What Our Panel Thought
Aroma: “Rich roast and chocolate, with medium-high sweetness and milk chocolate. Sweet dark malt flavors, with burned sugar and dark chocolate, low apricot, and fruity yeast esters. There’s an almost cola-like quality to the aromas. The complexity builds as it warms, with more of the roast, moderate alcohol, and smoke emerging. Overall, however, the aromas are pretty muted.”
Flavor: “Heavy roast, with medium dark chocolate and a rich malt flavor. It’s sweet throughout, but just enough to balance the bitterness. Apricot, melon, and fruitiness accent the roast. A bit of alcohol warmth creeps in, but it isn’t harsh and grows into the finish. Finishes rich and sweet, but somehow dry.”
Overall: “This beer is roast-forward, with the coffee and chocolate weaving in nicely with the sweetness. The apricot is really interesting, and it’s a new dimension to the style that I don’t think I’ve had before. The richness and depth of the complexity make this beer very enjoyable.”
What the Brewers Say
“Clean alcohol flavor. High hops level and residual sweetness. Thick like oil.”
