Heads up… Parental Advisory.
Brewed on the first day of spring. Put into barrels on the summer solstice. Bottled on the winter solstice…. Pours midnight black with a tight (and we mean tight) mocha tan head. Menacing indeed. Aromas of charcoal, vanilla, treacle, espresso and alcohol leap from the glass with each gentle swirl. The first drink offers a reminder of the girth of this beer, as notes of bourbon, chocolate, molasses and fig pack a wallop. Each subsequent sip leads to newfound discoveries of vanilla and coffee, wood and anise. Velvety smooth yet noticeable boozy, this full-bodied stout packs a delicate balance between sweetness, bitterness and barrel. Well rounded, complex and dangerous. Best enjoyed with friends and enemies alike.
FOOD PAIRING RECOMMENDATIONS
Sticky toffee pudding, Full Scottish breakfast. 650 ml, 11.9% alc./vol.
Wobbly Pop Culture 
This beer is as dark as Voldemort’s Soul; if you look at the picture you can see that even the foam is a dark caramel colour. I poured it into the tall glass for the picture, but I am drinking it in the suggested tulip glass and it is a very drinkable beer. The smell is strong and and has chocolate/coffee notes. I swear that the more I smell it the more I get a little bit more drunk, but that could be just a coincidence. I really do like the taste, and I would treat this beer like a fine port or a fine Scotch; small amounts in a tulip glass swirling and sipping while I smoke my pipe in my silk PJs. Merry Christmas Eve everyone!!
Thought of Huw’s silk pjs dance in my head….
This is a great brew with a bit of a bite. It is so smooth and creamy, but the coffee/anise is strong.
If this beer doesn’t warm your cockles and stick to your ribs, I don’t know what will. It’s a fantastic thick brew that is like drinking a bag of licorice allsorts. But I love allsorts.
Merry Christmas everyone!!! I hope you’re enjoying this brew as much as I am!!
I’ve been scared to open this one. I think the thing of it is that if you go into it thinking it will be like a beer, and drink it like a beer, you will find it terrible. It’s 12%. You have to drink it the way you would drink a wine. Small sips, chew it a bit, swallow. When you do that, you can appreciate some of the flavours in the beer. Strong coffee beans, a bit of sweetness, alcohol. As a beer, I don’t like it. As a slowly sipped beverage, I can appreciate that it is a bit complex, and I don’t like it (but a maybe a little bit less than I don’t like it as a beer…)