Stormaktsporter
Närke Kulturbryggeri AB

Arjen from Netherlands

4.39/5  rDev -2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Sampled from draught at Borefts 2019, this year's issue, so not retired. Even though I've had several varieties of Stormaktsporter, apparently I 'd never had the base beer... Pours a black color and a dense light brown head. Aroma's: sweet, roasted, umami. Retronasal: sweet, red fruit, roast. Flavor is sweet, umami, drop (licorice). Above medium bodied (rather full actually). Long finish with roast and light biterness, Great stuff!

Oct 20, 2019

jakemn91 from New Mexico

3.94/5  rDev -12.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

2007 vintage. Poured from a very small bottle into a tiny snifter.

Pours dark brown with no head. Pretty clear with no noticeable haze.

Aroma is cacao, musty, and cardboard. Slightly oxidized

Taste is bakers chocolate and cocoa powder. Slight oxidation again, but not off-putting.

Smooth drinking, no alcohol heat, minimal carbonation

I'm glad I got to try this one

Apr 23, 2016

cavemanlawyer from Oregon

4.19/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

Tiny 2008 bottle split three ways. Thanks Don - without you I would never drink whales!

Appearance is dark brown with very little head. Consistent color throughout.

Smells of leather and some burnt grain. A little smoke and then some sweetness at the end.

Initial taste is dark fruit with some chocolate notes. Smoke comes through towards the end but very subtle and smooth. Taste lingers and expands leaving hints of dried cherry and more chocolate.

Mouthfeel is nice but nothing amazing. I wouldn't describe it as thin but I like a bit more viscosity from this style.

Really enjoyable beer. Don't share it with more than two friends - the small bottle split three ways was about right.

Feb 19, 2013

cpetrone84 from Pennsylvania

3.84/5  rDev -14.3%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

'07 Bottle. Pour is dark brown, red edges, virtually no head. The nose is very big and rich with roasted malt and a ton of chocolate cake. A bit of alcohol with light smokey peat. Taste is very rich chocolate cake, notes of roasted malt and a touch of coffee rind. Full creamy body, lingering roasty bitterness in the finish and light malt sweetness.

Nov 29, 2012

spdyfire83 from Ireland

4.07/5  rDev -9.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

277th Review
25cl poured into a (small) Westy chalice
Vintage: 2008

Thanks for the trade way back when rvdoorn! Enjoyed to celebrate the birth of my first born kiddoe. Cheers Izzy!

A: Deep, dark brown. Single, bubbly (pure khakis) head on medium pour.

S: Robust, roasty, and bold! Dark chocolate, vanilla, roasted dark malt, and dark fruit (fig, raisin, etc.). Nice balance and very complex. Touch of espresso too. Quite inviting, I must say, and the highlight of this beer for me!

T: Deep and complex in taste. Smooth vanilla notes accompanied by dark chocolate and molasses followed by roasty dark malt along with hints of raisin and espresso. Slight cocoa powder in there as well. A bit off balance towards the end though as the smokiness + alcohol booziness over powers the finish. Good, but not great.

M: Full bodied with even/soft carbonation. I wish it were a bit thicker though.

O: This beer was really solid, but did not blow my mind away as I had hoped. It's a very rich, deep, and smooth RIS. Overall really fun to try, but I preferred the likes of the Konjaks! version a bit more. Now to simply hunt down the other versions of this beer to see how they compare. In good time...

Nov 06, 2012

Samichlaus82 from Germany

4.62/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

The nose is rich espresso coffee, roasted malt, vanilla, almond, Christmas cake, dark fruit, molasses, cocoa powder and a touch of soy sauce. The taste is roasted malt, rich coffee, vanilla, dark chocolate, salted caramel, charcoal, toasted coconut, chocolate, gateaux and toast, with a dry, bitter chocolate finish. Full body and fine carbonation. Incredibly smooth, complex and perfectly balanced. A joy to drink!

