Well this beer has been ready since Christmas but with the holidays and work, blah, blah, I’m just getting around to having a glass of this baby in front of me and ready to roll.

Beer pours a very dark amber verging on black. Nice tan head with a small amount of retention and nice lacing.

A beautiful roasty malt flavor hits your nose. Nice and thick on the tongue at first but a surprisingly dry finish. Has to be the water here. As I mentioned before the local water is off the charts on bicarbonates, which is excellent for dark beers. Flavors of toasty malt, chocolate and maybe a hint of coffee from the roasted malt. A little bit of sweetness upfront from the high finish, the corn, and the licorice root possibly but as I mentioned before finishes quite dry with a nice firm bitterness.

In short this beer is absolutely delicious. A keeper.

I’d like to up the salt and licorice additions on the next go around. I think it would add a bit more complexity to an already great beer.