8.1

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8.5

12 ounce can into tulip glass, canned in 7/2019. Pours opaque dark brown/black color with a 2 finger fairly dense/creamy/rocky khaki head with fantastic retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lasts. Dense foamy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Fantastic appearance. Aromas of big juicy, lightly tart/tangy red/black raspberries, fruit skin/seeds, milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, roasted nuts, toasted biscuit, and dark bread/crust; with lighter notes of dark fruit, smoke, charcoal, wood, herbal, grass, pepper and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of raspberries, dark/roast/black/bready malts, and light-moderate earthy hop notes; with big strength. Taste of big juicy, lightly tart/tangy red/black raspberries, fruit skin/seeds, milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, roasted nuts, toasted biscuit, and dark bread/crust; with lighter notes of dark fruit, smoke, charcoal, wood, herbal, grass, pepper and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness. Light-moderate herbal, woody, grassy, peppery, roast, charred bitterness; and light fruit tang/tartness on the finish. Lingering notes of tart/tangy red/black raspberries, fruit skin/seeds, milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, roasted nuts, toasted biscuit, and dark bread/crust, dark fruit, smoke, charcoal, wood, herbal, grass, pepper and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Awesome complexity, robustness, and balance of raspberries, dark/roast/black/bready malts, and light-moderate earthy hop flavors; with a fantastic roast/hop bitter/sweet, and tart/tangy fruit balance; with no cloying, acrid, astringent flavors after the finish. Lightly increasing dryness from lingering bitterness and tart/tangy fruit. Medium-plus carbonation and medium-full body; with a very smooth, creamy/silky/bready, fairly sticky/chalky, and lightly acidic/tangy/tannic mouthfeel that is fantastic. Minimal warming alcohol for 9%. Overall this is an outstanding fruited imperial black ale. All around awesome complexity, robustness, and balance of raspberries, dark/roast/black/bready malts, and light-moderate earthy hop flavors; very smooth and dangerously easy to drink for the big ABV, with the mellowly bitter/tart/tangy/drying finish. Fantastic soft feel for the style; not overly bitter/charred, or overdone on fruit. Awesome balance of juicy/jammy raspberries and rich malt complexity; with great earthy hop presence/balance. Light residual sweetness with lingering dryness. A highly enjoyable offering, and really impressive base style example.