UPDATED: AUG 1, 2021 Bottle from HEB in Austin, TX. Aroma is big dark chocolate, rich coffee, boozy chocolate dessert mud thing. Taste is sweet and boozy dark chocolate bomb, surprised this isn’t bourbon aged...caramel, bittersweet cocoa, espresso. These 14%-era from Avery are always flavorful but way too sweet for my enjoyment. A beer worth trying but not as World Class as I had hoped.

UPDATED: OCT 3, 2020 (Bottle, vintage 2014, 17.1%) Black colour with brief, beige head. Malty, roasted, vinous nose with espresso, black rye bread, chocolate truffles, sweet liquorice, prunes and plum brandy. Malty, roasted taste with notes of strong black coffee, dark chocolate, black rye bread, tamarind, liquorice, syrup, prunes and a vinous, boozy finish with a generous, almost harsh, coffee bitterness. Almost full body, sweet. Too sweet and boozy to be balanced, but quite tasty and powerful. Very nice.

UPDATED: SEP 27, 2020 Viscous near black pour, medium tan head. Big, roasty, thick, chocolate, coffee, roast, vanilla. Bottle from October 2019, maybe could have aged a bit longer because the alcohol was a bit in your face (expected since the abv is so high). Good but not great.

UPDATED: DEC 18, 2019 Bottle from San Diego, bought in November 2017, consumed at home, 18th December 19. Wow not many rates on this forum recently. This is a superb stout. Pours thick and black as the ace. Aroma is roasted malts, liquorice, cocoa, coffee bean. Taste is intense, liquorice, roasted malts, booze, but not too much, it’s absolutely delicious and memorable

UPDATED: DEC 4, 2019 Intense aroma of licorice, salt, pepper & milk chocolate. Black with a low brown head. Burning taste with a medium bitterness & light sweetness. Medium body, oily texture, soft carbonation but unfortunately the massive alcohol too much in focus.

UPDATED: MAR 7, 2019 Thinkin this is a bit more hype than what it is. Solid brew, and fairly drinkable for the high ABV%. I wanted to try this first before sampling my DFH Worldwide Stout. Super-dark black, with not that much carbonation or head. Flavors of chocolate, toffee, coffee, anise, etc. Not rushing to try this again, but glad I did so that I compare to some other strong imperial stouts.

UPDATED: FEB 18, 2019 Drinking 2008 bottle bought from Avery. While the appearance isn’t that awesome everything else is. Pour dark with small head that dissipates quickly. Smells of malt and caramel. Big roast flavor with a little sweetness and stickiness. Nice mild bitter finish.

UPDATED: JAN 17, 2019 Bottle from Systembolaget Sweden sampled Jan 2019 best before 2025. Big and fluffy dark brown head that goes away semi fast. Dark chocolate malt aroma. Sweet chocolate malt taste with a firm bitterness and big caramell sweetness.

12 oz bottle at Morton's Market, Sarasota. Dark brown color, large beige head that dissipates slowly. Aroma of Chocolate, dark fruits, and a slight hint of roast. Flavor was caramel, prunes, dark chocolate, hint of coffee. One of the best Imperial Stouts ever, and likely the strongest i've had yet. But at $11.00 a bottle i won't be trying this again any time soon.

2015 rated, Pours coal black, with lingering lacing around the glass. Big chocolate, leather and finishes rather boozy. Very good