 frankenkitty (1789), Oak Lawn, Illinois, USA
Nov 14, 2006
Pours as a black tarpit of sludge before a reverse cascade eeks out a one-finger head the color of chocolate milk. Slow and sticky legs linger when swirled, yet surprisingly little lace is produced. I leave the room for awhile and return to find a huge aroma that literally meets me at the door. Like a <a href=www.ratebeer.com/><a href=http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e0/JapanSumoMatch.jpg>sumo showdown, a fat (yet muscular) whisky character grapples for dominance with a hefty helping of coffee roasts. Deeper investigation reveals peppery hops and juicy dark fruits. A thick, silky mouthfeel is a lazy river to a languid riverboat of flavor. Tastes like the coffeepot’s been on the stove all day but a square of dark chocolate cuts the bitterness. Alcohol returns late as a backwash through the sinuses to wake you up... as if the coffee hasn’t already. Flavors linger with a hint of burnt sourness, but another sip washes it back away to the thick bittersweetness of moccaccino. It was a real pleasure drinking this Top 50 beer, now stand back as I turn up my speakers (Rating #1300)...
<font size=-4>Bottle thanks to <a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/View-User-14352.htm>Cornfield.
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Suds_McDuff (976), was CapeTown,SA-now Houston,TX, Texas, USA
Jul 21, 2008 big thank you to stumac for bringing this over!! ..Dispenses into the glass and you immediately smell lots of tar,bourbon, smoked wood, chocolate... complex from the get go .... wow, this has a big bold delicious complex flavour profile ... vanilla, bourbon,smoke flavours ... complex and fuckin wicked stuff ... a joy to drink .. lots of sweet alcohol but it works so wonderfully!! ..been wanting to try this for years and it didn’t disappoint...
slimchill (604), Austin, Texas, USA
Jul 20, 2008 Bottle from dchmela (endless thanks!). Pours inky thick, completely black, forming a big head of bubbles that dissipate with a slip of the glass upward or downward in trails. The head has a ruby tint and laces astonishingly well. Aroma is complex and inviting, at times giving way mostly to bourbon and coffee, but then letting oak and vanilla seep in, only to be further intensified by fruit notes (cherries and raspberries). Mouthfeel is just right, thick but not heavy, light enough to give a perfect background to the massive depth of the beer. The flavor is just as complex and offers up much of the same, impressive and in perfect balance. Mildly bitter roastiness compliments alcoholic bourbon and chocolate/cherry sweetness. The flavors sweep across the tongue and leave behind only slight tinges of chocolate and coffee, an alcoholic heaviness, and the delightful sense of having experienced something very special. As the beer warms and the glass drains, the alcohol presence becomes more noticeable and takes away only slightly from the overall impression.
MartiniFiend (66), Mount Horeb, Wisconsin, USA
Jul 14, 2008 Bottle. Pours dark brown almost black with no head. Wood and smoke aroma also the borboun gives it a alchohol smell. Thick and creamy to the palate. Flavor starts out a mix between wood and smoke followed by a slight alcohol middle with a bitter finish.
mcbackus (566), Merritt Island, Florida, USA
Jul 12, 2008 bottle: pours perfectly black with a small dark tan head. aroma is of bitter chocoalte and coacoa powder, small amount of coffee grounds and a good wiff of vanilla. the wiskey hints come out at the end and make me happy. the flavour is superb with great hits of the oak and wiskey that flows into the vanilla of the barrel and the grea chocolate then comes out as a bitter sweet treat. ths is followed by a great hint of espresso, the beer finishes fantasticly and goes down as easy as can be. awesome!
browner (31), Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, USA
Jul 12, 2008 Wow what a treat...the dark, rich pour has a nice brown head. Really exciting on draft, you can smell the bourbon bfore you get close to the nose. Very strong whiskey overtones with the traditional notes of coffee, vanilla and chocolate. The expresso type notes and boozy liquid flavor really stands up to define its seasonal release. Big winner in the tough world of Imperial Stouts.
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