Péché Mortel

Péché Mortel
Brasserie Dieu Du Ciel
Quebec, Canada
9.50% ABV
Style: Imperial Stout

C: Pitch Black (can't tell how clear it is)
H: Dark as night....well outside of South Florida's Lights
N: Coffee, Dark Chocolate, Dates/Plums

The Ferm: Well just as you thought that Canada weren't producing good beer, a brewery by the name of Brasserie Dieu Du Ciel shows up on the shelves (again) in local Total Wine stores and other fine craft stores around the local market.
In my opinion, Péché Mortel is the finest of their offerings. While I have had this beer a number of times, I was actually surprised to find out that I have not reviewed it yet for the blog.
The beer pours a dark black, and is very oily in the glass. An attack of coffee comes off the snifter and is followed with hints of dark chocolate. The nose really reminds me of a local coffee shop that I use to go to in Tampa, such a cool little place that sadly did not make it.
The flavor of the beer follows straight through. Amazing body coats the tongue while the coffee and chocolate alternate on the palate. Hints of dates and plums follow before being taken over again by the dominating coffee flavor.
Overall I will happily say that this beer beats the pants off anything else that I have had from Canada. Fantastic Beer. Snag one off the shelf if you can find it.

Score: 4.89

Imperial Eclipse Stout - Evan Williams Bourbon

Imperial Eclipse Stout - Evan Williams Bourbon (Black Wax)
FiftyFifty Brewing Co.
Truckee, California
9.50% ABV
Style: Imperial Stout

C: Black
H: Dark Black
N: Chocolate, Bourbon, Vanilla

The Ferm: Three of these now reviewed.....they all look similar, smell similar, and taste....well not so much. Starting to think I should have just stopped with the Purple Wax or Red Wax. Lighter body than the other two, and lets face it when the beer is that close, body is a lot. Good.....but my least favorite out of the group.
Score: 4.2253

Still big thanks to EvilTwin for sharing!

Imperial Eclipse Stout - Four Roses Bourbon (Red)

Imperial Eclipse Stout – Four Roses Bourbon (Red Wax)
FiftyFifty Brewing Co.
Truckee, California
9.50% ABV
Style: Imperial Stout

C: Black
H: Dark Black
N: Chocolate, Bourbon, Vanilla

The Ferm: Well this is the second Imperial Eclipse Stout that I have drank and reviewed for the blog. The Four Roses was dramatically different from the Elijah Craig barrel treatment. The body was thinner, and the flavor was a little weaker. While the Four Roses had a stronger bourbon flavor to it, it did not seem nearly as balanced as the E. Craig.
All this said the beer is still amazing but it is not nearly as good as the Elijah Craig barrel aged. I would still attempt to grab another bottle of either, but maybe it is because of The Cerveza Chica I am just drawn to the Purple Wax.
Score: 4.51023

Mikkeller 黑 / Black (Cognac Edition)

Mikkeller 黑 / Black (Cognac Edition)
Brewed at De Proefbrouwerij
Copenhagen, Denmark
Style: Imperial Stout
ABV: 17.5%

C: Thick and Dark
H: Jet Black
N: Hellllooooo Cognac! Hints of Coffee and Roasted Malt

The Ferm: Huge thanks to HopScotch for sharing this Barrel Aged Treat that is good till 2020?! 2020? REALLY? Will the world still be in existence in 2020? Regardless, this bottle wasn't alive for more than 20 minutes once it was opened.
Did you order an Imperial Stout with your Cognac? If you did, then I think the bar accidentally mixed the two together. Seriously this beer was filled with the cognac sweetness and alcohol bite on the attack then followed with strong coffee and roasted malt on the back-end.
A little too sweet for my liking, regardless this beer is very unique, it doesn't hide the alcohol, but almost allows it to shine in the forefront of the beer. This approach is often reversed by brewers, as people like to have the ABV hidden in big beers. Over time I think this beer will become near perfect. For the time being its damn tasty though.
Score: 3.899

*Note: EvilTwin in the background enjoying the beer!

