Many thanks to DrDogBeer for the chance to try this as part of 2009 Secret Santa.
Shared at The Brick Store.
Pour is a fairly standard, mid-chocolate brown color with a better than expected head. Retention and lace are OK, not great, but OK.
Nose is deinitely the strongest aspect of this beer wih a great, truly rich chocolate aroma coming from the glass even without much agitation. Very strong – very nice.
Frankly, after that, things go downhill quite a lot. The beer is a little acidic and lacks any kind of mouth presence. Very thin and I might even say watery. I am NOT confusing this a being a bigger stout either, even by the standards of “normal”, lower ABV stouts the beer seems somewhat insipid.
Tastes produce the choclate malt character that one expects but it is nowhere near the intensity promised in the nose and frankly they are disappointing. Not much of anything present in the tase in the way of alcohol or hops either.
Looks OK, smells great but drinks poorly. That about sums it up.