4.4 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 19/20Bottle from Beer Ritz. Pours a pitch black, with half a finger of dark tan head. Aroma is a lot of ginger (Fentimans Ginger Beer), gungery cake, a bit of cinnamon. It gave me flashbacks to International Arms Race, and set me up for a disappointment. Taste came as a wonderful surprise. Rich sweet barleywine malt, coffee, chocolate, liquorice, a little bit of spice (from the ginger and chipotle?) and a tiny hint of raspberry. Sweet upfront, but a nice coffee bitterness and a little (but genuine) spiciness, tempered with a touch of alcohol heat balances it really nicely. Complex as hell. To answer gyllenbock’s question "Who buys this junk?" (not entirely sure what he’s looking for - this has complexity by the barrel, and is maturely made and tasty as hell), I do. And I f*cking love it.
3.9 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20
Woodshed 2.0. Bottle picked up at De Molen. The 37.5cl bottle pours with a deep mahogany body that supports a thin tan head of foam. The aroma offers up blueberry, prunes, black strap molasses and spicy black licorice. The taste is nectar like richness with blueberry fruity sweetness, spicy black licorice, prunes and brown sugar sweet black pepper. Nice rich sipper.
3.9 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20
Bottled. Very close to black colour, small off-white head. Aroma is mild spices, fruits, plum, toffee and ripe fruits. Flavour is the same along with alcohol. Quite thick body.
3.7 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 13/20
Bottle (4705). Black with low head. Nose is interesting: this is pretty much exactly what grated ginger in soy sauce smells like. The semi-sweetness of ginger, dark roasty soy licorice. Sweetish malts. Body is a bit oily, but not overpowering thick. Ginger, a bit of peppers/chili, soy sauce, licorice, but also sweet malts. Feels almost salty. A bastard of an ale, but I’m glad to have drunk it. The ginger lightens up the soy-licorice-sweetness, throw in some coriander and you would have a good asian beef marinade.
3.8 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20
Bottled. Pours pitch black with a small, creamy, tan head. Aroma of caramel, roast notes, over ripe fruit, ginger and alcohol. Sweet flavor that end up more dry, with alcohol and pepper. Full bodied, oily to syrupy texture and flat carbonation. A well composed barley.
4.2 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 18/20
Color: dark black beer with no carbonization and small brown head. Smell: malt, spices, pepper, black pepper, coffee, chocolate. Taste: coffee, malt and chocolate, with presence of pepper. Aftertaste: nice dry bitterness, chocolate and coffee.
4 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20
Black with brown head - good malt and a wineus aroma - good malt body with some dark fruit notes along with some nice alcoho heat - Long lasting dark fruits and wineus finish with some hints of alcohol - this was vwery good -
3.9 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 16/20
Nearly a black pour, tan head. Flavors are all over the place! Spices, berries, smoke, roasted malt, some hops...wow what a crazy brew!
4.1 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20
Bottle shared by bhensonb. Pours near black with a nice tan head and a treacle and booze aroma. There is an unusual chocolate, raspberry and dark molasses flavor with a bit of pepper and a sweet warming alcohol trail. Very complex and tasty.
4.1 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 17/20
375 c&c from the Utobeer stall in Borough Market. Pours dark brown/black with a tan head. Aromas of dark malt, fruit and chilis. med body. Flavor starts ginger, goes medicinal (phenolic) switches to chili, evergreen twigs, very complex. No heat til the tum! Delicious. Finishes on the sweet side.
3.9 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20
Bottle: Malty nose, sweetness, ginger, dark chocolate. Black color, creamy brown head. Flavor is intensive, sweet, malty, full of ginger, spices, chocolate, cacao, pepper, dark berries, medicinal notes. Alcoholic, medicinal finish. Unusual but interesting.
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