2007 Deschutes The Abyss

The Abyss 2007
Deschutes Brewery
Bend, OR
11.00% ABV
Style: Imperial Stout


C. To Dark to Tell
H. Black
N. Roasty Malt, Sugar and Mollasis

The Ferm: Well do your remember my review of the 2009 vintage of this beer? Yep come to find out that year was infected, hence the bit of funk that was recieved on the nose of the beer. So when I was given the opportunity to crack one of these sexy aged beers at a friends house two weeks ago I jumped at the offer.
How would 2007 fair versus a 2009 slightly infected bottle? Well just to refresh your memory here is the review of the 2009 bottle, The Abyss 2009.
The 2007 was noticeably different from the 2009. First the nose was very sweet and mellow. The taste was filled with sugary sweet molasses and tons of dark chocolate. You can tell this beer ages fantastically. Was it better than the fresh version back in 2009? HELLS YEAH! Overall this was a pretty fantastic stout, that matured well with age.
Score: 4.45

Imperial Eclipse Stout Elijah Craig Barrel Aged (Purple)

Imperial Eclipse Stout - Elijah Craig (Purple Wax)
FiftyFifty Brewing Co.
Truckee, California
9.50% ABV
Style: Imperial Stout

C: How Clear is Black?
H: Deep Black
N: Chocolate, Bourbon, & hints of Vanilla

The Ferm: WOW, A Perfect Barrel Aged Beer? Maybe not perfect, but this is DAMN CLOSE.
Tons of chocolate with hints of bourbon all though the taste. The mouth feel is fantastic, even with little-to-no carbonation. I would like just a hint of more body, but honestly this is one of the best barrel aged beers I have ever had.
If you have the opportunity to try it, DO IT! Big thanks to JahLove for hooking me up with a taste of this!

Score: 4.90068

Goose Island Rare Bourbon County Stout

Rare Bourbon County Stout
Goose Island Beer Co.
Chicago, IL
13.00% ABV
Style: Barrel Aged Imperial Stout

C: Black
H: To Dark To Tell
N: Hello Bourbon....nose is filled with the booze, sweet chocolate malts, hints of roast and vanilla

The Ferm: First and foremost BIGGGG THANKS to Master Brewer Abbott for sharing this beer with myself and several other people Monday Night. Once again the "beer family" in South Florida always surprises me with their generosity. I personally would have contemplated sitting in a dark room alone with this bottle and drinking 100% of it alone....well maybe not. I am sort-a afraid of the dark after all. Regardless, Thank You!
I was very much so looking forward to this beer since I found out that Goose Island would be releasing it only once, and the base beer is my all time favorite stout. Barrel Aged for 2 Years this thing has to be good....RIGHT?!?
And Good it was! Great....maybe, but for sure DAMN GOOD. Tons of Bourbon in the flavor...but it is not that "hot". The beer is perfectly balanced flavor wise with strong notes of the barrel treatment leading to hints of dark chocolate, vanilla, and coffee. Daily Drinker....if you were a millionaire and did not care about calories....FOR SURE. The beer was faintly carbonated which was nice...as too much carbonation would have ruined the experience.
So is this better than that bottle of 2008 Bourbon County Stout which was opened and reviewed not too long ago? No....but it is damn close. I would love to be able to snag a bottle or two of this and age it for a bit...I have a feeling this will turn out to be one of the best imperial stouts to date with age on it.

Score: 4.89999

2008 Bourbon County Brand Stout

Bourbon County Brand Stout - 2008
Goose Island Beer Co.
Chicago, IL
13.00% ABV
Style: American Double / Imperial Stout

C: Clarity? Really? This is motor-oil!
H: BLACK As Night
N: Boozey & Bourbon

The Ferm: Alright I have to say after the Dark Lord vertical that was done back in December, I am gun shy about aging beers that I really like. This was a bottle I was sitting on but since I had two of them I decided to open on up to see how it is maturing.
HOLY JESUS! This beer is still as boozey as I remember it being fresh. It has mellowed out just a bit in the past few years but it still has a bit of a bite to it. Good? NO! GREAT!
Once of my favorite stouts just got better with time. There is a lot of vanilla, bourbon, and sweet malt. Hints of dark chocolate dance on the palate as well.
I can not wait to crack open the vertical of this that I am sitting on (currently 07-10).

Score: 5.00 (this beer is perfect!)

