Evil Twin Lil' B - Evil Twin Brewing

PDXHops

South Carolina

4.2/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

32 ounce growler (an alarming serving size of such a strong critter, to be sure) poured into an oversized snifter. It's definitely got the "imperial" look going, dark and oily body topped with a dense cap of red-tinged tan foam. Considering the wide glassware and strength of Lil B, the retention and scattered lacing aren't bad at all.

Nice nose on this stuff. Fresh brewed coffee,dark fruits, old-fashioned caramel candies, sweet citrus (think tangerine and blood orange), dryish roast with stray notes of cocoa. Alcohol?? I reckon I'm catching a stray whiff here and there, but dang, this is shaping up pretty dangerously so far...

Oh yeah, dangerous stuff here. As it warms, the fruitiness takes a turn toward vinous and mixed berry jam territory. Viscous but smooth with a nice slippery feel. Plentiful juicy and tangy flavors midswallow, with bittersweet chocolate, leafiness and some dry roast showing up in the lengthy finish. Even at this ABV, it's not overwhelmingly sweet, and certainly not boozy. Appropriately warming, but you'd never guess 11.5% while sipping on it. A surprisingly potent undercurrent of bitterness is a nice complement to all the sweet/fruity/tangy components of the flavor profile; I suspect it will cellar like a champ, but damned if it ain't tasty now. A touch more roast would really send it over the top. The price point's a bit tough to swallow, but I'm still inclined to grab a bottle or two to age.

Epilogue: Lil B will creep up on ya like the ninja of getting hammered. Proceed with caution...

Serving type: growler

08-28-2012 00:27:43 | More by PDXHops

zac16125

South Carolina

4.2/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Evil Twin Lil B
750mL bottle into a snifter
No born on date

A: Pours a thick looking, opaque jet black with 1 fingers width of dark mocha colored head, which dissipates down fairly quickly to only an outer ring. Leaves effectively no lacing.  

S: Dark fruits and rich dark chocolate, anise, a nutty almond-like character, sweet bread.  Actually smells like a biscotti, not as much as IBB, but definitely reminiscent of the cookie.  A hint of booze. Excellent.  

T: Herbaceous, roasted malt, dark fruits, sweet apple,a nutty character, chocolate syrup, the faintest hint of booze.  A lot of subtleties add to the complexity of the palate profile, but dont be fooled, roasted malt and an earthy/herbaceous character are the most prominent players here.  

M/D: Moderately thick.  Smooth, but slightly syrupy.   ABV is very well hidden.  I would have liked it to be a touch thicker and chewier.  Not a bad mouthfeel though, and drinkability is good.    

O: Overall, this is a really good beer.  Honestly, my expectations were through the roof, as my last couple of Evil Twin beers were just spectacular.  Ive heard this is the "base beer" to Imperial Biscotti.  Im not exactly sure what that means, and dont know if its true or not.  There are definitely similarities, but there are differences as well.  It doesnt live up to IBB, but then again most nothing does as thats one of my favorite beers, but this one is very good in its own right.  My limited experience with Imperial/Baltic Porters has me rating them as if they were IS's, which may not be fair.  Either way, certainly an enjoyable beer, that I recommend and gladly would drink again.  I wont be running to the store to buy up the rest of the supply like I did for Imperial Biscotti though.  

Serving type: bottle

09-22-2012 00:43:59 | More by zac16125

ehammond1

California

4.2/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On Tap

Churchill's Pub & Grille
San Marcos, CA

A beautiful stout: black throughout, small dark brown head, thick, viscous, and substantial in the glass, leaving messy, irregular splotches of lace down the glass.

Bold aroma of roasted malt, mild coffee and chocolate, along with some licorice, especially as the beer warms.

The flavor follows a similar trajectory as the aroma: roasted, chocolate, coffee combine initially, with more and more licorice flavors emerging as the beer comes closer and closer to room temperature.

Full bodied with low-moderate carbonation. Rich and thick.

Delicious, straight-forward, stouty goodness.

