UPDATED: SEP 10, 2020 Had this in my cellar since it was bottled. Pours rootbeer black with no head. Malts with burnt notes. Yery smooth mouth feel hints of coffee and slight toffee. Just a little alcohol burn.

UPDATED: NOV 17, 2019 750ml bottle I've had in the cellar since the 30th anniversary, pours a nearly opaque black, leggy, creamy beige head. Nose has a lot, big tar, big rubber, booze, smoke, licorice, molasses, burnt toast. Age is there, leather, wood. Flavor has smoke and char and tar, burnt wood, port, molasses, raisin, prune, fig. Finishes full bodied, smoky and woody.

UPDATED: FEB 21, 2019 Wow! My first 30th Anniversary Ale sample was the Bock, assuming it was the only 30th Anniversary Ale. Then my buddy told me that I had to get the Stout. He was right. Bock was good, stout was great. I wanted to age this a bit, so say I bought this around Oct./Nov. of '10 and opened during the Superbowl. Didn't see the bottled date on the label or bottle, but figured early in '10 so aged about a year. Thick black appearance, but not overwhelmingly muddy like some other IMPYs. Head is mocha/dark tan. The cork allowed me to drink this in 3 different sessions....during a 3 day period. Still had good carb in the last glass. Toss up between this and Stone's Russian Imperial. This is something I would get again (maybe 31st Anniversary), but preferrably share with a friend in one sitting next time. Looking forward to opening that 30th Ann. Black Barleywine in a few months- or a year+ who knows??

750ml bottle pours out black topped with a tan head. Nose is nice light black licorice pit fruit and some roast malts. Taste is more of the nice sweet malts pit fruit plenty of roast.

Tap@city beer store: black opaque with foamy light brown head. Roasted, malts, dark fruitt esters, licorice from hops. Full body, amoith texture, moderate carbonation.

750ml bottle. Dark brown, nearly black pour with a full brown that eventually fades to a persistent cap. Great lacing. Rich aromas of coffee, dark chocolate, dark roast malt. The flavors are complex like the nose, with added raisins, molasses, burnt brown sugar, chicory, campfire. Lots going on here. Wonderful full body and lingering sweet roasty finish. Not really noticing the alcohol. Excellent beer, too bad not much chance of scoring another one.

Bottle shared at Cotteridge convention 05/03/2016. Many thanks to Scopey for this one. A clear black brown coloured pour with a thin tan head. Aroma is woody liquorice, earthy brown bread, boozy. , old coconut. Flavour is composed of smooth and woody, earthy, brown sugars, cinnamon and balsa wood. Some age. Palate is semi sweet, moderate carbonation, full bodied, little stale.

2010 bottle. Pours a black color with a small white head. Aromas of booze, roasted malt, dark fruits. Full bodied, incredibly smooth, aged perfectly.

Pours pitch black with no head. Chocolate vanilla wet cardboard. Hot finish. Light mouthfeel. Oxidized.

2010 drinken in 2016. APPEARANCE- extremely black slight head and lacing is minimal. NOSE- deep rich notes, highlighting fig notes. slightly boozy. FLAVOR- slightly bitter. Suprising considering the way it looks and smells. I was encouraged to open it but it seems like it was opened a little too late in its aging life, or perhaps a little too early to really change in character. I’m really intrigued by it.