3.7 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 14/20
On tap. Pours with a tan head and a very black body. Vanilla, toffee, roast and Belgian yeast on the aroma. Light citrus as well. Flavor of vanilla, tangerine, coriander, roast and tobacco. Belgian yeast. Creamy bubbles, and velvety texture. Mild alcohol presence on my empty stomach.
3.8 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20
On tap at Deep Ellum, Allston (Boston) MA, October 2009. Very dark brown with a subtle ruby tinge. Definitely chocolate orange on the nose. Also some spicy Belgian-style notes. Rich, full and fruity on the palate with more smooth chocolate and zesty orange. Not much sign of oak or vanilla for me. I enjoyed the youthful bravado of this edition at this point in its development.
3.6 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 15/20
Bottle. Brown pour, small tan head. Peaty aroma with choclate, dark fruit and vanilla. Flavor is smoky with some woody notes and chocolate. Not much orange to be honest.
3.7 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20
Pours a mostly opaque dark mahogany with a small froth of dark tan head. Aroma of toasty dark caramel and biscuity malts with some dry roasted maltiness and dark chocolate notes. Starts with good fullness and effervescent carbonation with a sweet doughy dark maltiness and some bittersweet spices and dark chocolate before a drier toasty finish. Pretty well balanced and true to style.
3.8 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20
On-tap at Cole’s. Chocolate quad. Very dark Belgian chocolate brown with thick lace. Full mouthfeel. Thick lace follows. Fruity, a sipper, there is chocolate and there is bitteress in the mouth.
3.9 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20
My Bottom Line:
Chocolate malts, lemon verbena and peppery vanilla move atop oak chip flavors in this Belgian-style Strong Ale which is more redolent of a spicy Stout than anything else.
Further Personal Perceptions:
-A creamy layer of foam covers the dark brown-hued blackness.
-The body is hefty but pillowy.
-The vanilla and French oak combine for a vinous touch in the finish.
-Roasted malts also contribute the flavor profile.
Bottle.
4.1 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20
A: Pouring into my Piraat tulip glass gives a very fluffy tan head atop a beautiful black beer.
S: The first whiff reveals tons of chocolate and dark fruits. Further sniffs give coffee, toffee, spice, and sweet malt. A mild citrus aroma is present, but certainly not a major player.
T: The flavor is very interesting. A slight coffee bitterness pairs well with sweetness from chocolate, fruit, and caramel malt. The spice is a bit more subdued than in the nose, but lends a little something to the beer.
M: This is a very full bodied beer. The carbonation is moderate and quite appropriate for this beer.
D: While this is a "Belgian" beer, the porter characteristics come through much more than the Belgian yeast and spice. This is certainly a "different" beer, but one that I enjoyed and look forward to trying with some age on it.
3.8 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20
Bottle from Frank Smith’s. Pours onyx with 2-finger brown head. Nose is a complex mix of roasty dark malt, cacao, hops, figgy fruit, licorice. Tastes dark malty, with notes of dark choc, molasses, cacao, anise, vanilla, oak, and backup coffee and hops. Gets hoppier late, with a little heat. I did not get much banana or Belgian aromas or flavors from this, and seemed to get more hops.
3.8 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 15/20
Bomber. Poured deep brown with a thick, lovely cap of dark tan head. The aroma picked up semi-sweet chocolates, molasses, and candied caramel laced with sweet, smoky earth, spicy yeast, and a touch of orange zest.. warm and welcoming on the back of the nose. The flavor opened with tangy tangerine and charred oak with rich cocoa and darker chocolates rolling onto the middle.. dark spices, yeast, and more oak surrounded.. citrus and tasty chocolates on the finish. Medium-bodied with tight carbonation on the middle and a looser feel around.. the oak and warmth were both a bit abrasive at times.. overall a decent feel and a tasty beer.
4.1 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20
22 ounce bottle from Wine Warehouse in Charlottesville, VA. Pours a very dark brown color with a large tan head. Good head retention and lacing. The aroma is very roasty with hints of smoke, caramel, chocolate and light citrus and other fruits. Tastes is strong dark chocolate and banana with other tropical fruits, citrus, leafy hops, smoke, vanilla and faint wood notes. Very smooth with a faint but lingering hop burn. Full bodied. Nice beer.
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