Not too heavy, actually a little on the light side. Has a bit of a dry, nut-like quality. Hints of roasted malt lingers with a hickory aftertaste. Well balanced. Reviewed on: 06-08-2008

Bouteille de 341 ml. Dégustée le 19 juin 2005 (pint). Bière noire opaque. Mousse peu, col moyen, assez durable. Peu effervescente, bulles fines. Odeur de café et d’amertume prononcée. Très douce, un peu sucrée, très très amère. Goût de café prononcé, alcool ne ressort pas trop. Très bonne en son genre mais trop unidimensionnelle.

Bouteille 341ml. (édition 2005...à ma souvenance). De couleur noire et opaque. Nez de chocolat noir, de malt rôti, moyen de café, léger de caramel toffee et de malt fumé (jambon fumé, fumée de bois) avec des notes de houblon herbeux. Moyennement ronde en bouche avec un pétillement moyen et une texture moyennement crémeuse. Léger goût de chocolat au lait (légèrement lactique) avec de faibles traces de vanille et fruitées (cerises) dès l’entrée en bouche auquel se rajoute un goût de malt rôti aux petites notes de brûlées, un moyen goût de chocolat noir avec des notes de caramel toffee. Parallèlement l’on retrouve un moyen goût de malt fumé (léger de jambon fumé et de fumée de bois) jusqu’en finale où s’y ajoute une amertume de houblon floral et herbeux ainsi qu’un moyen goût de café. Post-goût long et un peu sec, amer de rôti, moyen de café, léger de chocolat, de houblon floral et de fumée.

Originally rated June 2006. Sampled the first time at l’Autre Oeil in Aylmer, Quebec a few years back, and really had enjoyed it. Now, got a 6 pack (2005 edition) at Marché Jovi in Hull. Pours a black colour with very slim red highlights. Big brown foamy-cream head with good retention and nice all-around patchy lacing. Smells roasted malt, candy found in stouts, and of course... the beautiful burnt wood. Mild alcohol and apples too. The mouthfeel is pretty watery with some light stickiness. Good bitterness in the start with a smooth finish of coffee, candy, chocolat and mild smoke lingering away. Nice wood taste shows up late. Very well-brewed smoked porter that is worth it from time to time.

34.1 cL bottle, courtesy of fiulijn. Pours dark brown with a small tan head. Aroma is dark malty, chocolate and mild smoked. Smoked and roasted dark chocolate malt to light caramelish. Dry and slight ham like into a nice lingering malty finish.

Bottle. Aroma is smoked ham, some coffee quite porter. Nice smokey caracter with some sweetiness in the taste. I like the "asf-finish" description, it suits this beer very well.

Bottle. Dark chocolate and aromatic smoke aroma, Dark brown, low head. Delicate chocolate, light smoked ham, coffee towards the finish, delicate herbal retronasal. Fantastic balance.

341ml bottle. Pours deep black with medium creamy brown head, thin lacing. Aroma is smoke, caramel and roasted malt. Lots of chocolate too. Taste is smoky, roasty and quite sweet. Finish is dry dark chocolate. Very nice brew, surprisingly chocolate. Finish also feels a bit ashy (like some others said). Very complex, very well made. Awesome beer.

Bottle, unknown vintage. The body appears pitch black at first glance, but shows a deep, dark, cola brown color upon closer inspection. A taught head of lasting, khaki colored foam leaves smooth, frothy arches of lacing on the glass. Smoky aromas slowly meander from the glass, imparting a soft campfire-esque overtone to the underlying dry chocolate and molasses malt. Earthen hops and roasted grain notes lend balancing bitterness to the nose, while a touch of lactose offers a soft, creamy element. The flavor follows suit, with malted cocoa, scorched caramel, and smoky-sweet molasses all featured prominently. Fireside smoke and traces of slow cooked meat add deep, earthy elements, while the lactic cream is again there to pull everything together. A touch of saltiness comes through on the lingering finish. Medium bodied and softly carbonated, the palate could be bigger, but it is smooth and drinkable. Not as impressive as it’s big brother, Grand Chef, but it’s a very solid smoked porter nonetheless.

2004 bottle. Poured deep brown with a short-ish cap of tan head. The aroma picked up a heavy dose of ashy smoke over what I think was cake-like baker’s chocolate, but the smokage really stood out.. lovely campfire character. The flavor opened with liquid smoke rolling into roasted darker chocolates and some caramel at the core.. ashy smoke and singed firewood eminated outward along with sweeter chocolates.. the smoke also provided some sourness that rode out the finish. Medium-bodied with lower carbonation on the palate.. the move to greater sourness on the back threw things off a bit, otherwise this was well-balanced. Tasty stuff!