Oct 24, 2012

tarheels86 from California

3.58/5  rDev -20.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

250mL 2007 batch 1? with a big thanks to omhper! The bottle is a small nip with a black and white label very similar to the Kaggen! label. The pour is a deep black ink, looking a lot like Bells Expedition. Head is smaller, carbonation is lively, generating a dense, deep tan head. Not a hell of a lot of retention or lace. Sticky lace. Aroma out of the bottle immediately is very intense- almost makes you think that this one is the Kaggen! Very robust peat and wet wood in the nose, heavy roast and mild Beldi (black, oil-cured, salty) olives, prominent floral and lemon. Comes close to some serious brandy or orange liqueur, but doesn’t comes into full force. Hard to give this higher than a 7 for the nose. Taste up front is a little thinner, mild lemon, light salt and umami. As it warms it gets softer and more integrated. Still heavy on wood, relatively sweeter, mild bitterness. Bitter chocolate and light oil. Finish is heavy dark chocolate brick with powdery cocoa. It’s pretty yummy, but in no way mind blowing or even close to the intensity of 3 year old Expedition. Palate is soft, a little light, mild cardboard, lemon, slightly oily. Mostly thinner. Feels almost like a 6% oatmeal stout. Not impressed. 5/3/2011 7/4/7/4/14=3.6

Oct 02, 2012

brystmar from Texas

4.37/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Review #600! 2007 bottle shared by (and split with) blatantdream. Thanks!

Almost zero release of air pressure when opened. Viscous body pours from the tiny bottle leaving minimal bubbles up top but no actual head. Chocolate and roasted malts swirl amongst toffee in the nose, creating a delicate aroma that simply isn't strong enough. The first victim of age, perhaps?

Stormaktsporter boasts an intense, potent, complex flavor profile. Deeply roasted malt; rich, decadent chocolate; booze character integrates marvelously with the stout base. Not super complex, but the chocolate in this beer is arguably the best of any stout I've encountered. Also, the balance here is truly impeccable.

Massive body carries all of these flavors to my palate. Rockin' mouthfeel. Somehow, this ~5-year-old bottle is completely void of oxidization.

This stuff is great... Such a shame the bottles are so tiny (not to mention absurdly difficult to acquire). Color me impressed.

Aug 17, 2012

ChicagoJohn from Illinois

4.78/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

May 2012, I opened up this bottle in Sweden at a tasting with my Swedish friends that featured a vertical of 2006, 2007 and 2008 Stormaktsporter and 2007 and 2008 Kaggen! Stormaktsporter.

This what I thought in comparison to the Stormaktsporter to the other vintages and to the Kaggen!

A - midnight black beer pours forth from all 3 botles. All 3 years have the same squid ink color to it but I am noticing less carbonation on the 2007 than the other two years. The amber colored foam slowly settles and some lacing remains on all the glasses.

S - Strong roasted malts, a little bit of a sweetness to the nose that I believe reminds me of (strangely enough chocolate carrot cake). There is definetely some anise in the nose and I notice that the 2008 has more of a stronger chocolate nose to it with a what I could almost swear is a burnt cork smell (even though it's not oak aged. Where am I getting this from?) . The 2006 has lots more of a roasted burnt coffee smell to it and the anise nose is slightly faded away. Smells absolutely heavenly and it's because no one characteristic in the nose for either three years dominates my senses.

T - Shockingly well balanced. Nothing is overly sweet. 2006 is holding up and I see no faults with any of these three being past its prime or peak. I would have expected some muted flatness to perhaps show up with the age but it's holding itself extremely well and I can't taste oxidation like I did when drinking Olfrabrikken Porter 2007 the same night.. Good god how is this holding up so well? I think that I prefer 2006 the most because I'm not the biggest fan of the anise and I love how mellowed out it has become with the roastiness of the malts really settling in..

M - Carbonation is minimal and there is less body than I expected. The thinness in the body is the most disappointing part but at the same time I shouldn't be expecting to chew my imperial stouts..

O - I'm glad I have enough to share and drink for coming years. This is really remarkable and I'm shocked that all 3 can hold up after these years..

Jul 26, 2012

claaark13 from Indiana

4.53/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I walked into a back-alley with my eyes closed and walked out with an unlabeled bottle of this guy. 2009, poured at cellar temp. Split 3 ways. I hate nip bottles. Thanks Ryan.

A - Black with mocha head, goes to nice lacing. Decent legs, but great retention. 4.25, rounding up.

S - Cocoa, light bread, roast. Good stuff.