Serving type: on-tap

09-27-2012 16:36:31 | More by ehammond1

Rutager

British Columbia (Canada)

4.2/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Appearance. Pours viscous and black with half a finger of dark tan head

Smell. Sweet chocolate and some dark fruits; mainly cherry and dates. A little molasses and dark roasted malts as well.

Taste. Semi sweet chocolate, roasted nuts and molasses, a little dark fruit but not much for alcohol which is kind of scary for an 11.5% abv beer!

Mouthfeel. Full body, slick. Lowish carbonation.

Overall. Nice big porter. Now what's the difference between a porter and stout when it comes to a beer of this magnitude anyways? Shit I don't know about beer could fill a room.

Serving type: bottle

04-22-2013 02:25:04 | More by Rutager

bluejacket74

Ohio

4.26/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

22 ounce bottle. Served in a snifter, the beer pours dark brown/black with a quarter inch tan head that didn't stay around for too long. Not much lacing at all. Aroma is very nice, the brew smells like roasted malt, dark fruit, vanilla, bittersweet chocolate, and a bit of coffee and licorice. The brew tastes mostly sweet, like dark fruit, vanilla, milk chocolate/chocolate syrup, molasses, roasted/charred malt, and some coffee. Mouthfeel/body is medium/full, it's smooth and syrupy with low carbonation. I think it's a good brew overall. If you like sweet tasting beers, then you should enjoy this one. $12.49 a bomber.

Serving type: bottle

04-05-2013 21:01:56 | More by bluejacket74

mfnmbvp

Illinois

4.28/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

12 oz. bottle, bottled on 03/20/2013. My first beer from Evil Twin Brewing, and a big one at that. Poured into a Firestone Walker pint glass.

A - Pours an opaque oily jet black body with a half finger of creamy mocha colored froth for a head. Looks pretty nice. Thin wispy tan lacing.

S - As the others have said, initial blast of soy sauce, followed by big roasted malts and creamy milk chocolate and roasted coffee bean.

T - Taste is big bold and rich. Velvety chocolate cake, bitter coffee bean roast, some boozy characteristics, but hides it's high abv well. Crisp & smooth with some alcohol warmth in the finish.

M - Feel is sticky and moist with an underlying chocolate / coffee bean bitterness.

Overall, a big intense & complex brew. A nice introduction to this brewery for me, if I do say so myself. I got this bottle from a friend, and I've veered away from Evil Twin beers in the past because they tend to be pricey. However, after this I think I might risk it next time. A very nice beer, one well worth trying.

Evil Twin Lil' B ---4/5.

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2013 22:09:47 | More by mfnmbvp

LiquidAmber

Washington

4.3/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into an Elysian snifter. Pours pitch black with no initial signs of carbonation, but just after the pour a thin film of light tan covered the glass and dissipated to a ring around the glass. Nice complex aroma of sweet toasted malt, vanilla, chocolate, dark dried fruit. Flavor follows with toasted malt, vanilla, licorice, chocolate and dark dried fruit, rather sweet. The ABV is completely undetectable, which is amazing. Heavy bodied and decent mouth feel, but I couldn't help but think how superb this would have been with some active carbonation. Guess you can't have everything, this is still an excellent complex imperial porter. I've enjoyed the whole Biscotti Break family and hope to see more.

Serving type: bottle

02-28-2013 03:44:20 | More by LiquidAmber

kemoarps

Washington

4.3/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Absolutely beautiful pour. Black coffee black, with a creamy deep brown head. Dissipates leaving just a ring around the edges and a little swirl in the middle. Enticing.

The nose is kind of disappointing. almost a soy sauce twinge, and some dry cocoa. roasted coconut husk as it warms

Once it hits your lips, though....
Before I can even start appreciating the flavours (which are tasty), The silky satin smoothe... The only analogies I can think of are not particularly appropriate for a public forum, but let's just say it would be the kind to make you want to put a ring on it...
But back to flavours. Roasty chocolate. Chocolate somewhere between silky milk chocolate and dry cocoa, some of that coconut, a tinge of candied dark fruits: mainly on the sweeter side, with the bit of bitterness there is mainly being of the cocoa variety.

