Due to a bad seal only one bottle was drinkable. As I said via PM Rhoobarb, it's not important but I just wanted to let anyone else who reviews this beer to know that you need to wait. I was so anxious to try this brew that I didn't even consider the fact that it was brewed later than the rest of ours and needed some aging time.
Appearance- Pours near black with a thick, long lasting head. Even after mine was chilled one day the foam wanted to creep up out of the bottle (almost like a mild gusher infection, but with no off-tastes). Although a bit extreme, if I could get a head to come close to what I saw, I'd be stoked. Did this beer have viagra in it?
Aroma- Dark roast malts, metallic bitterness
Flavor- Strong dark coffee roast, with an even higher level of intense hop bitterness. This is why I recommend waiting, the malt and hops need time to blend. I feel like I did Rhoobarb a disservice by not waiting. The beer was very imperial IPA like.
Mouthfeel. Tingling hop bitterness masked everything else, I can feel the alcohol now as I type this.
Overall- I'm not going to give you a standard score. In some ways I enjoyed the hop bitterness, because I've never experienced nothing like that in a RIS before, but to grade according to style would be difficult. For the other swap recipients, WAIT!!
I think a few months is going to make a big difference with this brew. Again, I enjoyed it in my own way but it was nothing like it has the potential to be. Sorry Rhoobarb for not waiting.