T - Roast, strong cocoa, light dryness, cocoa sticks, mild yet present heat in the end. Tough to see how it stays/fades with less than 3oz...f'n nips. Cocoa finish is so strong. Although the flavors come togetherA quite well, the cocoa throughout and the strong finish are what really stand out to me. The roast is there but doesn't take over.

M - Medium, but silky smooth. Considering my preference towards thick RIS, the best I can do is a 4.5. My unbiased ways bring this one down to reality.

O - Haha. Well, this one lives up to the hype for me. I enjoyed the hell out of it. We compared it to a fresh Courage and it made Courage look like a fool. Courage is great, btw. This is maybe the best non-BA RIS I've had. I know I've said that before, probably for Luscious, but this is better than Luscious.

Jul 06, 2012

thagr81us from South Carolina

4.38/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A massive thanks goes out to cmrillo for bringing this one out during his own 40 Beers* @ 40 Birthday Bash! Can’t believe I got to try this one!!! 2008 Vintage! Served from bottle into a Mikkeller taster flute. Poured pitch black with a minimal tan head. Maintained excellent lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of roasted malt, wood, smoke, caramel, meat, and sweet alcohol. The flavor was of roasted malt, wood, smoke, cigar, tobacco, subtle vanilla, and subtle sweet alcohol. It had a heavy feel on the palate with medium carbonation. Overall this brew was quite good. I was still shocked to see this one come out during cmrillo’s birthday party. The flavor on this one was nothing short of excellent. I really surprised at how well all the components mixed together to bring this one together. The cigar and tobacco flavors were the ones I found most shocking based on the aroma. However, they really worked well with this brew. The only reason the aroma didn’t score really high marks was due to the intensity of it being fairly weak compared to the flavor. I really can’t say enough good about this one if I am honest. Really hope to get to try it again in the future.

May 31, 2012

Huhzubendah from District of Columbia

4.5/5  rDev +0.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Shared by ygtbsm 94. Thanks a lot Brad! Served alongside Kaggen! Stormakstporter. What a treat.

2008 vintage

The beer is dark brown, approaching black with an inch of dark beige head. The beer appears oily and viscous, with ample lacing slowly cascading down the walls of the snifter.

The aroma is distinctly European, with the usual suspects of roast and chocolate. A healthy dark fruit presence asserts itself as well.

Rich, thick, and wonderful. Certainly not lacking in flavor. The 9.5% alcohol is well hidden. Palate coating, with chocolate covered dark fruits and a lingering, warm, roasty aftertaste.

Overall, I prefer the cask matured version (Kaggen!), but still think this is an exceptional stout. Highly recommended, should you have the opportunity.

May 29, 2012

Urbancaver from Ohio

3.33/5  rDev -25.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Thanks Brad... a true whale and a tiny bottle to boot. Really appreciated the share!

Pours a dark dark black. Not much head. Nice thick body...
Smells pretty solid. Roasty, chocolatey, some dark fruits... Nothing special but good.

Tastes very complex.... dark fruits, chocolate, roast... so much going on... and yet. Not really enjoyable. The flavour profile leaves much to be desired. The body is a bit thinner than I'd like for the strength and the dark fruits offset the roasty backbone in a jarring way. Was one of my first few beers of the day as I was hoping my palete would be clean for this one so I am not sure why it was so disappointing. Hype not equalling taste perhaps?

Mar 26, 2012

BearsOnAcid from Washington

4.7/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Black body, small brown head.

Nose hits you with heavily roasted malts, moderate smoke, dark chocolate, a little dark fruit, some sweetness. Taste is extraordinary. Incredibly well balanced between the ashy bitterness, rich malt sweetness, smoke, and alcohol. Neither attributes fight for dominance.

This beer is just incredible and is easily one of the best imperial stouts I’ve ever had. I would chose this over the Kaggen. The beer’s complexity gets lost in the barrel. The charred coffee flavor that lingers on the palate as the decadent fudgey sweetness fades away is beautiful.

Mouthfeel is creamy and the beer beckons you to come back for another sip to pull apart all its layers.

Jan 20, 2012

AgentZero from Illinois

4.37/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Review #1650. Thanks to Sean for the birthday share. 2008 vintage.

