Appearance: Black, as typical, with light unable to penetrate. Head is about half a finger high and a mixture of tight brown bubbles with a ring of larger, more loosely packed bubbles near the edge. Head dissipates slowly, leaving a nice lacy ring around the edge.Nose: Roasted malts, a slight hint of toffee, chocolate, and coffee. Alcohol noticeable, which it should be at 10%. Possibly a hint of hops as well, though it's very faint and hard to tell.
Taste: Chocolate is front and center. Some other sweet flavors, such as the coffee and toffee compliment the chocolate as well. Despite being prominent in the nose, the roast of the malt is far more subdued in the taste. Alcohol is also near unnoticeable in the taste. Just enough hops to balance the taste. All the flavor notes are all wonderfully blended and yet very subtle at the same time.
Mouth Feel: Rather light bodied for a RIS, though still by no means light. Carbonation is sufficient to keep the mouth feeling alive with each sip. Honestly I'm surprised the alcohol isn't more noticeable, as again, it's 10% ABV. Still, I'm not complaining that it's subtle here as well as in the taste.
Drinkability: For an RIS it's high, but as a beer in general I'd have to say it's a medium drinker. I could probably do a 6 pack in a night, but it wouldn't be easy, so maybe it's on the low side still. Even still, it's a very easy drinking beer and I'm sure if I'm careful it could mess me up something fierce.
Overall it's a great beer and well worth the price I paid. It pairs well with any dessert and in the right setting some of the red meats such as ribs or steak (yes I know ribs technically aren't red meat). I wish there was more to extrapolate on, but honestly there isn't. Great flavor, sadly high price, and a very well made beer. Pick it up if you don't mind the price.
