UPDATED: JAN 7, 2024 500 ml bottle from PakNSlave , Rangiora NZ : Copper-orange colour , big head ... chocolate , burnt toasty malt aroma , sniffing Cadbury choc ... very milo like in flavour , mellow chocolate malt ...

UPDATED: DEC 16, 2022 500ml bottle purchased in Asda, Ardrossan and sampled on the 26th November 2022. Pours ruby black in colour with a thin buff head. Malty aroma with dusty cocoa powder notes. Thin oily mouthfeel with an extremely high carbonation that fizzed on the tongue - not good! Poor lacing. Dark malts give a maltloaf base with notes of black coffee, bitter dark chocolate, burnt caramel. Slight hop prickle evident in the short bitter aftertaste. Malty finish but dry, heavy roast grain, burnt black toast, ash, and barley grain overwhelm the initial sweetness though. Once again it's either the hard water salts or the distinctive yeast strain that give that unique Batemans identification flavour stamp, I could tell blindfolded throughout their bottle range! Ticked off but not trying it again!

UPDATED: AUG 29, 2022 Started very nice indeed then became a bit ‘artificial’ . I’ll need to revisit it as I did enjoy it. Hard one to judge for me

UPDATED: JUN 11, 2022 (Bottle) Pours dark brown with tiny off white head. Nice chocolate aroma. Medium bodied with bright somewhat fizzy carbonation. Sweet, chocolate, coffee, red berries. Pleasant

UPDATED: MAY 8, 2022 # 2938; 5/2022. Aroma of chocolate and slighlty coffee. Brown body; off-white head. Sweet chocolate, coffee with milk. Good flavored stout. 0,5 l, bottle, local shop, Lincoln (Lincolnshire, England).

UPDATED: MAR 24, 2022 Bottle some months old. This is actually ok. I think more chocolate than coffee

UPDATED: JAN 18, 2022 500ml bottle & bargain priced. In NZ this is $7 when most craft 440ml cans are around $10. Pours a dark brown with a small off white head. Aroma is sweet chocolate malt. Beer is light & translucent as you tip it in the glass. They label it as beer on the front & a 'stout sensation' on the back. Too light for a stout. Taste is all sweet chocolate with a touch of hops bitterness & the some coffee at the end. Fairly true to label & cheap.

UPDATED: JAN 9, 2022 500ml bottle brewed in England at 6%. Dark brown tinted ruby with a very generous, good duration creamy dark beige head. Punchy rich chocolate powder aroma, slightly creamy, backed up with malt and coffee notes. Lowish carbonation, good mouthfeel balancing rich creamy and velvet textures with refreshing buoyancy. Creamy chocolate and slightly spicy bready malts alongside a dusting of coffee powder. Light suggestions of citrus zest in the finish, hints of red berry in the aftertaste; surprisingly light and fruity for the style. Really quite tasty, and even has some of the 'Belgian' character coming through. The adjuncts are not only quality, but mesh well with the ale. Good stuff.

UPDATED: DEC 29, 2021 Pours dark brown with a creamy tan head. Lightly sweet, fruity cocoa and coffee beans, cream and vanilla notes. Finish is white coffee. Very little bitterness, doesn't taste 'burnt' like most stouts or coffee beers. Smooth mouthfeel and light carbonation. It has a nice caffeine kick from the coffee beans, too.

UPDATED: DEC 3, 2021 500ml bottle from Co-Op, cracked and poured into a pint sleeve at our holiday lodge in Louth after a 4-hour drive. Pours a dark brown, pale mocha cream head. Aroma is nicely chocolatey. Quite a pleasant chocolatey character to taste, very mild coffee, soft grain. Not a bad beer at all, medium to light bodied, drinks very well with just enough flavours shining through.