A - Black beer, little bit of browning on the edges. Small brown head with some moderate retention and some minor spots left on the glass.

S - Nice roasted grains, just a tiny touch of char on the end. The thing that really jumped out on this one to me was a honey aroma. Quite nice.

T - Taste is very nice. Good roast balanced out with some molasses and a little bit of coffee and cocoa. The honey comes through quite well, but doesn't overpower any of the other flavors. Goes down quite easily.

M - Smooth, little bit heavier side of medium bodied, just a little bit thin for the style. No real sense of any alcohol in this.

O - Fantastic RIS. Wish I could drink a couple of bottles myself to really get a feel for it as the 25 cl size is mostly a tease. Would like to drink again.

Jan 13, 2012

jlindros from Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

I was waiting until review #1500 to put this one in. Huge thanks to dfclav for cracking this, the feature item at the stouts and spiders tasting of 2011. Kaggen! is one of my biggest whales, and this is about as close as I'll come anytime soon.

Pours with no head or any white bubbles at all, pours like pure waste motor oil, just thick liquid that is thicker than anything I remember recently, more solid than liquid I think. The beer is essentially, wait not essentially, it IS pitch black, pure dark matter of a thick gooey substance.

Nose explodes though, lots of dark malts. Loaded with chocolate and roast. It has like a syrupy aroma as syrup from roasted coffee beans, with more espresso dark roast coffee, dark roasted malt bitterness, and a hint of char. Then more caramel, touch of vanilla, syrupy but aged soft old malt aromas and just a hint of an oak like aroma. Then more chocolate and baker's chocolate cut through, with a touch of dark fruit and honey. A bit more char as it warms as well.

Taste starts creamy and velvety and a bit syrupy, with more bitter roast. Charred malts really come through with a bit of soy sauce and salty briny taste, as well as over charred scorched coffee beans (like the coffee at Starbucks cooked to no oblivion like Dunkin Donuts). It even starts to get a bit ashy like charred barrel. A bit more roasted barley but not too heavy, with more coffee flavors, espresso dark roast coffee but not a lot. Syrup and oils from the coffee beans as well. A silky smooth rich malty base with a touch of caramel and vanilla. A weird almost woody ester flavor also comes through even though I don't think there is any oak in this. As it starts to finish more chocolate come through, very dark and baker's chocolate, with a touch of milk chocolate. Then it brings a bit of fruit, raisin, molasses, etc.

It finally finishes slightly bitter from the roast and coats the mouth for hours after, syrupy and malty. Then more chocolate, almost malted milk ball, like it comes in waves. Then more roasted burnt coffee bitterness, and a bit of oxidation.

Mouth is super thick and rich, luscious, smooth, with no carb, and slight hint of booze.

Overall great, but not super great. I had huge expectations for this one and it kinda let me down but wasn't that much. It was still a great beer, just not up to the huge expectations I had for it. reminds me a lot of fresh Dark Lord, in both tastes, mouth feel, and final "doesn't live up to the hype", and esp all the over burnt flavors. Still a great beer worth seeking out if you can get it. I really want to get a hold of the Kaggen!

Nov 08, 2011

Jeffo from Netherlands

4.71/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

First had this beer at the 2010 BOREFTS Festival at De Molen in Bodegraven, Holland. What a treat it was. Lucky enough to score a bottle through the grapevine as well, so I didn't drink enough of it at the Festival, especialy with all the other great beers there. Next time I see it, however, I will bathe in it.

From a 25cl bottle into a snifter
Vintage: 2008

APPEARANCE: A dark brown pour makes a small, medium-thick, tan head that comes out of nowhere and vanishes rather quickly. A wisp and bubbly ring are left behind. Jet black body and zero carbonation evident. A ring remains until the end and leaves some dots of lacing down the glass.

SMELL: A big nose right off the pour. Lots of roasted and smoky malts for sure, with some dark chocolate, cocoa powder, molasses, and some light espresso notes. Black licorice as well and perhaps a hint of vanilla in there somewhere. Big, bold, and very enticing. Great stuff.

