To stare into this opaque, pitch black beer, is to stare into the Heart of Darkness. It is an alluring black hole, begging you to jump in. The airy and loose, mocha-coloured head doesn’t stick around for long but leaves a nice lacing ring around the perimeter of the glass. This is quite an aromatic beer. Smells like molasses and dark breads and there’s a bit of a boozy rum aroma, as well. As the beer warms, more of the fruity esters present themselves, dark cherry and dates. It’s a fairly intoxicating smell (and – let’s be real – at 10.7%, a fairly intoxicating beer, too), and I find myself exercising every ounce of willpower to smell and not taste. Eventually I give in and let the flavour explosion take over.

On the palate, it’s all gorgeous roasted coffee and cocoa. Dark, bitter chocolate and again some dark rum flavours are there. This is a spectacularly beer. Juicy, too. The dates and molasses are here, reminding me of a sticky toffee pudding …. ooooh, to have a sticky toffee pudding right now to pair with this beer …. Mouthfeel is full and creamy, a bit viscous, totally coats the mouth and lets the taste linger for what seems like an eternity. For a beer this high in alcohol, there is very little burn at the back of the throat; it is an incredibly well-balanced brew, indeed.

Tonight in Toronto there is a severe cold warning. As soon as I finish typing this up, I’m going to sit in my den, wrap myself in a comfy wool blanket, read my book and imbibe this absolutely sublime beer and I can guarantee the cold won’t bother me in the slightest.