Bourbon County Brand Vanilla Stout

Bourbon County Brand Vanilla Stout
Goose Island Beer Co.
Chicago, IL
13.00% ABV
Style: American Double / Imperial Stout

C: Way to dark to tell
H: BLACK
N: Boozey, Bourbon, Vanilla, Dark Chocolate

Miguel: Before the day of having this I would be one of the first people to admit that I was never impressed by Goose Island's Bourbon County Stout. I've tried it a number of times and it just seemed like nothing special to me. I guess my general dislike for bourbon aged beers can contribute to that but when the Ferm offered to try some of the Vanilla version I wasn't going to say no. Also earlier in the day we had a 2008 bottle of the normal Bourbon County Stout and I must say that it was so much better with age than the new ones I've sampled before. But anyway onto the Vanilla version. The nose is mostly sweet bourbon and cherries. I get a little brown sugar smell too but no real vanilla. The taste brings forward a slight vanilla taste but nothing huge. Probably will come forward more with age. A lot of the same tastes as the smell in there too. It has an extremely warming feel to it. All my innerds felts like they were sitting by a fire on a winter evening. A very good beer but a slight bit let down with the minimal vanilla taste.
Score: 4.4925

The Ferm: Wow this is quite crazy...I am sampling this beer next to a 2008 Bourbon County Stout. The Vanilla is extremely hot (boozey). There is a good amount of vanilla up front with a strong lingering vanilla flavor in your mouth. I must make it known that I love the base beer with a passion, and the treatments have been stellar so far (check previous reviews). BCBVS is not as good as the Coffee or the standard BCBS, but it is a different beer. It holds its own in the family though. Very solid beer!
Score: 4.712

Short's Cup A Joe Coffee Creme Stout

Cup A Joe Coffee Creme Stout
Short's Brewing Company
Bellaire, Michigan
8.00% ABV
Style: Imperial Stout

C: Can't tell how clear it is because it is BLACKKKK
H: Very Dark Black
N:Espresso forward, hints of sweet creme, and sugary roasted malt

Evil Twin: I'm not a coffee drinker by any means, but coffee flavor in a beer is something that I just can't resist. When I wake up in the morning I need a jolt to boost me out of my slumber, but I would always much rather grab an energy drink over a cup of coffee. I suppose I just like cold drinks over hot ones, but that's another topic of discussion all together.
I was lucky enough to land two bottles of Shorts Cup O' Joe, plus others, in my most recent trade (Mad respect to Erik Koppin for hooking me up with all those Short bottles, you rock my friend)

Poured into my Delirium snifter glass I noticed that the texture was pretty thick. Syrupy and oily with a thin brown head. The aroma had hints of roasted coffee bean, espresso and vanilla, a delicious combo I could fall for every time. The flavor however was something totally out of left field. Black Olive.... That's right, black olives came through in the flavor. I didn't catch it at first, probably because I don't eat olives ever, but once The Ferm mentioned it I totally tasted it. It was quite bizarre to say the least. It had the coffee and lactose flavors as well, but black olives really took center stage on this one. I might be inclined to get more of this, but I wouldn't go out of my way to be truthful. It was a great tasting experience, but olives are meant for salads and pizza, not in my beer.
Score 3.5

The Ferm: Call me crazy, yes I know most of you do already, but I get pepperoncini all up in the nose. Now I can pull the espresso out, and maybe it is just the bitterness of the coffee, but I get pepperoncini. Regardless, I was excited about this beer as I have only been able to try several of the Short's Beers. Thanks to EvilTwin for sharing this with me.
OK, the taste of the beer is straight black olive. I love black olives, but damn....not in beer. There is a strong salty mid-palate flavor that is throwing the whole flavor profile off. That mixed with a strong espresso back-end, brought me back to the day of eating black olives from the can. Nothing like putting the pitted black olives on your fingers so you have olive fingers, and then eating them off! (Hey don't judge me....I know you did it too!). Overall this is an interested black olive beer!
Score: 2.11

Overall: 2.805

Brewdog Abstrakt 04

Abstrakt 04
BrewDog Ltd
Scotland
15.00% ABV
Style: American Double / Imperial Stout

C: Too dark to tell
H: Black...
N: Chile Peppers, hints of Chocolate/Coffee/Whiskey

The Ferm: Thanks to Chris Black for sharing this rare beer with me at a local meet-up. I don't think I have met someone that loves Brewdog as much as this man, and according to him this was his favorite BrewDog Beer Yet! He called this a Hunahpu Clone?!?!

WHAT?!?! Hunahpu Clone!?!?

Hunahpu it is not....sadly. But I can see where the comparisons come into play. Unlike Hunahpu the Chile Pepper takes the forefront of the nose and taste. Tons of spice which is then followed by coffee and darrrkkk chocolate. Out of the Abstrakt Beers that I have had this is my favorite as well. As for my favorite BrewDog Beer, nope that goes to Sink the Bizmark! This is a damn good beer though.