This.
If you can get it, try it. I had high hopes coming in, and do not feel let down. Mainly due to that body. Silk. chewy. like a velour fog...
My least favourite aspect of this brew is mainly just that I feel compelled to listen to The Based God while drinking it, and, while I respect that he's doing his thing and trying to stay pure yadda yadda yadda... I don't find him to be a very good rapper. His songs just don't do anything for me. The beer is substantially better than the rapper.

Serving type: bottle

05-16-2013 23:46:34 | More by kemoarps

inlimbo77

Delaware

4.33/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22oz, Summer '12
DFH signature

A: Pours a deep dark black color. Poured like motor oil, pretty darn thick. Basically no head. Just a thin ring of dark tan. Leaves some spotty lacing.

S: Licorice, dark chocolate, dark fruits, roast, molasses, etc. Smells big! Bigger than normal porters. Some booze.

T: Tip of the tongue, you get dark chocolate bitterness. Really dark cocoa. Then some of that roasted malt and coffee in there. That molasses. The beer really smooths in the center. It's got a creamy mouthfeel. Surprised me. Big beer. Big porter. Dry finish. No really alcohol burn, but abv is there. Lingering dark chocolate. Delicious.

M: Full bodied. Very silky.

Serving type: bottle

10-12-2012 17:21:39 | More by inlimbo77

ngeunit1

California

4.33/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Dark black, bit of brown, with a very thin layer of chocolate-khaki head. Fades quickly.

S - Dark chocolate malts, molasses, some cherry and other dark fruits, black licorice, a hint of coffee and vanilla, and some booze.

T - Sweet dark chocolate malts, dark fruits, cherry, molasses, black licorice, coffee, vanilla, coffee, vanilla, a bit of sourness, and some booze.

M - Medium-full bodied with moderate-mild carbonation. Smooth with a warming and sweet finish.

D - Big, bold, and complex, but very well balanced. Fantastic beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2013 09:21:42 | More by ngeunit1

jrenihan

Ontario (Canada)

4.38/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Black with a moderately sized cocoa-coloured head. Moderate retention.

Smell is very rich. Roasted malt, chocolate, dark fruits, caramel and toffee, almost butterscotch. Smells like dessert, and a heavy one at that.

Taste is like the nose. Rich chocolate, toffee/caramel, roasted malt. A bit of dark fruit. The reviewer who mentioned blood orange has a point- I wouldn't have caught it but looking for it I do see how it comes out. Sweet but not overly so.

Full bodied and velvety smooth, with low carbonation. Feels great.

Overall, a really excellent beer! I guess it is unlikely that I will encounter it again, but I sure am enjoying this bottle.

Serving type: bottle

08-31-2012 18:23:24 | More by jrenihan

dbrauneis

New Jersey

4.38/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

A: Pours an opaque jet black in color with minimal amounts of gentle visible carbonation. The beer poured with essentially no head, just a partial thin dark tan ring of bubbles around most of the edges of the glass. Moderate amounts of lacing is observed. Kind of looks like soy sauce when it pours.

S: Moderate aromas of chocolate and some lighter notes of sweet dark fruits.

T: Rich with lots of roasted malt flavors and chocolate. Lighter notes of dark fruits but not overly sweet (not quite as sweet as other beers in the style).

M: Light to medium bodied with light to moderate amounts of carbonation.

O: Alcohol is extremely well hidden in this beer as you can detect none of the 11.5% ABV at all. Enjoyable but definitely a beer you need to take your time drinking, so drink it slow and enjoy.

Serving type: bottle

09-23-2012 17:21:08 | More by dbrauneis

cvm4

Mississippi

4.38/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

A - Pours thick & black with a light chocolate head. We sure this is a porter? Could be a stout from the pour.

S - At first it's sweet milk chocolate & malts. Some black licorice lingering then a tinge of black coffee.

T - Sweet malts, dark chocolate & a bit of dark fruit. This is good!

M - Creamy, smooth, medium body & low carbonation. Abv is well hidden.

O - Seriously impressed, but this is a stout or borderline RIS. Either way, I dug it!

