 Quake1028 (627), Tampa, Florida, USA
Dec 18, 2007
Bottle #01376
You have no idea how much it pained me to open this one. At $20 it’s not terribly expensive, but still the most I have paid for a single beer. Chugs out of the bottle with an inky, midnight black body. No light is getting through this puppy anywhere. Medium sized tan head. Mostly lasting with some decent lacing. Nose is very boozy, as expected. Reminded me specifically of isopropyl rubbing alcohol. Once you get past that, there is a nice blend of coffee, dark chocolate, roasted malts and some fruitiness. Loads of chocolate and coffee beans dominate the flavor profile, with a roasty backing from the malts and again a tartness from some fruity notes. Raisins and figs become more apparent as the beer warms up. This beer definitely needs to be consumed on the warm side. Even a slightly cooler than optimal temperature caused the beer to feel painfully thin bodied. Once it warmed, it did fill out quite a bit, very oily and viscous, but still lacking a bit of the chewiness and roundness I like from Imperial Stouts. Lengthy finish, with fusel alcohol, raisins, bakers chocolate and bittersweet chocolate. Good stuff, hopefully I will get a chance to try one with a few years on it, because I think this one has a lot of room to grow.
ketchepillar (250), Des Moines, Iowa, USA
Aug 29, 2008 Rating #250. Bottle no. Not much head, oily. Aroma is good, very sugary, alcohol, chocolate, and a bit smoky. Very velvety but alcohol is a bit harsh. Taste is more vinous than the aroma, but not all that much.
hillfiiiiire (163), Atoka, Tennessee, USA
Aug 29, 2008 Thanks to BOLTZ7555 for this one! Pours pitch black with a tan finger head. Aroma is chocolate, licorice, and a touch of coffee and by far the best quality of the beer for me. Flavor is like a mellowed shot of espresso with licorice notes. The alcohol is really a kick in the mouth for me though a detracts from the overall experience of the beer. It is nice and smooth on the palate though. Quite delicious.
crowderm (156), St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
Aug 29, 2008 Pours a gooey pitch black with a dark tan head. Very hardy, but balanced aroma - toffee, brown sugar, rum, chocolate, coffee and a hint of dark fruit blend together very nicely. Similarly, the flavor is very bold, but superbly balanced. A big brown sugar sweetness hits the tongue first, followed by a slightly vinous bitterness that fades quickly into very satisfying chocolate/coffee finish. As the flavor continues to fade the rum-like alcohol notes take over, but never to an overwhelming degree. I will say however, that if you wait too long between sips, the flavor in ones mouth turns to straight alcohol - drink slowly, but not too slowly I guess. Despite that gripe at the end, this is an awesome beer.
deft (60), Sweden
Aug 24, 2008 Sampled at 3 små rum, thanks Reza. Hazy reddish black with tan head. Roasted malts and coffee aroma, some sweet chocolate. Taste is similar and very enjoyable. Very very long aftertaste, wonderfully balanced. Warming alohol tickle but no apparant alcohol taste. Smooth and thick. Oh yes.
fb (49), Norway
Aug 23, 2008 Bottle 50cl, #00203, after about 1 year of storage. This is a spectacular beer. I am very happy to have another 18 bottles left.
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