As always BrewDog does a fantastic job of hiding the alcohol... 15%! in this bad boy and you would never guess it. Good Job Guys!

Score: 4.569

The Bruery Black Tuesday

Black Tuesday
The Bruery
Placentia, CA
19.50% ABV
Style: Imperial Stout

C: WAYY TO DARK TO TELL
H: Honestly The Darkest Beer I Have Ever Had.....PITCH BLACK
N: Bourbon, Chocolate Malt, Caramel, Toffee

KirkDiggler:
-Cue up the music from Stanley Kubricks 2001: A Space Odyssey- Or at least that's what I imagine the EPICNESS surrounding this beer would be. So much hype, mystique, rarity, aggravation, and emotional appeal surrounding this beer. Not to mention this years tickets for this beer sold out in 6 minutes (myself included did not get a ticket - yeah I was one of "those" unfortunate few). So thanks to the Ferm for breaking this one out for GABF war planning party.
A: Poured black w/ a ruby colored bubbly head w/ quick dissipation. Ruby color retains around the edges of the beer.
A: Boozy bourbon, toffee, and caramel. No hop aromatics. No diacetyl or esthers.
F: Sweet Maple syrup, caramel, toffee, and warming to light chocolate notes. Light bourbon flavor in the finish.
M: Heavy body and mouth feel, low carbonation, w/ slight alcohol warmth. Not necessarily "burning" Drinks smooth and viscous - syrup like.
O: Really? That's It? You just reviewed one of the most EPIC beers ever in ~ 63 words? Yes I did and here is why. This beer tasted pretty straightforward to me: It's sweet and rightfully so for an 19% beer. Comparable to Dark Lord, if you removed the fruit and complex notes, I believe you would have Black Tuesday. Black Tuesday is boozy and sweet. Did the beer hype around this one blow my mind? Yes...The beer itself? Not so much. Tasty yes, drinkable yes, would I give my first born? No. I'm glad I can put to rest the aggravating ambitions of trying to secure one of these bottles for myself.
Score 4.40


The Ferm: Big Beer for a Big Day, this is the day before the Great American Beer Festival....or atleast for me it is. So how did I celebrate this years trip with some of the Beerigos? I broke out a bottle of Black Tuesday that was so graciously traded to me. Excited damn right I am, and not just for the trip....I have looked forward to opening this beer for the few weeks that it has been in my possession. On BeerAdvocate.com alone it has over 1,000 wants and only 80 gots! Rare....yep!
So how about the beer? Damn its dark! Honestly the darkest beer I have ever had, it is sooo dark it reflected my image taking the picture with NO FLASH! Needless to say I was ready for something big taste wise....well it was there but not anything that knocked my socks off. The Bourbon was up front and center....it was pleasant and not over powering. Had a good amount of syrup flavors to it....honestly some pancakes with Black Tuesday would be magical but a waste of beer. This was a real treat, but there are soo many other Imperial Stouts that I would rank higher. Dark Lord seems to be more complex, Marshall Zhukov Barrel Treatments are always amazing, and Hunahpu. Overall very solid though.
Score: 4.79

Overall: 4.595

Creme Brulee Imperial Milk Stout

Creme Brulee (Imperial Milk Stout)
Southern Tier Brewing Company
Lakewood, NY
9.20% ABV
Style: American Double/Imperial Stout

C: Super Dark
H: BLACKKKKKKKK
N: Once again dessert in a glass; Toffee, Caramel, Sugar

The Ferm; Had this bad boy off draft from The Coffee District in Delray Beach. Served in a bad ass St. Bernardus "Pimp Cup" aka chalice. Like the Kuhnhenn which was reviewed yesterday this beer is just like shoving your face in a huge dish of Creme Brulee.
The taste of the beer follows to a tee the way it smells. Southern Tier could rename this beer Toffee because that flavor overpowers everything on the initial attack. Don't get me wrong I like Toffee but JEEEZZZZZZ. Hints of caramel and coffee linger but nothing that stands out. This would be pretty challenging to drink a whole bomber by myself. Though I think I could handle it.
Overall I felt that the Kuhnhenn Creme Brulee was better simply because it was more balanced all around. Although I would not discount the Southern Tier version. They are both VERY GOOD!
Score: 4.160

Beer Valley Black Flag Imperial Stout (Hop Harvest Edition)

Black Flag Imperial Stout (Hop Harvest Edition)
Beer Valley Brewing Company
Ontario, Oregon
11% ABV

C: To Dark to Tell
H: Dark
N: Burnt Grain, Hoppy Floral, Sweet Fruit

Beer Drinker; We're ending with Black Flag Imperial Stout. The label said this is the 2009 Fresh Hop Edition. Before this beer, I always associated Black Flag with the band and the wannabe anarchist skaters from my home town that listened to them. So it was a bit negative. We called one of the kids Ollie, mockingly, as none of them could ever come close to pulling off that trick!

