[1] Review by Sap from Tucson, AZ, USA who has tried this beer once. (1/7/2009 8:53:55 PM)
"I risked serving this beer at around 60°F / 15.6°C and paid for it with a bit of a foam over. The beer settles into my 25cl tulip glass with a three finger (including a finger of head that resides above the rim of my glass), frothy, lightly browned, tan colored head. The beer is quite dark, but does have a touch of a burnt amber hue to it, when held up to the light it shows a brilliantly clear, deep, concentrated, ruby red hue. Up front the aroma smells of dark chocolate and roasted coffee beans, there is a sort of earthiness to the malt and an almost smoky quality to the beer. The aroma has quite a hearty malt focus to it, but there is an underlying character that peeks through at times; aromas of burnt prunes, light phenolics (which contribute to the smokiness found in the nose), as well as some woody black pepper notes and some striking orange zest aromatics that are quite noticeable once I separate them out. I like how malt focused this beer was initially and how it opens up to reveal another layer that adds to the overall complexity.
This beer is well carbonated as it foams up as it hits my mouth. The first sip is dry, with a black cocoa note and some burnt grain notes that really dry out the finish as well. The dark grain, along with likely other sources (e.g. yeast / fermentation), contributes a light tartness to this beer that also contributes to the drying effect. Releasing some of the excess, peppery carbonation smoothes out the beer quite a bit; this plays up the cocoa notes a bit, but this is still quite spicy. The spice notes make me think of pepper, perhaps a touch of clove and a definite earthy note, perhaps a touch of almost peat like smokiness too. This is definitely quite light bodied, though not watery, it is quite drinkable once you get rid of the excess carbonation.
This is quite a nice beer, the aroma is definitely a bit more interesting / complex than the flavor though. I like that it is dry, and it could almost pass for a ordinary dry stout if not for that hint of fermentation character that makes this a little something extra-ordinary."
Aroma:
8/10
Appearance:
8/10
Mouthfeel:
8/10
Flavor:
8/10
Overall:
8/10
Final Rating, by Style:
(4)
Sampled: Bottle Sample Size: 330oz @ $0 Unit Cost: $0 per Pint
[2] Review by Phil B from Gatineau, Canada who has tried this beer once. (9/19/2008 3:05:10 PM)
"Bottle: Poured a light dark color ale with a huge off-white foamy head with good retention and minimal lacing. Aroma of light bitter roasted malt is somewhat interesting. Taste is also dominated by some light roasted malt and some light hops presence. Good carbonation but body is a bit thin. As previous raters mentioned, this beer seems to be geared toward drinkability and might lack some character."
Aroma:
7/10
Appearance:
7/10
Mouthfeel:
7/10
Flavor:
7/10
Overall:
7/10
Final Rating, by Style:
(3.5)
Sampled: Bottle
Value of this beer for its style: Not Sure
[3] Review by ante from Stockholm, Sweden who has tried this beer once. (6/15/2007 9:35:37 AM)
"Black with a low light-brown foam. Licorice, coffee, salt, cookies and spices in the strong aroma. Salty flavour of licorice and tobacco with a light sweetness of dark coffee. Salty licorice in the long finish with toches of black sweet coffee and grass."
Aroma:
7/10
Appearance:
6/10
Mouthfeel:
6/10
Flavor:
7/10
Overall:
7/10
Final Rating, by Style:
(3.3)
Sampled: Forced Draught
Value of this beer for its style: Not Sure
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