8

Appearance - 10 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8

10 November 2022. At Alesmith's Speedway Grand Prix, San Diego. Shared with the lovely Anke!

A: cloudy black, stable, foamy, dark beige head.
A: bourbon & green apple, pear, date, wet wood, vanilla.
T: sweet pear, green apple, spicy rye & coffee.
F: peppery hops, spicy rye, bitter wood & warming bourbon alcohol.
P: Full body, oily texture, average carbonation.
Intense, but too young after the bourbon treatment.

8.3

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8

5 year old bottle (2017). Pours pitch black and a brownish head that quickly recedes to a small layer. Aroma's: boozy alcohol, whiskey, soy sauce, roasted, coffee, sweetish, dark fudge, dark chocolate. Retronasal it's boozy at first, then whiskey, chocolate, molasses, coffee, roast. Flavour is light moderate sweet and moderate roasty bitter, a bit alcoholic, dark chocolate. Medium bodied. Alcohol feel is quite moderate for its 13%ABV. Long finish with lots of roast, moderate bitter. I did like the bourbon BA version better, but to be fair, that bottle was a lot younger.

9.3

Appearance - 10 | Aroma - 9 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 10 | Overall - 9

Bottle thanks Asbjørn! Pours pitch black with a small brown head. Aromas of vanilla, fudge, spicy rye, milk chocolate, light roast. Taste has lots of vanilla, coconut, fudge, milk chocolate, light fruity coffee, subtle spice, light bready malty notes. Winner winner chicken dinnah!

8.5

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 9

750 ml bottle into snifter, 2016 vintage. Pours opaque dark brown/black color with a 1 finger fairly dense and fluffy tan head with solid retention, that reduces to a this cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a moderate amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of big dark chocolate, cocoa, dark roasted coffee, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, vanilla, spicy rye whiskey, toasted oak, fudge, roasted nuts, and dark/brown bread/crust; with lighter notes of coconut, licorice, molasses, raisin, prune, cherry, fig, date, smoke, char, leather, tobacco, herbal, grass, pepper, and yeast/roast/oaky earthiness. Light increasing booze in the aromas as it warms, but not overwhelming. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of dark/black/roast/bready malts, coffee, rye whiskey barrels, and light fruity yeast/earthy hop notes; with big strength. Taste of huge dark chocolate, cocoa, dark roasted coffee, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, vanilla, spicy rye whiskey, toasted oak, fudge, roasted nuts, and dark/brown bread/crust; with lighter notes of coconut, licorice, molasses, raisin, prune, cherry, fig, date, smoke, char, leather, tobacco, herbal, grass, pepper, and yeast/roast/oaky earthiness. Mild herbal, grassy, roast, char bitterness; and rye whiskey/oak tannin spiciness on the finish. Lingering notes of dark chocolate, cocoa, dark roasted coffee, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, vanilla, spicy rye whiskey, toasted oak, fudge, roasted nuts, dark/brown bread/crust, coconut, licorice, molasses, dark fruit, smoke, char, leather, tobacco, herbal, grass, pepper, and yeast/roast/oaky earthiness on the finish for a while. Amazing complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/black/roast/bready malts, coffee, rye whiskey barrels, and light fruity yeast/earthy hop flavors; with a great roast/hop bitter/sweet, and rye whiskey/oak spiciness balance; with no cloying, acrid, astringent flavors after the finish. Lightly increasing dryness from lingering hop/roast bitterness, and whiskey/oak spiciness after the finish. Light-medium carbonation and very full body; with a very smooth, creamy/silky/velvety/bready, and lightly slick/sticky/chalky/tannic mouthfeel that is fantastic. Mild increasing warmth of 13%, with minimal lingering barrel booze after the finish. Overall this is an amazing barrel aged Russian imperial coffee stout! All around incredible complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/black/roast/bready malts, coffee, rye whiskey barrels, and light fruity yeast/earthy hop flavors; very smooth and dangerously easy to sip on for the huge ABV, with the mildly bitter/tannic/drying finish. Fantastic soft feel for the style/ABV; not overly roasty/charred on malts, or boozy/tannic on barrels. Perfectly balanced super rich malts, fruity/nutty coffee complexity, and rye whiskey barrel presence/integration; with mild earthy hops and fruity English yeast. Not overly sweet/heavy from lingering dryness. A highly enjoyable offering, and amazing top tier quality style example as expected. Aged wonderfully.

8

Sliczna beczka. Migdalki. Bomboniera. Dlugie i intensywne posmaki. Nie za wiele ciala ale gladziutko. Kawowe. Duza klasa, najlepsiejsze dzis jak narazie

9

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 9 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 10 | Overall - 9

750ml bottle with big thanks to Mike (bytemesis) shared with friends. Black color with brown head. Malty aroma, roasted, whiskey, chocolate, cocoa, vanilla, wood, alcohol. Sweet and bitter taste like aroma. Full silky oily body with soft carbonation.

9.5

Appearance - 10 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 10 | Texture - 10 | Overall - 10

Bottle. Pours black with a beige head. Aroma is little green peppers, barrel, caramel, vanilla. Body is strong and heavy and boozy and all, but this must be the smoothest BA RIS I had. Incredibly drinkable, very good coffee, caramel, barrel. Lucious and think, yet never overdone. Complex but straight and going down waaaaay too easy. After drinking this, beer has been done. It can hardly get better.

9.5

Appearance - 10 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 10 | Texture - 10 | Overall - 10

Bottle. Black color with beige head. Aroma is super coffee, vanilla, oak, good so far. Taste is an out of this world great combination of coffee, oak, a touch coconut, and rye whisky booze. "Beer has been solved, we can go home."

9.2

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 9 | Flavor - 10 | Texture - 10 | Overall - 9

750ml bottle at share. I've been looking forward to this one for a while, and it didn't disappoint. All superlatives here. This is stunning, the way the roasted malts bring out some chocolate and the Vietnamese coffee plays its role and it's just wonderfully smooth tasty as f***, and then with a nice little bit of warmth. I can't say enough great things about this beer I wish I had more access to it.