Serving type: bottle

02-09-2013 01:16:34 | More by cvm4

BEERchitect

Kentucky

4.4/5  rDev +3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

With the major differences in porters and stout being in the amount of "roast" character and in body, the recipe formulators of Evil Twin blur these lines and push the limits of this imperial porter into a highly specialized taste.

Lil' B pours with a dark, bark-brown color and a cloudy haze that creates a slightly murky appearance. Even with a vigorous pour, the beer lackadaisically amounts to a dainty creme-like foam to top the beer. Remote islands of foam attach themselves to the snifter with understated lacing.

Strong aromas of all-things-dark spring from the glass and into the nose- chocolate, coffee, nuts, molasses, light smoke, vinous fruit, sherry, and savory notes of soy sauce come to mind with a single whiff of the beer. With no real hop presence, the beer's aroma relies on complex near-roast notes and wine like counterparts to achieve its balanced scent.

Flavors are even stronger as the intense taste of French press coffee, smoky chocolate, bittersweet fudge-like notes, walnuts, slightly scorched toffee, and charred wood all flood the palate with richness and succulence. Savory soy sauce, sherry, and port wine weigh in after mid palate while the taste of dark, dehydrated, and pitted fruit mingles with alcohol. Dates, figs, raisins, and grapes are all well represented when layers after layers of taste are lifted and exposed as the beer warms.

Its highly viscous texture allows the full bodied ale to caress the mouth with velvety smoothness, creamy softness, and somewhat powdery warmth. The strong alcohol presence seeps into the soft tissues of the mouth with warming delight and free of harshness or bite.

With its extended finish of milk chocolate, vanilla, and fruit, the beer continues to reward the palate with the same satisfaction as fine brandy or cognac, in place of after dinner dessert. With beers like Lil' B, Evil Twin continues to remind me why it's alright to pay such exorbitant prices for their beers- they are simply worth it.

Serving type: on-tap

09-17-2012 18:50:57 | More by BEERchitect

avalon07

South Carolina

4.43/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: Poured from a bottle to a pint glass. Had a jet black color and a thick texture. There was a small amount of tan-colored, foamy, fairly long-lasting head. Not much lacing.

S: A big aroma of coffee, chocolate and dark fruit.

T: Tasted of coffee, dark chocolate, a nice shot of malt, light hops, and dark fruit (plums, raisins). Like the aroma, the flavor is big. It's well balanced, complex and powerful.

M: A decent amount of carbonation with a somewhat slick and viscous finish. Medium-bodied.

O: This is a beer that's closer to a stout than a porter, but that's not a problem. Well made and drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

08-08-2012 12:19:32 | More by avalon07

beer2day

North Carolina

4.45/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

22oz bottle from Bottle Revolution in Raleigh.

Dark, dark brown pour with a faint suggestion of red. Dark, dark mocha head. One of the darkest heads I can remember. Only 1/2 finger's worth, but retains a thin film on top of the glass. Laces well, but the lace is fleeting.

Nose is strong dark coffee, mocha, esters and light citrus, along with burnt but not quite scorched caramel malt. Well done, but maybe a tad bit understated.

Taste is ... delicious. Chocolate and light roasted caramel, medium roast coffee, a splash of vanilla cream, and light citrus bitters in the finish. Gets a bit sweet in the very end, with only a hint of the abv showing in a quick breath of alcohol.

Feel is perfect. Smooth and creamy, velvety smooth.

Get this one while the getting is good. While it is expensive, it is really good.

Serving type: bottle

08-21-2012 01:15:13 | More by beer2day

Dope

Massachusetts

4.45/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A: Pours an inky pitch black with a small dark brown head despite an aggressive pour. Fades at decent pace but has good retention at least. Leaves just bits of lacing here and there.

S: Nice dark fruit aroma, primarily raisin, fig and plum. Anise too. Roasted malt aroma strong but not too strong. There is a nice bitter chocolate and ashy coffee aroma. Creamy and smooth (can a smell be creamy and smooth?). Wonderful aroma.

