3.6 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20
Pours black with cappuccino head.Aroma is chocolate, roasted coffee, and a bit of toffee. Taste is dark chocolate, black coffee, and hops. This beer has a full body with a creamy texture and a long bitter finish.
4.2 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20
Tasted on 3/1/12 from a 22oz bomber bottle purchased at Discount Liquor, this one has been sitting around in the cellar for a while, probably a 2010 bottling. Pours a completely opaque, nearly black, dark brown, with an average brown head that slowly recedes to average lace. The nose is rich, dark, and malty, with tons of dark chocolate syrup, coffee, some toasted cocoa nib bitterness, and herbal green hops underlying. The flavor is the same with dark chocolate syrup, molasses, toasted cocoa nibs, coffee, green hops, and a touch of vanilla. The body is very full and creamy with lighter than average, but still stinging carbonation, and a very long molasses, toasted cocoa nib, and bitter green hops finish.
3.2 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 4/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 14/20
Vintage 2009
Purchased fresh @ Village Market Place, Somersworth NH
Price - $5.80/bomber
Pours black with deep amber edges when held up to the light. A thin creamy tan head forms but quickly retreats to a thin veil. Spotty lacing and fine bubbles keep me staring at the glass.
A full nose of aroma starts out with sweet chocolate, dark fruit, molasses and cinnamon. A big coffee expresso finish and some hops help balance it out to a near perfect smell.
The taste is sweet upfront with dark fruit but quickly changes to bitter with dark bakers chocolate, roasted malt and licorice. Ends with a vanilla alcohol aftertaste.
Mouthfeel is smooth and creamy with a thick chewy finish. You can really feel the hop presence with both bitter and dryness in the finish.
I’ve had issues with this beer over the years being just too damn hot fresh, so I decided to age this one for a couple of years and revisit it. It’s smoother with a few years on it and much more enjoyable. I’m really impressed with how well this beer ages. And well priced to boot.
4.4 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 18/20
Bouteille 22 oz. Nez de chocolat noir, d’espresso et un peu d’anis. Bouche cremeuse de chocolat noir, moka avec une finale houblonnee. Finale longue. Beaucoup de matiere. Excellent!
3.6 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20
22oz bottle, 2011 vintage. Black color, small amount of very nice-looking brown head. Great lace. Really big and thick creamy body. Very light and crisp carbonation. Bitter and boozy taste. Chocolate aroma, roasty malts. Great with a toasted Jimmy John’s Italian Night sub. Tasty and complex, but unfortunately the alcohol wamrth is a bit to strong for the brew to back up.
2.8 AROMA 3/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 11/20
Pours a thick, non-transparent dark black with a dark Carmel foam head that stays on the top of the brew. Smells strongly of alcohol, carmel, and dark fruits. The dark fruits i’m thinking plum here dominate the taste as well the alcohol. Can also taste Carmel and coffee, sweet and boozy. The small hops bitter presence finishes the beer but I can still taste that alcohol. Not so great..
3.1 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 5/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 11/20
UPDATED: JUN 9, 2012 A: Dark brown/black body... thin tan head..
S: Lots of malts... caramel. coffee. chocolate. and an odd fruity citrus bitterness... pleasant though.
T: Mostly caramel and chocolate in the taste... but the coffee is certainly there... way too hoppy for my liking when paired with those darker flavors... out of balance..
M: Smooth. thick.. slightly off putting bitterness
O: The taste holds this one back substantially
4 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 15/20
Smutty continues to be great at dark beers. This one is no exception. Really rough and bold but still quite good. Taste is bitter and hoppy with great burnt/roasted tones. Not a fast drinker but a great beer nonetheless.
3.1 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 8/20
It tasted to hopped for its profile but they did give me fare warning.-eight pounds of an even mixture of Centennial and Columbus whole flowers, about one pound per barrel. The beer is a little top heavy in terms of the hopping but it seems to be smoothing out a bit as it’s aging. I’d give it six months or so, if you can wait that long. If not, hey, enjoy it anyway.
2.7 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 4/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 10/20
I don’t understand how this beer has received such amazing reviews. Pours a very dark brown with a monstrous tan head. Smells of cardboard, cacao, and ass. Taste was very unimpressive and extremely linear. I couldn’t tell if I was drinking stale coffee from a convenience store or beer. I feel odd because of the 100% rating but I have to give this brew two thumbs down. Sorry Smutty.
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