Aroma: “Rich roast and chocolate, with medium-high sweetness and milk chocolate. Sweet dark malt flavors, with burned sugar and dark chocolate, low apricot, and fruity yeast esters. There’s an almost cola-like quality to the aromas. The complexity builds as it warms, with more of the roast, moderate alcohol, and smoke emerging. Overall, however, the aromas are pretty muted.”

Flavor: “Heavy roast, with medium dark chocolate and a rich malt flavor. It’s sweet throughout, but just enough to balance the bitterness. Apricot, melon, and fruitiness accent the roast. A bit of alcohol warmth creeps in, but it isn’t harsh and grows into the finish. Finishes rich and sweet, but somehow dry.”

Overall: “This beer is roast-forward, with the coffee and chocolate weaving in nicely with the sweetness. The apricot is really interesting, and it’s a new dimension to the style that I don’t think I’ve had before. The richness and depth of the complexity make this beer very enjoyable.”