T: Loaded with dark fruit up front. Raisin, fig, plum and lots of cherry. Almost tart just for a moment. Roasted malt kicks in in the middle with some char initially but then turns into a really nice dark and bitter chocolate. Grows more bitter towards the finish until it's almost pure baker's chocolate by the end. Finish is creamy and mellow. Lingering bitter chocolate and char between sips. This is one hell of a beer.

M: Heavy and creamy and borderline chalky.

O: Wow, unexpectedly good. Especially for my first Evil Twin beer. One of the best imperial porters I've ever had, if not THE best. Strong fruitiness and milder roasted malt (though there is still plenty at 11.5% ABV) keeps this firmly in porter territory and doesn't cross over into imperial stout-dom. Wonderfully fruity, smooth and creamy. Balanced flavor. An expertly crafted brew in my opinion.

Serving type: bottle

09-27-2012 02:28:04 | More by Dope

DrinkSlurm

Connecticut

4.45/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from tap into oversized snifter at Avenue Pub NOLA. Pours an oily black color with thin tan head. Crazy good roasted sweet malts, booze, dark fruit aromas. Taste is so smooth boozey dark fruit, chocolatey bourbon vanilla, slight coffee as well. This is just so crazy good and it gets better as it warms...wow. Slightly bitter mouthfeel, which I dig, nonetheless a spectacular amazing brew. Go have one now!

Serving type: on-tap

10-02-2012 03:30:47 | More by DrinkSlurm

thagr81us

South Carolina

4.48/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Because MSquared2 told me to tick Evil Twin brews this night… Served from bottle into a Mikkeller Teku (semi-proper!). Poured pitch black with a one finger brown head that subsided to a minimal amount slowly. Maintained excellent lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, roasted malt, dark chocolate, bread, milk chocolate, sweet alcohol, vanilla, and very subtle coffee. The flavor was of sweet malt, roasted malt, bread, milk chocolate, dark chocolate, vanilla, sweet alcohol, and coffee. It had a heavy feel on the palate with medium-high carbonation. Overall this was fairly great brew. Where did this one come from!? Wow… Everything going on in this one was nothing short of fantastic and made it quite easy to drink despite the ABV going on here. The flavors and aromas going on here are nothing short of excellent as they are all on-point. This is definitely a really well done brew. If you have not had the pleasure of enjoying this one, you need to make it happen. Nicely done guys!

Serving type: bottle

09-13-2012 10:38:51 | More by thagr81us

WillCarrera

Illinois

4.48/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

22 oz bottle, no bottled-on date, poured into a tulip glass.

A- Pours an incredibly black color, produces a thin mocha head with some spotty lacing.

S- Sweet, rich aroma, very heavy on chocolate, creating a nice brownie aroma. A bit of coffee and vanilla, some really amazing nut aroma as well. Light booze and vinous fruit. Wooo, swag.

T- Wooo, hoes on this beer cause it tastes like Jesus. A really delicious blend of chocolate and juicy dark fruit from the outset, roasted coffee beans and milk chocolate follow. As in the nose there's a very nice walnut/hazelnut flavor that lingers into the finish. A bit of bitter coffee and smoky roast in the finish, as well as a bit of lingering chocolate and mild booze. Hunned thousand dollars.

M- Full-bodied, smooth, velvety and creamy, low carbonation, if this was just a bit thicker it would be perfect.

O- This beer got bitches on deck. Seriously, this is a damn fine Paris Hilton style beer. The price is a bit steep, but I'm glad I picked this up, it's really delicious. Very drinkable for such a big beer as well, alcohol is nicely hidden. Master-chef cook chef cook swag swag swag.

Serving type: bottle

09-18-2012 06:23:11 | More by WillCarrera

Immortale25

Florida

4.53/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

Poured into a Saint Somewhere wine-style glass. No freshness date.

A- Pours a fully opaque inky black color with barely any head derived from the pour and ends up as a thin ring around the edge of the glass and trace amounts of brown surface foam. Sticky lacing leaves a resilient ring behind on the glass.

S- Boozy, solvent-like aroma with chocolaty dark roast interlaced. As more sniffs are taken, the sweetness comes out bringing with it notes of cherry cordials and caramel. Wasn't expecting that.

