Saint Arnold Divine Reserve #5

Courtesy of After4ever, thank you Tom! It’s pitch black and the head is nougat-colored, small, creamy, lasting and the mouthfeel is oily. The aroma has notes of dark fruits like figs and prunes, licorice, caramel and chocolate. The flavour has a light sweetness, a roasted bitterness and notes of roasted malt, chocolate, sweet licorice, dark fruits and it ends on a bitter and slightly dry note – it’s full-bodied and complex and nice!

Black with a thick black brown head. Really nice looking beer, first one I saw at the tasting, but I saved it to next to last and it was worth it. Flavor is huge with a rich dark chocolate taste and some coffee flavors at the end. Good smell and a thick body.

Courtesy of Quake1028. Also got one from Santa. The aroma is fudgie, cakey, brownie sweet with lots of varied chocolate aromas and even a hint of lightly spiced brown sweet bread. I am a sucker for a sweet beer on occasion so this bodes well. The body is black with a fairly lasting, thick mocha head. Lots of dark roasted malt in the fore followed by a sort of stewed veggie flavor, dark chocolate, dark fruits, a decent alcohol punch, cocoa and tons of roasty/toasty malt notes. Decent but doesn’t quite match the aroma for me. Nice on the whole.

Big thanks to Zinister for the beer. The bottle looks simple, but good. The beer in the glass is deep-black, not much foam. Very complex aroma, like wooh, hoppy and a bit chemically. Tastes woody and earthy, not very sweet, finish is malty and dry. Well balanced but also a bit boring. Had better Imperial Stouts!

Sampled at Bockyhorsey’s Bocky Bash on 7-5-08. Deep black pour with a small creamy brown head. Sweet aromas of roasted nuts and malt, brown sugar and coffee. Flavor is big on coffee and chocolate, with some spice and hops at the end. A bit lighter flavor than many IS’s, but still thick on the palate. Pretty good.