Aroma: “Subtle coffee and bittersweet chocolate notes interweave nicely with the caramel malt sweetness. Little yeast character or hops character. Some moderate chocolate notes with a bit of fruitiness and black licorice. Mild roastiness emerges as it warms.”

Flavor: “Caramel malt sweetness with just a touch of roasted malts to balance. Subtle raisin dark fruit esters. Finish is mostly sweet with no real hops bitterness to speak of. Malty sweetness with less perceived round sweetness from lactose. Some coffee, chocolate, and roast notes, but not enough bitterness to balance the sweetness.”

Overall: “Slightly out of balance, with too much malt sweetness and not enough dark chocolate or roast notes to balance out the stickiness of the beer. Nice complexity in the roast, though. Enjoyable but overly sweet without enough roast. Finish is nice: sweet but not saccharine.”