She's a very dark beer with a bit of that raspberry purple/red coming through. The head took a bit of coaxing to come out to play, and it fizzles down to a lumpy patch in the middle and a requisite ring around the sides. The aroma is quite potent, and it conveys chocolate, scorched wood, vanilla, and a little sweetness. I'm kind of surprised that we don't have berries in the smell, but I guess it'll be in there when I taste it.First sip says very loudly, "There are raspberries in here!" Mind you, there is chocolate and even a bit of the charring, but I don't really taste the wood that I thought I smelled. Those raspberries, though; they are a force to be tamed, and the sip does not have them tamed. I feel like I just had a jam sandwich with raspberry jam, and I'm starting to wonder if I have a peanut butter beer to go with this (not that I would mix them... probably).
Tip-in sweet raspberries with a smoky mist clinging to them like they were pan seared or something, but there is a highlight of vanilla. The middle is very smooth, but it has a bitterness that definitely spikes in the middle and starts to fade, but when the finish comes on, the bitterness comes back with coffee and chocolate, more raspberries, and a little trail-off smoke.
Bottom Line: Well, they went outside the box, and I certainly don't hate it. The smooth center really helps the beer out.
2.5/5
