The pour is straight forward, and the color is a very very dark reddish black. The smell is maple and smokey. It's a very strong aroma, too, and I like that. The head is fairly even and a thin ring of bubbles sticks to the top.
The taste is of slightly overdone coffee and a little chocolatey. It's got nuttiness to it, and the finish is overbearing. It's just way too much of an attempt. With the recent very good Sam beers, it seems like they would have to produce some duds, and this fits in that category. There's just too much going on in the beverage and not enough of what is supposed to happen.