Aroma: “Strong coffee roast on the aroma, with some nuttiness and a little vanilla, with some sweet malt on the back. It’s big on freshly roasted coffee with a robust burned flavor, smokiness, cigarettes/ash, and light chocolate. Light smoky phenolics, and no hops to speak of.”

Flavor: “Roasty and earthy, with some burnt roast that carries throughout the taste. Coffee and chocolate up front, with coffee astringency in the middle of the sip. A lighter coffee would bring more coffee flavor without the roast and coffee astringency. Some slight sweetness hits as well, but not as dominant as the roast. Light milk chocolate and caramel. The body is thin, and there are some moderately strong vegetal notes and medium hops bitterness. The coffee and chocolate linger after the finish.”

Overall: “The beer is a touch thin and light compared to the nose, and the flavor wasn’t as smoky and ashy as the aroma led on. This is more like a watered-down French roast coffee than a beer with coffee, and the coffee came across as a bit over-roasted. Still, the beer was enjoyable and is for the French-roast lover.”