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08/11/06
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(05/06) Vintage. Continued improvement. Still looks the same but with increasing lactose, cocoa and milk chocolate notes. Milder.
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11/26/05
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(05-06) Vintage. Mostly the same characteristics as below, but some apparent extra bitterness. I’m going to wait some more for this to mellow out.
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10/25/05
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Now sampling a year old (04-05) vintage, the same vintage that I reviewed a year before, below.
Either one of two things has happened. Firstly I suppose it is possible that my tastes have changed, but more likely I think is that this brew has mellowed out over the last year. Much less fizzy carbonation, much creamier, much softer – generally more mellow. Much more chocolate flavor and the alcohol, whilst still very present is a little more smoothed out. Extra points for drinkability, taste and mouthfeel 12 months on.
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11/16/04
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Fresh (04-05) vintage. Absolutely jet black pour with the distinctive dark tan head and lace that accompanies many of the very best stouts.
This is a pretty substantial beer from all angles. The appearance, aroma of burned (smoky) chocolate malt, the mouth coating that it leaves, the alcohol and the warmth that the alcohol imparts are all on the heavy side. They add up to a pretty impressive beer, but I find that it skates along a very thin razor edge of going too far. It’s a borderline beer for me and for that reason its drinkability is not sky high.
Against it was a prickly carbonation that almost made it feel slightly “fizzy”. A sensation that I didn’t care for, and took away some mouthfeel points.