 fordest (1954), Santee/San Diego, California, USA
| 4.4 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 9/10 | 4/5 | 9/10 | 4/5 | 18/20 |
Oct 1, 2007 Bottle shared with the rest of the line at the Alesmith BA release party. Thanks to kmweaver for providing said bottle. Dark dark pour with a decent head. Lots of dark fruit, anise, alcohol aromas. Chocolate and bitter roasted aromas in there too. Flavors were more of the same with a nice alcohol burn, but not really the flavor I expected from 16%. Very very good. Thanks again Ken for letting me use up some of my Beer Karma on this one. I will have to re-fill that soon.
kmweaver (2440), Sebastopol, California, USA
| 4.4 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 9/10 | 4/5 | 9/10 | 4/5 | 18/20 |
Oct 1, 2007 500mL bottle, shared at pre-BA Alesmith Release Wait and Taste. Pours a very dark cola brown color; medium tan head with patchy lacing. Dense, roasted / charred malts and baker’s chocolate in the aroma; pleasant citrus / grassy hops rounding things out perfectly. Exceptionally dense, generous mouthfeel: strong piney and mineral hop bite upfront, followed by dense dried fruits and nougat and roasted coffee; the coffee note isn’t over-the-top, but appears well-integrated as a warm espresso note; dense, almost vinous and tannic character; well-hopped but not over-hopped; one of the best imperial stouts I’ve had; beautifully done. Lengthy, dense dark chocolate and dried dark fruit finish. Looking forward to rating an entire bottle of this.
WeeHeavySD (2961), San Diego (Hillcrest), California, USA
| 4 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 8/10 | 5/5 | 8/10 | 5/5 | 14/20 |
Sep 30, 2007 Updated: Mar 10, 2008Consumed @ Alesmith BA release, thanks whomever brought the bottle. Pours black with a creamy light brown head. The nose was sweet and robust and forboding. Taste was huge, @ 2ish in the afternoon a 16% beer can kick your ass. Powerful gnarley coffee taste. Killer
xnoxhatex (1305), Grand Rapids/Chicago, Michigan, USA
| 4.2 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 9/10 | 4/5 | 8/10 | 3/5 | 18/20 |
Sep 30, 2007 Bottle #02173 shared with Drewbeerme, Holdenn and Johnycorkscrew Opaque black with small burnt coffee head. Dark roasted malt aroma with minor alc, fruity yeast, dark chocolate, little coffe, roasted sugar, amazing. Flavor is sweet roasted malt that easily overpowers the slight coffee taste, only mild alc which is surprising seeing that this is a 16% beer. Medium body that was a little syrupy. I actually like the aroma more than the flavor which is saying a lot because this beer tasted very amazing. To quote johnycorkscrew "smurf-rific."
thewolf (5725), Kolding, Denmark
| 4.4 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 9/10 | 5/5 | 8/10 | 5/5 | 17/20 |
Sep 30, 2007 Bottle @ ChristianScheffel tasting. [thank you, Christian]
Pours thick oily and pitch black. Light beige creamy head. Fantastic complex nose, chocolate, alcohol, prunes, vanilla, toffee and a little coffee. Nice oily palate. Flavour is very complex, but perhaps a little too much alcohol, that takes away a little of the nuances. It also feels a little rough around the edges, but a few years of cellaring might do it good. But it is still brilliant.
drewbeerme (2272), Chicago, Illinois, USA
| 4.2 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 8/10 | 5/5 | 8/10 | 4/5 | 17/20 |
Sep 30, 2007 Updated: Jan 28, 2008500ml 1. edition bottle, pours black with tan creamy head. nose is pretty awesome, dark chocolate, toffee, coffee, roast, sugars, and alcohol. flavor is really complex, with a lot going on here, complex sugars, chocolate, coffee, roasty, toffee, alcohol. the heat is well hidden considering it’s 16%abv but it is something you can taste at times. i found this to be every bit as complex as dark lord w/ more noticible alcohol. worthy of top 50 for sure. i’d love to have this blind with dark lord, expedition stout, and world wide stout. maybe some day. i bet i’d really get into this with a few years of age on it.
Stine (1380), St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
| 4 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 8/10 | 4/5 | 8/10 | 4/5 | 16/20 |
Sep 29, 2007 Updated: Sep 30, 2007Full black pour, slightly thinner than oil, with a reticent head of a chocolate milk color. Aroma of dark berries and brisket, rich chocolate, loud alcohol, and foliage. Sweet, nutty tones of almond and pistachio. Doughy rum-laden chocolate chip cookies and overbaked brownies fill in the end. Green apple peel and maple syrup lead the flavor with a young, sweet punch. Rich cinnamon-tinted port and malbec defines it for the most part; beneath this is a rounded density of flourless chocolate cake and a touch of pineapple. Coffee contributes a mild citrusy acidity and rich roast. Alcohol is well-restrained, its heat settling in with a soft black pepper touch; in general, the booze is palpably felt, but there’s such a weight of malty strength underneath that this is more of a pleasant accent than a distraction. Viscous force is tempered with the finesse of a suggestively aged smooth texture. Warming is just a little harsh at the finish. Pulses with bitter dark chocolate and generic whiskey heat. So intense and monstrous; nuanced complexity is already apparent. Indisputably, one that will age gracefully; such that the spirit-like finishing burn has the chance to subdue itself a little.
wetherel (1591), Encinitas, California, USA
| 4.8 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 10/10 | 5/5 | 10/10 | 4/5 | 19/20 |
Sep 29, 2007 Updated: Oct 4, 2007Tasted from bomber at Alesmith release, courtesy of kmweaver. Thanks Ken! There sometimes comes a beer where there’s no question it should be in the top 50 list. Dark Horizon is one of those awesome beers. Wow, what a great smell that clears your nose. Alchohol is present, but in a unusually pleasant way as it is combined with sweet molasses and caramel notes. Lots of complexity in the flavor meld with sweetness. Black color, small tan head, microbubble lacing. Tempted to give the palate a 5 as well.
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