It’s a really nice Saturday afternoon, and I am sitting down to enjoy this beer and watch House of Cards on Netflix. We had an open house this morning, and I hope it went well. When we got back, we did a little bit of packing out in the garage. I remember picking up this beer quite a while ago at the liquor store, because it was a special release. I’m not sure of the ABV, so I hope it was a big one and held up over time.
Location: Poured into a Stella Artois chalice at my home in Bloomington, IL.
Numbers: 9.2% ABV, 1.086 OG, ~300 Calories
Appearance & Aroma: It’s black in color with a hint of brown highlights when held up to the sunlight. The head was thin and soap-like, which fell to a creamy ring around the edge of the glass after a minute or so. The aroma is lightly roasty.
Taste & Feel: The body is medium and the mouthfeel is crisp from the carbonation in it. There’s a dark caramel-toffee sweetness up front which is joined by a good amount of roastiness in the middle. The roastiness grows quite a big in the finish, becoming fairly bitter and coffee-like with a chalky texture. The aftertaste is roasty with a bit of warming alcohol.
Food Pairing: The roastiness would go great with BBQ, and the char from some burnt ends in particular. It would also pair nicely with a steak from the grill as well.
Overall Impression: It seemed like it was a strong ale with quite a bit of malty roastiness. I didn’t mind the roastiness too much, but found the chalky texture in the finish a bit odd. I thought the roastiness was a bit too bitter as well. Overall, it wasn’t bad, but I would have preferred a bit less roastiness.
My Rating: 
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