But this beer has provided a new memory. Very hoppy with harsh alcohol, which I guess you might expect considering it's 11%. There are solid chocolate flavors with a touch of vanilla, too. Good beer, and since it's always tough to be #30 in a lineup, I'd drink it again for sure. Final score... 3.4567

The Ferm; Well we end the week on a good note. A hopped up Imperial Stout, sounds like Heaven to me. This Imperial Stout is brewed once a year and then slammed with 200 lbs of fresh hops. I expected a Hop bomb followed by coffee. Well I was sort-a right. This beer was sort of a Cluster F*%! of flavors. The beer itself was very good but the hops took away from the stout or maybe the stout took away from the hops. Well personally I would prefer you to take 200 lbs of hops and slam it into an IPA or something. Overall a great idea just not what I expected.
Score; 3.425

Overall: 3.44085 (once again we don't discuss scores till after both are done with their reviews!)

Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Coffee Stout

Bourbon County Brand Coffee Stout
Goose Island
Chicago, IL
13% ABV

C. Clairty…whats that
H. Black like Oil
N. Bourbony, Roasty, Vanilla, Dark/Bitter Chocolate, Espresso

El Guapo; So I was made aware by The Ferm that this beer has been climbing up the BA Top 100 and is now at number 3, above Vanilla Bean Aged Dark Lord and just below Westy 12... uhhhh what???
Anyways, I love the regular Bourbon County and was excited to try this one since coffee stouts are my jam... as well as bourbon aged stouts. Now, I have only had the regular version once a long time ago so I don't have it fresh in my head to compare, but I didn't seem to get much more coffee out of this one. Definite boozy bourbon notes on the nose with some dark fruity esters and some sweet roasty and chocolatey malts. I think the bourbon seems to drown out most of the coffee that could have been present in both aroma and flavor. Anyways, the body and mouthfeel on this beer are just what I want. Nice and thick and creamy, with a warming noticeable alcohol that is not a turn off. A bit on the sweet side, but that's not shocking considering the ABV. Just a delicious impy stout with big bourbon notes and some smooth sweet and roasty malts. My only complaint is that I wish the coffee was a little more prominant. Do I think it deserves a number 3 spot on BA? Mehhh maybe not, but it should be up there for sure. I just wish I had more of this beer. Thanks again to Phil for sharing and for letting me guest blog again this week. Cheers!
Score: 4.61

The Ferm; Beer Hype!? Not Here! I received this beer from a trade, and didn't know much about it. I watched it climb on the top 100 for about 3-4 weeks before I even realized I had it sitting in my cellar. Needless to say I was excited to try it. I love the regular Bourbon County so this has to be better right?! Yep, it sure was. This was a true pleasure to drink. The mouth feel was on point, the taste were all distinct in their own. Strong Chocolate, Espresso, Bourbon, and hints of Vanilla. I would drink this beer again and buy this beer again. While I am not sure it is worthy of #3 in the world or higher. It's Pretty Damn Good!
Score:4.798

Overall: 4.704

Great Divide Oak Aged Yeti

Yep, I know it is late, and you my loyal readers have been itching for a beer review today like a crack addict look for their next fix. I am sorry that I made you wait. See the reason I was late was because of this guy;


Yep, thats Steve McKenna, him, Marc Ryan, and Zane Lamprey were in town last night for their comedy tour "Drinking Made Easy". Yep and I attempted to make it look easy with my bill that I passed through legislation last night. As many of you know Florida has "No Child Left Behind", well I created the "No Beer Left Behind" yep...bad idea. Well it wasn't really bad till I decided I was going to being to chug Trappistes Rochefort 10. Regardless...here is your review today! Enjoy!