TASTE: Lots of roasted malts and smoky notes up front, but a burst of flavor follows the swallow. Lots of sweet molasses, bitter chocolate and cocoa, with a strong supporting act of espresso. Lots of roasted flavors still, with a touch of alcohol after the swallow. A big and persistent aftertaste is full of roasted, chalky malts with sweet molasses and bitter chocolate balancing themselves very nicely. Very flavorful, balanced, and just the right dose of alcohol. Fantastic.

PALATE: Medium body and carbonation, and very creamy smooth on the palate. Goes down smooth with a touch of heat and an alcohol bite at the swallow. Finishes slightly mouth-coating. Nice and creamy for sure.

OVERALL: Such a shame that this is only a 25cl bottle. Split it a couple ways and you’re only left with a splash to taste. Regardless, that splash is still enough to leave a memorable impression. Very flavorful and well balanced, with a huge, enticing nose as a opening act. This is one of those beers people hunt down, and in this case, the hunt was more than worth it. It was the beer highlight of my summer. I really hope to meet this one again sometime and be able to drink it by the growler.

Aug 11, 2011

Deuane from Pennsylvania

4.12/5  rDev -8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to orangesol for bringing this, and the Kaggen version, to the 2011 Ffej of July pre party. Shared with a core group of beer geeks. Served in a thimble. ;-)

2008 Vintage

A-Deep, dark black/brown with a thin dark tan head that was not responsive to revival and left the spottiest of flecked lace.

S-Rich, roasted black patent and chocolate malt with a fairly complex, yet light, blend of accenting aromas. Notes of coffee, cocoa, soy, oak, vanilla and leather all vie for attention.

T-Much like the aroma with an impressive array of complex flavours, but all seem light or even slightly muted. Dark chocolate and rich roasted malt, licorice, black treacle, coffee, vanilla, oak, soy and even a touch of earthy hops. Again, impressive and quite tasty but has a "reigned in" aspect.

M-Medium-heavy body, smooth and velvety with only the slightest touch of alcohl burn. Complex flavours linger long.

O-Certainly a VERY well made beer but not as good as I had hoped for. That being said it is one of those beers that the sum of the parts is greater than the whole. I cannot say I didn't enjoy my thimble!

Jul 26, 2011

orangesol from Pennsylvania

4.42/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

I brought this one to the Pre-Ffej of July party to share with the usual suspects. I hope you guys liked it as much as I did. '08 Bottle served right before the Kaggen! version.

A - Pours nearly opaque black with a small half finger tall mocha colored head leaving no lacing down the glass. I want to give this pour a lower score but with the small glasses that is hard to do.

S - Smells of rich dark roasted malt, bakers chocolate, day old coffee, sherry wine, licorice, and light soy sauce. A tiny bit of vanilla sweetness creeps in as it warms to room temp and very little alcohol can be detected. Very nice nose.

T - Starts off with a nice dose of sweet bakers chocolate and dark roasted malt slowly giving way to hints of dulled coffee, licorice, molasses, and just the faintest hop bitterness. A tiny bit of booze creeps in as it warms to room temperature. The finish has a good bit of dark roast, lingering for some time.

M - Heavy body and flavor with moderate carbonation. Slick, velvety, feel with a good bit of dark roast lingering through the finish.

O - While the taste didn't quite live up to the nose it was still a very good beer. It is very complex yet it remains easy to drink. I only wish the bottles were a bit bigger so we could have gotten a bigger sample size.

Jul 13, 2011

dboon from Florida

4.58/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

008 vintage bottle. Let me begin by saying I actually preferred this version to the Kaggen. The pour was dark brown with light oily edges and a beautiful foamy brown head. Great oily lacing like DarkLord. Bold roasted malt aromas. This stout is so thick and chewy with huge roasted malt notes paired wonderfully with caramel and coffee undercurrents. I didn’t pick the honey flavors out, but I think they are what help make this a superbly balanced beer with just a hint of roasted bitterness in the finish....

Jul 07, 2011

mothman from Minnesota

4.43/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Huge thanks to kbulter1 for sharing one of my last 27 wants!

2008 Vintage 9.5%

Poured into the one and only kbs snifter.

Pours a 1/2 finger of mocha tan head. Decent retention for an RIS and leaves some nice thin rings. Color is a pitch black. A very thick beer.

