In short: A sweet and furity-vinous dark ale of some kind.
How: Bottle 750ml, plastic cork, consumed with some age on it, in no rush to drink it after the disaster that was its sister Hopfenstopfer Amarillo.
The look: Cloudy brown body topped by a medium beige head with good retention.
In long: Nose is very estery/fruity, a bit phenolic, unexpected strong vinous character bordering port wine. In mouth the beer has a pleasant mouthfeel, full body with a lively Belgian-style carbonation. Taste is very sweet, fruity, dark grapes, prunes, port wine, cassis, raisins, figs, booze. The more I drank it the more the port wine. The fact that I aged my bottle (I just never wanted to drink it) certainly screws up my evaluation but I have a hard time imagining that this boozy 10% fruity dark ale with a distinct port-wine flavor tasted like a real Double IPA one year ago. Felt like a strange fruity dark Belgian Strong Ale. A though one to rate, I didn’t enjoy it but it wasn’t a train wreck. I’ve had a few beers from this these guys and the most positive comment I can make is to say that they are very consistent.

Bottle 0.33l at home. ABV 10.0%. No BBE visible, 2-3 years old. Colour is clear dark orange/brown with small white head. Aromas and flavours: Fruits, sweetness, some hops and malts. Probably very different beer as fresh. Not very enjoyable anymore.

Trübes dunkelbraunes Bier mit schönem Schaum. Geruch sehr malzig fruchtig, herb. Geschmack exotisch fruchtig, trocken malzig, bitter.

Brown bottle, 0.75 l, 10.3%’ via Importations Privées Bièropholie (merci Hughes!), savoured on March 22 2014; eye: dark brown with an auburn hue, opaque, nice beige head that turns into a ring, light lacing; nose: malt, caramel, slight hops, light fig; mouth: malt, caramel, slight hops, light alcohol warmth, burnt caramel, light fig, finale in malt with light presence of alcohol, lightly sour, medium-full body, below-average carbonation, quite sweet, cloying texture; overall: disappointing FRANÇAIS Bouteille brune, 0,75 l, 10,3 %, via Importations Privées Bièropholie (merci Hughes!), savourée le 22 mars 2014; œil : brun foncé avec une teinte châtain, opaque, belle mousse beige qui se transforme en un anneau, légère dentelle; nez : malt, caramel, très léger houblon, léger figue; bouche : malt, caramel, très léger houblon, légère chaleur d’alcool, caramel brûlé, léger figue, finale en malt avec légère présence d’alcool, légèrement aigre, corps moyen-corsé, carbonatation sous la moyenne, pas mal sucrée, texture toquante; en résumé : décevant

750ml bottle. Dark brown colour with huge, frothy, half-way lasting, minimally lacing, beige head. Slightly flat herbal and minimally floral hop aroma, a touch of citrus, dark fruity undertones with hints of dark berries, raisin. Taste is moderately sweet dark malty with a touch of toffee and chocolate, floral and minimally fruity overtones, hints of dark berries, raisin. Not that hoppy. As far as I remember the style changed from Black IPA to Imperial/Double IPA - the change is comprehensible, though still questionable; solely concerning taste a categorization is difficult: maybe American Strong Ale or even English Strong Ale would fit as well.

Bouteille de 750 ml, avec bouchon en plastique, obtenue via Importations Privées Bièropholie. Arôme: Odeur d’houblons résineux. Apparence: La couleur est brune. Présence d’un mince col beige légèrement crémeux et d’une large dentelle sur le verre. Saveur: Goût de pin et d’agrumes avec une pointe de pin. Durée moyenne de l’arrière goût. Palette: Le corps est moyen avec une texture onctueuse. Moyenne effervescence en bouche. Arrière goût houblonné. (Rating #4760)

Bottle. The hop profile is apparent in this one but not dominating, which makes it particularly enjoyable. The aroma is light roasted, caramelly and earthy, of course also hoppy - citrusy and floral in a vaguely honeyish way. Lovely notes of dark fruit - blackcurrant and cherry jam. Multi-layered, rich and deep. Now, while the aroma is superb, the taste is grandiose. Soft, sweet, desert-like, full-bodied, with a creamy mouthfeel. Chewy, caramelly, light roasted maltiness meets dark fruit and the whole commences into a medium bitter, warming, light earthy finish with a ich hoppiness pending between citrusy, floral, grassy and leafy. Excellent!

0,75 l bottle. BB N/A. Brewed Nov 2011 floral, resin, spruce, caramel, bubblegum, alcohol, brown, cloudy, frothy, tan foam, heavy cloying sweetness, lightly bitter, heavily sour, full body, oily feel, soft carbonation, long finish. Too sweet and not enough hops to be a good Imperial/Double IPA.

Dark reddish brown with huge foamy off white head. Vinegary aromas, balsamic and a bit of citrus Full body, hints of acetic acid, lots of malts, average carbonation, barley-winesque onthe palate. Medium bitterness, finishes very malty. Old example? For sure .. .

Bottle: Poured a deep brown color ale with a medium size foamy head with good retention and limited lacing. Aroma of sugar with very subtle floral aroma is disappointing. Taste is also a weird mix between extremely tired hops with too much residual sugar and some weird grainy caramel notes. Body is quite full with medium carbonation and no apparent alcohol. Definitely not what I expected and definitely not enough of a hops profile to justify this experiment.