 GAManiac (340), Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Apr 28, 2008 Updated: Jul 3, 2008
Pours a beautiful deep chocolate brown with hints of ruby on the edges. Tan head dissipates quickly leaving no lace and a slight swirl of foam in the middle. Quite a bit going on in the nose, and I can definitely smell a bit of smoked wood. There’s also a strong molasses sweetness to the aroma with some chocolate as well. Whoa, this is quite the complex brew. An initial malty sweetness is balanced by the smoked wood flavor. Hints of chocolate, vanilla, dark fruits. The aftertaste has lingering spices, cinnamon and/or nutmeg. Medium body with a bit of carbonation. Syrupy, sugary stickiness. Where is that 12% alcohol? It’s quite the sipper, though I find it very hard to stop sipping. This is one of the more unique beers I have tried in a while and I find it difficult to categorize except that it’s damn good. I hope DFH continues to push the envelope. Outstanding beer.
MartinT (4377), Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Oct 7, 2008 My Bottom Line:
The sweetness of licorice, hazelnuts and earthy figs is intelligently offset by amiable roastiness in this most creative and elegant sipper of a strong ale.
Further Personal Perceptions:
-A film of foam floats atop the blackened dark brown.
-The prickly carbonation enlivens the heavy, nourishing body.
-Alcohol is not too present in the flavor profile, as is customary with DFH high gravity ales.
-A wooden dryness is felt in the finish.
-A link with the Imperial Stout family is hard to miss; I find this to be a compelling twist on this highly popular style.
Bottle.
armando629 (431), Budapest, Hungary
Oct 7, 2008 Bought in Cracked Kettle, Amsterdam. Poured like crude oil with a nice small but brief tan head. Dark fruits, plum and raisins, roasted malts, wood in the aroma. The mouthfeel is complex and rich, the texture is oily and thick. Liqueric alcohol, the palo santo wood, roasted grains, some smoked flavor. Hevyweight champion beer...Insistent characteristic aftertaste... I would travel to this brewery if a can...
Dorwart (1618), Robbinsville, New Jersey, USA
Oct 6, 2008 Thin dark brown head of fine bubbles. Kind of soapy around the edges. Rich malty aroma with some raisins, black cherry, roasted malts, caramel and some smokey wood. Color is a very dark brown with a tinge of red around the edges. Rich and roasty and bursting with flavor. Lots of roasted grains, more dark fruit and some earthy/herbal flavors. Strong alcohol presence that makes the gums tingle. Smooth and creamy palate with a bit of peaty stickyness. Finishes rich and roasty and delicious. This is a fantastic full bodied and full flavored brew that can stand with the best of them. One of the best from DFH in a long time.
naivepegasus (148), USA
Oct 6, 2008 Pours black very a minuscule soapy tan head. A lot in the odor, including sweet malt, caramel, some dark fruit. The taste starts off light, then ends with a building flavor of sweet malt and some oak flavor in the aftertaste that eventually fades into a distant hoppy bitterness. Interesting, complex beer.
f351c4v (225), Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
Oct 5, 2008 On tap @ Toronado. Pours a black color with a small tan head. HUGE aroma, roasted malts, caramel, oaky, campfire. Very sweet and tasty, nutty, definitely malty. Can pick out the effects of barrel aging. Top notch.
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