Aroma: I can smell the massiveness already. This beer has a huge flavor. Rich molasses, licorice, roasted malts, and thick chocolate. The chocolate flavor is just massive. It has a slight alcohol flavor as well. I get a hint of coffee near the end.

Taste: Reminds me a bit of a Belgian RIS or something from Mikkeller with a peat flavor up front. It is kind of roasted with coffee notes. A ton of chocolate again with some dark dried fruits. Notes of molasses and licorice blend in. Very malty and roasty.

Mouthfeel: Roasted, creamy, and a little bit sweet. Full bodied, this one is very thick. Good amount of carbonation. Ends dry and roasted.

Overall, I preferred the Kaggen version as the oak really rounded things out. This was tasty, but nothing overly unique like the kaggen version was. It was a bit roasty for my liking as well. A really tasty beer nonetheless.

2007 bottle drank in 2016.

No head. Thick and fudgy black.

Nose shows age, but malts are there.

Flavors are big on chocolate. Figs and molasses. Raisins and roasted malts. Caramel. Sweet and malty.

Full bodied. Nice carbonation level. Ends with dark dried fruit flavors.

For being this old, it has held up well. Very fun to drink this.

Jun 03, 2011

kbutler1 from Minnesota

4.38/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Bottle. 2008 vintage. Holy hell, didn’t think I would get to try this one! Opens with a nice little "phht" and then poured into a Stone tulip glass a dark, oil colored brown with a nice flufy 1 finger mocha tan head that has nice retention and leaves sticky brown lace as it settles down into a nice collar. Molasses, leather, roast, dark chocolate, and slight dark fruit. Maybe some slight booze in the nose as well. Thick, rich heavy mouthfeel. Start molasses, roast, then leather, and after that a dark chocolate sweet and bitter flavor round out this little bottled beer. As this warms dark fruit notes begin to make themselves present in the flavor. So how does this stack up in the grand scheme of things? It’s a tasty beer, there is no doubt, bit it more roasty and sweet than some other IS’s that I have had. Given a chance I would have it again but I would take the Kaggen! version over it anytime.

Jun 03, 2011

Mora2000 from Texas

4.2/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Huge thanks to ericandersnavy for sharing this bottle. This is one of those beers I never thought I would get to try. 2008 vintage.

The beer pours a dark brown to black color with a few brown bubbles, but nothing really resembling a head. The aroma is heavy on the chocolate with a little bit of soy and roasted malt.

The flavor is a little bit better than the aroma. I get a lot of chocolate and roasted malt, with a little bit of smoke mixed in. I also get some hotness from the alcohol.

Medium carbonation and thick mouthfeel. Very nice.

Apr 16, 2011

francisweizen from Alaska

4.67/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Last sampled in Stockholm. Winter of 2010 before moving to New Zealand.

I miss beers like this. Really I do.

I mean, One of the main reasons I came to NZ in the first place was to open up a place that brews beers like this. I hope that happens soon!

A: Dark cola brown/black with a starbucks head and hardly any light getting through.

S: Licorice, dark chocolate, coffee, golden syrup, and incense

T: Dark chocolate malts, coffee, roasted vanilla pods and charleston chew

M: Thick, coating, and rewarding

O: Phenomenal. Almost better than the Kaggen, but not quite.

Mar 27, 2011

craytonic from District of Columbia

4.12/5  rDev -8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Shared by the generous habmike with myself, Kkipple and SpencerDB, done side-by-side with Kaggen!

Appearance: Near jet-black pour with perhaps a touch of ruby/mahogany, good mocha head and decent lacing

Smell: Lots of roasted malt up front, with licorice, vanilla, caramelized fruits, tobacco, bitter chocolate and vanilla behind it

Taste: Similar to the smell, heavy roast followed by caramelized dark fruits, figs, dates, fudge, tobacco, bitter chocolate, leather and vanilla. Very complex but I wasn't crazy about it, I preferred Kaggen a good deal more. If you can taste rarity I suppose you would like it more.

Mouthfeel: Smooth and creamy, well carbonated, but not as thick and luxurious as I had expected.

Drinkability: Drinkable enough when split four ways. Not sure why it is such a small bottle at such a high price. Also curious how some reviewers would like it if they had 1/4 a 750ml as opposed to a few ounces.

Feb 09, 2011