Sexual Chocolate

A: Attractive slick blackness, with a small and soft light brown foam head. S: Seductive, first notes are chocolate and cherries. Then either really good expresso or soft anise. For such a dark beer, no smokey nor charred flavors. To sum up in one word, desserty. T: Starts as though it's going to be really sweet, primary initial taste is licorice and some burnt toast. Ends up that the sweetness drys out quickly. O: Special release from Feb 2009, this was bottle # 62 out of 600. Still was carbonated and aroma was awesome. But, taste was less than legendary, finish taste was papery....a sign of oxidation. This beer is a couple months from being 6-years old, which I've come to believe is the outer boundary of aging beers. Fresh, I bet it was awesome.

February 2009 batch. Bottle 62 of 600. Pours opaque with a half inch of mocha, thick foam. Retention is fleeting leaving spotty, clingy lace. Aroma is chocolate up front and throughout. Cherry and possibly plum bring a touch of age. Molasses, coffee and light scent of licorice round out the nose. Taste has chocolate up front and the hits the wall. That's about it. Not much else. Sort of falls flat. Licorice comes out some, even the cherry but it ends there. Big body keeping a touch of stickiness on the lips. Carbonation is minimal. Age has taken a bite out of this beer. The aroma is the star but the taste just doesn't bring it. Six years is too much. I would like to try this beer again but much fresher.