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10095
OVERALLStyle
Serve in Snifter

bottled
available

on tap
common

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RATINGS: 485   WEIGHTED AVG: 4   IBU: 85   EST. CALORIES: 300   ABV: 10%
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COMMERCIAL DESCRIPTION
A cocoa infused Imperial Stout – Opaque black in color with a dark brown head. Big chocolate aroma with notes of espresso, blackstrap molasses, dark sweet toffee and dark fruit. Smooth dark chocolate backbone with complex notes of coffee, dark toffee and dark fruit.


4.5
   AROMA 8/10   APPEARANCE 5/5   TASTE 9/10   PALATE 5/5   OVERALL 18/20
brewski519 (645) - Morrisville, USA - FEB 13, 2010
2010 release on tap at Dain’s in Durham. Poured a dark black with a one finger brown head. LOTS of lacing. Aroma of roasted malt, dark chocolate and even a little fruitiness. Flavor was roasted malt, dark (and I mean dark) chocolate, fruit (raisin?) with a nice hoppy finish. Full body with light carbonation and a creamy mouthfeel that almost goes down like a chocolate milkshake. Alcohol sneaks up on you afterwards and warms the cheeks. Awesome.

3.7
   AROMA 7/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 7/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 15/20
BrewDad (3687) - Olympia, Washington, USA - MAY 28, 2012
Craft Brewers Conference 2012 - Dark black in color hazy with a thin head. Nice rich thick dark chocolate aroma and a flavor. Lots of rich thick coffee sweet and dry aroma.

3.9
   AROMA 7/10   APPEARANCE 3/5   TASTE 8/10   PALATE 5/5   OVERALL 16/20
Westmeister (589) - Atlanta, Georgia, USA - MAY 27, 2012
Growler share @ Ale Alpharetta. Just from some of the hype I expected a bit more, but it was a great, yet simple stout. Smell is cocoa nibs, some coffee, bittering hops, and toffee. Taste was very smooth chocolate, slight coffee and dark fruit. Undeniably smooth and very drinkable for a big stout. Yet the depth is just not there to throw it in the top tiers.

3.9
   AROMA 7/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 7/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 17/20
arkurzynski (848) - West Bend, Wisconsin, USA - MAY 25, 2012
Bottle thanks to mecherd (BA). Thick black pour with brown head. Aroma of roasted malt, dark fruit, caramel, licorice, and some cocoa powder. Flavor is roasted malt/coffee with some dark fruit acidity and unsweeted chocolate. Some middle sweetness. Residual coffee and cocoa. Good brew, but flavor is a little lifeless and could be more complex. Could see how barrel aging this beer would make it exceptional.

4.2
   AROMA 9/10   APPEARANCE 5/5   TASTE 7/10   PALATE 5/5   OVERALL 16/20
NelsonPR (22) - MIlWAUKEE, Wisconsin, USA - MAY 24, 2012
Thanks to anne fitten glenn for this one. Tar like appearence with a tan head, aroma of chocolate liquor and coffee, taste is bitter cocoa with fresh roasted coffee, with a mix of spicyness from the hops... mouthfeel is thick but nice...i love this beer..

2.6
   AROMA 8/10   APPEARANCE 3/5   TASTE 2/10   PALATE 3/5   OVERALL 10/20
jcartamdg (256) - Spring Hill, Florida, USA - MAY 22, 2012
Poured into a ccb snifter. Pours dark black with a 1 finger head that lasts seconds. A thin ring forms around the glass with very little lacing. Aroma isn’t bad, coffee and chocolate all the way. The taste is where there is a problem. Chocolate then coffee then a really off taste, something I’d never like to taste again. I don’t like to throw around claims of infection but if this isn’t infection what the heck are they putting in their beer. Very disappointing for a very hyped brew.

4.2
   AROMA 8/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 8/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 18/20
Benjii (2397) - Edinburgh, SCOTLAND - MAY 11, 2012
In bottle at Craig’s. A black beer with a decent tan head. Aroma of soy sauce, dark chocolate and Twiglets. Quite savoury flavours with a little salt. Twiglets and dark chocolate are quite prominent again with a lingering dry Marmite and dark chocolate finish. Moderate carbonation and quite dry also. Lovely.

3.7
   AROMA 6/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 7/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 16/20
Stephanos (864) - NORTHERN IRELAND - MAY 11, 2012
Opaque brown with fluffy latte head, savoury marmite nose. Marmite yeast with chocolate. Dark chocolate, hint of roast barley.

4.2
   AROMA 8/10   APPEARANCE 5/5   TASTE 9/10   PALATE 3/5   OVERALL 17/20
Onenote81 (902) - Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA - APR 24, 2012
Originally reviewed: 2/20/09. Had this on tap at the pub itself. I stood in line for the release, but thought I’d save the bottles I got and get it on tap instead. Glad to see there’s still some left. Came out a 10oz pour. This baby was jet black. Absolutely no light coming through, even on the edges. Nice inch-sized head resting comfortably on top. Retention was superb, and it left perfect sip rings on glass edge after each sip. Beautiful. Smelled of cocoa, some wine-like scent, slight coffee, faint alcohol, and earth. I can’t wait to delve into this wonderful brew! Mouthfeel was thin in my mind. I wished it was a bit thicker. When a beer is this "heavy" in appearance, ABV, and quality, I want to feel like I need to chew it. Ah well, that’s the weakest part of this beer, and that’s not too bad. Tastes wonderfully chocolatey. I had heard that this years version was lacking in the cocoa dept., but not in my experience. Definitive chocolate presence, followed by a crisp hop bite, but not overly so. Warm bready taste in there as well. This is very well-done. I actually had my expectations lowered due to some hear-say, but I think this beer is wonderful. I can’t wait to let some of my bottles age and give them a try in a year or so.

3.7
   AROMA 8/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 8/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 13/20
Travlr (5383) - Washington, Washington DC, USA - APR 21, 2012
Draft. Very dark maroon color, scant beige head, solid lacing. Aroma of chocolate liqueur. Taste is rich, dark chocolate truffles. Nice, but simple.

3.8
   AROMA 7/10   APPEARANCE 3/5   TASTE 8/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 16/20
Nickls (1343) - SE DC, Washington DC, USA - APR 20, 2012
Tap. Thicker dark tan head; deep dark mahogany that's almost black but clearly on the browner side of things. Cocoa, soy, prunes and raisins feature in the aroma mostly but quite rich. Flavor follows he aroma profile but has more roasty qualities, some bitter chocolate and a touch on the sweeter side. Nice toasty burnt maltiness (in a good way) for the finish. Warming a a thicker silky body with fairly bright carbonation. Very good brew, but not up there with the best I've had in the style range. ---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone


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