Monsters: Valour
Torrside Brewing

Blind-tasted. Bottle not read beforehand ex name/style/ABV%
L- Pours inky black with 15mm seriously dark fine-bubble dense head that's holding well.
S- Very deep roasty aspect, hints of timber and smoke.
T- Hints of smoke, charred wood into mega-deep + big roast aspect. This is a real and swift roller-coaster. Into a bright pungent hoppy finish that lifts away from it's deep roasty intensity. Wow, it makes for a hell of a journey.
F- Seriously impactful. Thank gawd it hasn't rich or sweet character. The ABV doesn't seem to show itself at all (good, no need to be loud).
O- Wow - a stand-out beer. One of the darkest beers with the darkest foam heads I've seen. Mega Icelandic stouts are the closest I've seen before like this. Super-intense yet trad tasting. Properly pungent. ABV perfectly in balance. Nothing, zero, out of place or balance to notice/report.
In summary; wow, this was from the beginning clearly several notches above parallel competition. One of those beers I will remember. Out of 2k+ beers rated here, this surely will end up rating in my top-50.
Bought from Trembling Madness in York. 500ml bottle Gyle# 0306a bottled: 4/22 BB 12/23. £4.80

Bottled, bottle conditioned and brewed to the 1917 recipe for Courage Russian Imperial Stout

Pours a jet black body with good tan head
Aroma is Barbados brown sugar & milky coffee
Flavour is molasses and malted milk