Hardywood Park Cassowary

__Aroma:__ “A nice medium roast on the nose, with secondary notes of bitter and semisweet chocolate. There’s a fair amount of caramel and dark toffee on the nose that pairs nicely with the roast, but the earthy aroma at the back really dominates. Initially, it almost comes across as a chocolate latte.” __Flavor:__ “Bitter chocolate covers the mouth with some extreme roast character, which gives it a slight wood and tobacco presence. The roast really dominates with a chewy flavor, as if biting into an espresso bean−laced dark chocolate bar. The mouthfeel is fantastic, and coats the cheeks. Finishes with hoppy bitterness, cigar, and tobacco notes.” __Overall:__ “A very good beer. The chocolaty sweetness comes through on the nose and holds on just long enough to balance the roast and cigar notes.”

Delicate but rich, roasty, complex nose; notes of anise, chocolate. Candy-like sweetness shifts gradually toward malt-driven chocolate and vanilla. Runs gamut of bitter roast, rich sweet chocolate, hints of dried fruit. Pleasant, tongue-coating body. Round, velvety finish. Sweet, but with enough character to back it up.

**Aroma:** “Big dark chocolate and coffee aroma. Big plum, dates, moderate cherry, light acidity, moderate caramel, light umami, light earthy hops, some brown sugar notes. A backbone of bready malt. I’m sitting by the fire with a snifter of...not barleywine, but this beer. Rich malt complexity with sherry, dried figs, and raisins, and warming alcohol. More caramel than roast, but the coffee and chocolate are there.” **Flavor:** “Lovely complex malt sweetness—like chocolate-covered Fig Newtons, or maple syrup, with a touch of earthy hops to help balance. Like a shot of strong expresso, no cream. Complex and deep, but a bit intense so sessionable is not part of this section. Big cherry, light plum, big chocolate, moderate coffee, light hops bitterness, touch of alcohol, moderate caramel. Aftertaste: big chocolate, touch of coffee, light bitterness. Starts out like a thinner-bodied barleywine, but the hops and roast bitterness crack that illusion. The promise from the nose is here, but it doesn't quite mesh as well in the flavor because the lingering hops and slight astringency add some harshness. Hops flavor is as big as the roast. Sherry, malt, dried fruit and esters are still nice, though.” **Overall:** “Very tasty, but could use a bit more carbonation to help the flavors pop. Love the fruitiness. Fun dark-fruit dominated imperial stout. The chocolate, caramel, and roast notes are present throughout with just enough hops to balance. It is fairly well carbonated, but that works to bring out the brighter fruit notes. The nose had me, but the flavor not so much.”