Served in a snifter at the Rock Bottom in Cincinnati. Appears a very dark brown/black with a slight head the completely disappears before I can begin to drink it. Smell is entirely roasted malts with a slight hint of alchol. This is your standard imperial stout. Nothing else added to spice it up. Not a lot of cocoa or anything else to experience. It is a really solid imperial stout that is true to the style. While I would appreciate it more with some coffee undertones or more of a hop profile, this isn’t a bad offering and one of the better beers I’ve had at the Cincy Rock Bottom. It’s very smooth and drinkable, which at almost 8% is very dangerous. If you find yourself at Rock Bottom and this is offered, it’s the best choice going.

Draught at Rock Bottom Cincinnati on 2/20/2007... Tasting notes: "Black Bull Imperial Stout" is near black in color. It is nitro induced, so it has an extremely dense, creamy, and lasting mocha-colored head. The aroma is mostly dark chocolate with roasted malt and light fruitiness. Rich chocolate, coffee, roasted malt, and just a touch of alchohol round out the mildly complex flavor. Medium to full body, very smooth and creamy on the palate. This was my favorite beer of the night (well, maybe a tie with the cask ales). It is a very good stout that I’d like to have again...

Pours a dark brown with a hint of red and a caramel head. Is that a bit of cherry I smell? Oh, I believe it is. And the taste....well a bit of chocolate to go with that cherry flavoring. A bit of a bitter aftertaste at the finish was not preferable. Maybe this one was a bit too sweet for what I expected, but all in all it was unique and I do appreciate that.

Draft at brewpub at 48 F. Poured a black color with an average creamy light brown head that mostly diminished and produced minimal lacing. Heavy roasted molasses aroma. Medium to full body with a smooth texture. Good complex roasted flavor with a medium burnt finish of moderate duration. Good complex brew.

This was not called the Oaked Version, so a new listing was appropriate. Had this on tap on 12/26. Poured black in color with a nice brown head. I noticed the smell of a bit of roasted nut. I also noted some smell of something similar to black licorice. In fact, that taste seemed to be the flavor of the beer as well, black licorice, with some coffee taste in the background. Needless to say, I don’t like black licorice, so I had a hard time stomaching this one.