 Goodgrief (1144), Middletown, Delaware, USA
Feb 23, 2008 Beer pours immensely dark brown with ruby highlights, deep brown head and decent lacing. Strong coffee aroma with hints of chocolate. Flavor was just superb, excellent quality coffee (label said Jamaican Blue Mountain), full and rich on the tongue. Also noticeably present were some pine-like hops, chocolate and a very strong presence of caramel malts. If this beer were dialed back just a tad on those caramel malts (it made the beer a bit too sweet), this would have been the "Imperial Stout to Beat" on my list...but alas, that still belongs to Speedway, but this isn’t far behind.
BlackForestCO (819), Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
Feb 21, 2008 Updated: Mar 21, 200905 bottle thanks to drewbeerme. Thanks for this awesome beer, Drew. Poured a deep brown/black color with a thin tan head. Aroma of coffee, roast, and a bit of chocolate. Flavor of sweet chocolate malt, roasted coffee, caramel, slight green taste, and a nice dry finish. Smooth, creamy, and easy drinking. No sign of the 12% alcohol. Thanks again Drew, great beer.
joekfsu (138), Boardman, Ohio, USA
Feb 20, 2008 12 oz on tap at Vintage. Pours nearly black with less than 1 cm tan head. Aroma dominated by coffee with some hints of roasted malt and alcohol. Initial flavor is bitter coffee and light chocolate and not much else. Flavor ends much the same way and is lasting. Lots of lacing, minimal carbonation, medium/heavy body, and alcohol is well hidden considering its 12%. Very drinkable, but I prefer the Bell’s Java to this one.
ajm (903), Los Angeles, California, USA
Feb 19, 2008 Tap, Publick House Brookline. I was very underwhelmed. This doesn’t hold a candle to Victory at Sea. I would sure love to try it again to make sure.
kmeves (1080), Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin, USA
Feb 19, 2008 Dark oil color with quite a bit of amber hued head. Awesome aroma of coffee beans, licorice and malt. Flavor is a lovely blend of the aforementioned aromas. Very thick and chewy body with really well hidden alcohol.
xnoxhatex (1305), Grand Rapids/Chicago, Michigan, USA
Feb 16, 2008 22oz bottle from WLV, Chicago. Pitch black with medium tan head. Big sour coffee aroma, fresh pine, dry malt, roast and chocolate. Sprucey flavor with coffee, cherry, roasty, chocolate, medium hop bitterness. Medium to full creamy body. Very well balanced but I really can’t get over that spruce.
Cornfield (4892), Oak Forest, Illinois, USA
Feb 15, 2008 Appearing to be black in the glass, the body does show some mahogany in the edges when held up to the light. Its modest bubbly tan head soon transforms into a slender ring leaving only spotty lacing in his wake. The aroma reminds me of a heavy Turkish coffee that a friend of Magyar descent used to use for her readings of coffee grounds. On top of that, add some hard roasted barley, anise, burnt hard nuts, and a dab of bittersweet chocolate. Oddly it seems a bit thin, but the alcohol slowly begins to char the tongue upon first sip. The melding of these sensations into the flavor seems to work well. There’s an added touch of vanilla, a drop or two of dark molasses, a woody bitterness, and an intensifying of the alcohol. I’m not a big fan of coffee Stouts, but this one works. <font size=-4><a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/Places/ShowPlace.asp?PlaceID=18> Sam’s Wine & Spirits, Chicago, IL<font size=-1>
jblendy (518), Midland Park, New Jersey, USA
Feb 14, 2008 Winter 2008 batch...Pours almost black with a moderate bubbly brown head. Aroma is a bit reserved, but otherwise has notes of dark roasted coffee, chocolate, a bit of vanilla, and very noticeable alcohol. Tons of sweetened coffee/espresso right upfront, followed by a mixture of vanilla and molasses that slowly gives way to the alcohol. Palate is full, creamy/oily, with lingering coffee bitterness, and a good bit of warming alcohol.
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