 JorisPPattyn (4282), Antwerpen, Belgium
Feb 27, 2008
Draught Dark beige, very dense creamy head over black beer, reflecting light, some lace. Hoppy nose, with dry coffee, but especially superb USA-hops; drying grapes on straw. Extremely roasted, nearly roast beef-crust like. Bitter chocolate, sweet lining as sugared cappucino. Hops are discreet, but definitely still there. Full bodied, totally velvety-viscous, nearly chewy. A very good I.S. Maybe there’s better around, but then again, not much.
thomat (565), Göteborg, Sweden
Sep 7, 2008 Dark brown with a heavy brown head. Malty with flowery notes. Malt, hops and some sourness. Full body with a very complex, bitter-sweet finish.
caesar (2514), Zeist, Netherlands
Sep 6, 2008 Bottled, thx to joes. Dark color, thick brown head. Malty aroma, loads of cherry pits, alcohol, some vanilla. Sourish cherry taste, very heavy, combined with dark chocolat bitterness. Really strange, though good balance. However, this beer for me is not even top50 material.
skortila (2400), Bunnik, Netherlands
Sep 6, 2008 Bottled. Tnx Joes! Aroma has vanilla, chocolate, fruits (cherry!) and a hint of butter. Black coloured beer with an off-white/beige head. Taste is quite bitter, sweet, even a slight sour touch. Cherry, vanilla and chocolate dominate. Good body. Very special beer, but do clue how to rate it. Certainly need to drink this another time.
Old_Mr_Crow (1016), Seattle, Washington, USA
Sep 6, 2008 Bottle courtesy of BeerExchange -- thank you so much for landing the long-anticipated gem in my hands.
Pitch black with a lovely tan head, beautiful. Rich complex aroma with - atop the more expected roasts (which, by the way, are not so strong) a perfumed sweetness that is unusual but entrancing, like rose candies, and an earthiness that is extremely rare in the American versions of the style with which I am most familar. At first I’m taken aback by the powerful carbonation, but the soon mellows, leaving no sign of the 13% it supposedly packs. No heat here at all. Lots of baker’s chocolate but not a roast coffee bomb at all, laid back hops by west-coast standards allow the rich dried fruit to come through beautifully. Just a hint of sourness, very subtle, some cherry, again earthy....beautiful.
All together, this is splendid. I hope it becomes more readily available in the US....
Thomas_E (5037), Copenhagen, Denmark
Sep 4, 2008 Black colour with a dense brown head. Roasted coffee bitter aroma with earthy and chocolate sweet notes and hints of wood, yeast and hops. Roasted, coffee bitter flavor with earthy notes and a touch of some chocolate sweetness, huints of wood. Light dry, earthy finish with a vague tobacco note. Superb!
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