Appearance: Pours a completely opaque black with about 1/2 finger of chocolate head that dissipates into a thin tan film over the top. Has some pretty intense alcohol legs on the side of the glass. No lacing-- but its 10.6%ABV and a double stout. It looks spot on for the style.-- 5
Smell: Rich dark coffees, deeply roasted malts, a moderate amount of vanilla notes, dark semi-sweet chocolates, an undertone of some sweet maple syrup, and all held together by a fairly obvious bourbon booziness. I was surprised to find the maple syrup as subtle as it is. Its an incredibly complex beer in the nose. Surprisingly, the nose didn't just come out and knock me in the face. It definitely has some patience in the nose, and all the flavors seem to complement one another to form its own unique note of harmony. However, the bourbon is definitely a big note in this one. If you don't dig on big bourbon notes, it may be a turn off for you. But this brew is totally robust in every way-- 5
TASTE: Just wow. Big, huge chocolate and coffee notes are upfront, a sweet sticky maple syrup that shows restraint and is not overly sweet, wrapped up in with a BIG bourbon, bitter dark roast coffee, slightly dry and ever so slightly sweet finish. It might be the most masterfully blended and proportioned beer I have ever had. Absolutely no alcohol whatsoever-- its too wonderfully crafted. However, the bourbon is much bigger in this one than I expected. I interpret this as a well executed risk. Furthermore, the maple influence gives an accent to the original KBS style that blesses it with a certain sweetness and woodiness that gives it an influence that gives even more additional complexity. The maple syrup makes itself more well known as it warms, and it smooths out the big bourbon characters.-- TEN..a f***in TEN!