Score
7.24
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Bottle. Light wood ash and caramel chocolate malt aroma. Dark brown with moderate head. Sweet creamy chocolate fudge malt and lightly bitter hay/ash flavor. Smooth and full-bodied.
750 ml bottle into tulip glass; no bottle dating, but is a recent release. Pours crystal clear nearly opaque dark brown color with a 1-2 finger fairly dense khaki head with good retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Light spotty lacing clings on the glass, with some light streaming carbonation. Aromas of milk chocolate, cocoa, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, toast, brown bread, raisin, plum, fig, nuttiness, herbal, and yeast earthiness. Nice and pleasant aromas with good balance and complexity of dark/bready malt, cocoa, and fruity yeast ester notes; with solid strength. Taste of big milk chocolate, cocoa, caramel, brown sugar, toast, toffee, brown bread, nuttiness, raisin, plum, fig, herbal, and yeast/toasted earthiness. Minimal earthy bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of milk chocolate, cocoa, caramel, brown sugar, toast, toffee, brown bread, raisin, plum, fig, nuttiness, herbal, and yeast/toasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Damn nice complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/bready malt, cocoa, and fruity yeast ester flavors; with no cloying sweetness after the finish. Medium carbonation and medium-full bodied; with a very smooth, fairly creamy, and lightly slick/bready mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is well hidden with no warming present after the finish. Overall this is a very nice imperial brown ale. All around good complexity and balance of dark/bready malt, cocoa, and fruity yeast ester flavors; and very smooth to drink for the ABV. A very enjoyable offering.