Aroma: “Dark chocolate up front with caramel and maple syrup behind that. Vanilla and whiskey barrel help round everything out.”

Flavor: “Very dark rich chocolate syrup. Chewy dark malt with an intense roast bitterness, but backed with a chocolate, caramel sweetness to balance. Luscious, rich, and tongue-coating, with a pleasant warming booziness on the swallow. Some barrel spiciness comes through at the end to cut the sweetness a bit. The barrel adds a hazelnut, toasted marshmallow, vanilla, and caramel character.”

Overall: “Lush, bitter, rich, velvety, and fantastically complex. A beer to savor as it warms while you sit next to a fire. The complexity without adjunct additions is really astounding.”