UPDATED: FEB 12, 2024 12 oz. Aroma has notes of milk chocolate, coffee, vanilla, wet stone, butterscotch. Pours dark brown to black with a one finger beige head that falls into a ring pretty quickly. Taste is moderately sweet, moderately bitter, with flavors of coffee, bourbon barrel, butterscotch.

UPDATED: JAN 12, 2024 2023/2024 version on tap. Big full pour pint for 4 dollars. 12.4%. Big, heavy stuff. Rich chocolate, steady barrel, not super defined there...mild Rye notes for sure still, just clearly blended down. Good, better for the price.

UPDATED: JAN 2, 2024 12-ounce bottle, listed as 12.4% on the bottle (rather than the 12.9% noted here), pours black with a tiny bit of chestnut highlights when held up to very bright light, a trace of creamy brown head and lacing. Aroma: molasses, balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, prune juice, black coffee. Flavor: intense sweetness up front -- molasses, dark brown sugar, caramelized balsamic vinegar, dark chocolate -- balanced with espresso with cream, burnt rye toast, fresh-cracked black pepper, toasted coconut, black licorice, vanilla beans, tamari, figs, dates, wooden char, rye whiskey -- so much layered flavor here! Mouthfeel: full-bodied, velvety, creamy finish; boozy warmth at the close, yet alcohol is well-hidden. An excellent winter sipper by the fireplace.

UPDATED: DEC 25, 2023 12oz bottle pours out dark brown almost black topped with a tan head. Nose is nice chocolate rich coffee roast malts and a bourbon barrel kick. Taste is more of the nice sweet chocolate roast malts rich bourbon barrel.

UPDATED: DEC 25, 2023 12oz bottle at share. Dark brown pour, small bubbly head. Aroma is roasty, coffee and sweet. Taste is roasty coffee, sweet, alcohol heat rising up at the back.

UPDATED: DEC 11, 2023 Pours an opaque, pitch-black coloration with a medium, creamy head. Smells of roasted, caramel malt, chocolate, coffee and charred, bourbon-soaked oak. Taste is an excellent balance of roasted, caramel malt, chocolate, tobacco, ash and lighter vanilla and coffee, with hints of plum, raisin and rye spice, as well as some charred, bourbon-soaked oak. Finishes with a medium bitterness and some chocolate, tobacco, ash and charred oak lingering in the aftertaste. Full mouthfeel with a rich body and medium/low carbonation. I would have loved to try this next to KBS as these are close contenders to me in terms of value for money and availability (from a US perspective), as well as KBS being one of my all-time-favorites. What I love about this one is the quite roasted and bitter character, which is enhanced by the charred oak and rye spice, although at about a year old, there is little coffee left here, which is a bit of a shame. It also doesn't seem quite as rich in body, mouthfeel and bourbon-presence as I remember KBS being, although my impression may be colored by nostalgia here. Overall, this makes for a terrific BBA Stout that doesn't quite live up to KBS for me though.

UPDATED: NOV 8, 2023 Draught @ George Keeley, Manhattan (Feb 2023). Listed as 13.1% ABV. Opaque dark brown with very small frothy beige head, mocha-rum aroma, low carbonation, bitter woodsy mocha taste with alcohol overtones, bourbon flavor, thin body, long bitter finish with alcohol aftertaste. Quite strong.

UPDATED: OCT 31, 2023 Taste and aroma of malt, hops and yeast. A little bitter. Follow me @ Kung av öl @ Facebook and Instagram for more pictures and ratings.

UPDATED: OCT 28, 2023 A really nice beer, just properly made. Nothing pokey or intense. Just everything well balanced in proper proportion. Beertemple ams

UPDATED: OCT 4, 2023 Tap at the BeerTemple, with Mattihijs, 4th October 23. Pours a black beer. Aroma is coffee, chocolate, taste is bitter chocolate and coffee, roasted malts, not too sweet.