Imperialized!

It's been a long busy day today. Beer has been moved and sold and at the end of it all the only thing on my mind is getting to an easy chair and a pint. I forage through the fridge, find myself something that looks tasty and pour this out..

It's a dark and diabolical looking beer, with an aroma which tells me this nourishing pint is going to make me live again. Thick rich chocolate mousse, cocoa nibs, vanilla, black forest fruits and a little oak all rise through the air as if to say "Why didn't you drink this on Shrove Tuesday when you were getting rid of all your other rich foodstuffs..."

That's exactly what I thought this was on the first mouthful - this isn't a beer, this is a foodstuff - this is desert in a glass! So rich, so smooth, so moorish! Even at 7.8% I'm wishing the 75cl bottle was bigger and that I had some black forest gateau or a triple layer fudge cake to pair alongside this bottle of restoring black magic. Sweet vanilla and black fruits play host alongside roasted black malts and liquorice with some smooth earthy/woody tones adding a slight tartness in the finish. Without doubt, a masterpiece of a beverage.

I'd heard this is the strongest beer the head brewer has ever produced, which got me wondering, at this level of quality, why the brewery in question doesn't make more beers like this. I reckon they've probably done the math though on how much it would take to produce beers of this strength on a regular basis.

This is one beer I really, really wish wasn't limited to only a few bottles...


*update*

For those curious amongst you...