Great Divide Oak Aged Yeti
Great Divide Brewing Company
Denver, CO
9.50% ABV

C. Clairty…whats that
H. Black, duahh
N. Alcohol, Light Smoke, Hints of Oak, Vanilla

El Guapo; So this was my favorite imperial stout when I first had it a long time ago. Now that I've had a ton of other awesome imperial stouts, this one has fallen down the list a bit. The nose has blatant oak with its vanilla notes that I love so much. This makes me happy as some other oak aged beers are so subtle that they might as well not be oaked at all *cough*oak aged unearthly*cough*. There is also some dark bitter chocolate in the nose that gets sweeter as the beer warms. The taste follows the nose and starts with a definite oak presence and some dark bitter chocolate. It is also pretty hoppy and very roasty, leaving you with a bitter finish that could be sweeter for my tastes. The body is also a bit on the thin side for an imperial stout, but I love my stouts like I love my women... THICK!!! Anyways, this is still a very nice beer but I prefer impy stouts with a bit more sweetness, less intense roastiness, and a nice full body. I will still never forget that this was my first favorite imperial stout and I will always have a special place in my heart for it... <3 xoxo
score: 3.98

The Ferm; Yep El Guapo looked at me like I had three eyes, this is my 1st time drinking this beer. He found that shocking, since I have had several of the other Yeti's already. Needless to say I had high expectations for this beer. It pours just like all the other Yeti's but the taste is so much cleaner then the rest. Strong hints of Dark Chocolate and actual Oak-y Flavoring! This is a real "Oak Aged" beer, or at least one that allows the oak to shine! I very much so enjoyed this beer. As a experiment El Guapo and I gave a sip to a young female (over 21) that does not drink beer...her response "Wow thats a lot of flavors, no thank you!"
Score: 4.10369

Overall: 4.041845

Alesmith Speedway Stout 2009

Speedway Stout 2009
Alesmith Brewing Company
San Diego, Ca.
12.00% ABV

C: Pitch black hard to tell how clear it is, but nice chocolate head
H: Black
N: At cold temp. nose is not there at all, warms to a coffee, roasty malt, slight boozie

KirkDiggler;
A: At fridge temp = nothing really stands out, warms to coffee, and subtle roasted malt aroma
A: Pours black w/ a thin cocoa/tan colored head, no lacing.
F: I really, really, love the fact that I get chocolate milk upfront when drinking this beer and has a creamy espresso finish.
M: Creamy and smooth with light carbonation
O: I believe that Speedway Stout is a great breakfast /brunch/dessert stout. Delicate in aroma, smooth in taste and mouthfeel, and at 12% abv, it can creep on you if not careful. Be sure and share with friends. Good for any occasion.
Rating: 4.000

The Ferm; The attack of the Speedway Stout is light on chocolate and heavy on coffee, it doesn't seem overly complex. Though pretty straight forward, the body feel of the beer is dead on, it is smooth and creamy. The carbonation is spot-on for a stout, and helps with the consistency of the body. I was impressed with this beer because of the hype it gets online, well it followed through just fine. Dare I say that it almost taste like chocolate milk (if you add a lot of chocolate syrup to your cup)???? I heard the availability of this beer is insane in San Diego, like you can go to 711 and pick up a bottle. If thats the case, do you think that The Cerveza Chica would be down to relocate?
Score: 4.0111

Overall; 4.00556

Ballast Point Sea Monster Imperial Stout

Sea Monster Imperial Stout - 2009
Ballast Point Brewing Company
San Diego, CA
7.00% ABV

C: Appears clear from the corners
H: Black
N: Chocolate, toffee and bourbon notes that warmed to espresso

KirkDiggler;
A: Chocolate, toffee and bourbon notes that warmed to espresso
A: Pours black with a ¼ “ tan head which quickly dissipated, no lacing.
F: Espresso and coffee upfront, burnt roasted malt and chocolate make up the rest of the flavor which is wonderful. I didn’t get any Hop Bitterness in the taste. The Espresso and Chocolate are in complete domination of the flavor profile.
M: The mouthfeel is thick, full bodied, and little carbonation.
O: This is a should have/must have in my book. If you are a fan of dark and sweet stouts, this is your money. Highly suggested if you find it: buy it, age it, drink it. Be sure to first sip cool, and let it warm so you can experience the full flavor profile.
Rating: 4.25

The Ferm; This is my first ever Ballast Point Beer, and it lives up to the hype that is talked about on the internet. This beer is smooth to drink and pleasant on the palate. The beer is just smacked full of flavor; coffee, chocolate, roasty malts, and some toffee flavors round this "monster of the sea" out. This is really the only beer I have had that smells similar to Choklat from Southern Tier. Wonderful tasting beer.
Score: 4.732

Overall: 4.491