T- Surprisingly smooth milk chocolate flavor. No cherry detected here yet still quite sweet but then turns the other way as the roast bitterness lingers on the palate. Definitely bordering on a stout but the sugary chocolate that balances out the bitterness keeps things in check without going to the extremely malty side.

M- Low carbonation is right where it should be for such a viscous and chewy porter.

O- This beer, like other high gravity heavily roasted offerings from Evil Twin, is so elusively tasty you really don't notice the ABV until it's too late. Definitely worth whatever exorbitant amount of money I paid for it.

Serving type: bottle

05-26-2013 01:55:21 | More by Immortale25

Chadster

Alberta (Canada)

4.71/5  rDev +10.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

just a beautiful ing on tap, At Avenue Pub last Year in New Orleans
This Gem Tastedof Vanilla , chocolate and sweet molasses hint to it..
Better on tap then in bottle but still well worth the buy..

Also recommended, St Arnold Bourban stout, Old Rasputin bourban barrel stout,

Serving type: cask

12-24-2012 11:47:00 | More by Chadster

vicsju1991

Pennsylvania

4.73/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

On tap at eulogoy in philadelphia
A - pours out of tap like motor oil, very dark beer, small head goes away quickly
S - dark frutis, choclatey and roasted malts, little bit of ether bourbon or just alcohol
T - follows the nose , veyr complex every moutful a little different
M - a little thin, but still very good
O - very cool beer, happy I had the chance to have it on tap

Serving type: on-tap

09-06-2012 09:57:34 | More by vicsju1991

Damian

Massachusetts

4.8/5  rDev +12.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

Drank from a 1 pt. 6 fl. oz. bottle purchased at Liquor World, Cambridge, MA
Served in a snifter

Inky jet black in appearance. The liquid poured viscous and slick with a motor oil-like consistency. Completely opaque. There was no head but some spotty patches of cocoa colored froth. The froth quickly dissipated to a thin ring of lasting foam.

The nose was remarkable. Rich, dark and complex. Super smooth and quite sweet. Bourbon notes were apparent, even though this beer was not barrel aged. Boatloads of dark malts. Good amount of vanilla and brown sugar. Strong indications of licorice and dark fruits. Plums, figs, raisins and prunes were noticeable. Lots of dark chocolate and freshly brewed coffee. Some smooth, port-like notes came through as well. Touch of smoke as the beer warmed. This reminded me a lot more of a rich and robust, well-aged imperial stout than a relatively fresh porter.

The flavor profile was even more impressive than the nose. Quite sweet with intense bourbon and brown sugar notes. Tons of vanilla. Lots of semi-sweet chocolate and molasses. Dark fruits galore. Strong notes of plums, figs and raisins. Good dose of black coffee. Slightly roasty on the finish. The 11.5% ABV was completely undetectable. Like the nose, the flavor profile shared many similarities with an aged imperial stout.

The body was super viscous. Rich, oily and slick. Creamy on the palate with a fine, mild effervescence.

Even though this beer is classified as an imperial porter, it drinks much bigger. Lil' B is the base beer for Imperial Biscotti Break, but I liked this so much better (and I happen to be a huge fan of espresso, vanilla and almonds, which are added to Lil' B to create Biscotti Break). With its smooth, sweet, indulgent richness and over the top mouthfeel, it brought back memories of earlier Dark Lord vintages.

Serving type: bottle

02-09-2013 04:15:49 | More by Damian

Rickythejeweler

Maryland

4.85/5  rDev +13.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

A - Pitch black, one finger dark mocha head, light lacing.

S - Smoked malts, vanilla, dark chocolate, roasty/grainy.

T - Amazing! Smoked malts, tobacco, chocolate wafers, walnuts, vanilla, espresso beans covered in Hershey's syrup!

M - Full body, viscous, low carbonation.

O - So very good! I have tried it both on tap and from a bottle; I actually prefer the bottle.

22 oz. @ Liquor Pump, Baltimore, MD $15.99

Serving type: bottle

10-08-2012 14:26:34 | More by Rickythejeweler