For Pete’s Sake

This beer’s aroma consists of bitter chocolate, roasted malts, coffee, some toffee and a fleeting whiff of peanut butter. All are joined by a boozy alcohol character. The flavor follows through with a big alcohol presence that is not hot or fusel, but still prominent. A huge bitter chocolate and roasted malt character borders on acrid, but the deep rich caramel aspect keeps it from being too harsh. A little French Roast coffee and some prune esters come through and a dark toast lingers in the aftertaste, but I don’t find anything that resembles peanut butter. The beer appears black but when held to the light is actually very dark brown with some dark copper highlights. A big, thick and creamy tan head of foam lingers to the final sip. Moderate carbonation helps keep the body from seeming overly viscous, and the roast helps dry out the finish. The peanut butter aspect seems to have been buried under all the other elements. Definitely a sipper that will most likely improve with age as its edges get rounded out.