3.5 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 14/20
My Bottom Line:
Licorice and coffee beans are supported by caramel in this rich yet approachable Imperial Stout.
Further Personal Perceptions:
-A crown of foam sits atop the brown-hued blackness.
-Alcohol offers a bit of warmth in the flavor profile.
-Carbonation is relatively low.
-The nose is rather enticing, showcasing this beer’s idiosyncrasies.
-This is not one of those über-heavy examples.
On tap at Watering Hole, 15 month-old version.
3.3 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 14/20
Tap at Watering Hole, Tokyo. Black colour with a small beige head. Aroma strong in chocolate syrup. Flavour of smoked malt, chocolate. Rather thin and bland. Had expected more from a 15 month matured one.
3.5 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 14/20
Valentin 2013 version.
Yeasty aroma, but chocolate malt and dark fruit aroma in background. Alcoholic aroma and subtle hop character.
Opaque black body and tan-colored head.
Chocolate flavor just like a coffee but hot alcoholic.
Creamy moth feel but full body.
Good beer, but more aging will give an excellent result.
4.1 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20
Draught at 1020. 14 month aged version. This name is what they are calling it at the brewery. Black with lace. Hoppy nose—grass and citrus, still great character after all this time from the Nelson Sauvin dry hopping. Licorice, coffee, and berries as well, but the hops predominate. Bready flavor, like black German rye, with coffee, chocolate, and good hop flavor. Excellently integrated and complex. Delicious stuff. Completely different from the first version, so I put it in as a different beer.
3.5 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 14/20
Very solid chocolate/roast nose. Served with no head, very little carbonation. Decent body if a bit light. More a big stout than anything - chocolate, dark fruits and a light espresso finish. Decent.
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