Pisgah Vortex II

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

KnoxBeerCrew tasting. Medium bodied black pour, tall tan head, nice lacing. Dark molasses aroma, deep toasted malts, some cocoa and java, earthy hops. Mouthfeel is a bit thin. Flavors of dark roasted malts, molasses, hint of dark chocolate, some black coffee, dry finish. Earthy and satisfying.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 6

pours a darkest of the brown hue, decent head pool ... some tar, cigar, dark old molasses,chocolate covered peanuts and slight burnt malt alcohol in the nose ... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yd6lrgn9sw8 ... pretty easy to put down, the abv seems to work well, needs maybe a year to mellow .. for being organic; fine stuff,but not the best-est example but decent .. needs more...

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 7

This has a really deep malt character that is quite noticeable as I pour; concentrated malt notes leaning towards umami-like richness. The beer pours with a frothy, initial three-finger thick, lightly browned, tan colored head. The beer is almost perfectly black and does not allow any light through no matter how close to the light I hold it. Heady alcohol aromatics mix with aromas of chocolate & coffee liquors. A significant burnt fruit character reminds me of a mix of prunes, figs and brown sugar encrusted raisins that have been left for too long under a broiler. Chalky cocoa aromatics, then well toasted bread, which then moves to a soft, deeply burnt, sharp roast malt character that is only really noticed if you really dig for it. I like how rich this beer is, but without being driven by the over-the top, sharp, acidic roasted grain notes that dominate so many American interpretations of this style. At times the mix of alcohol and fruit suggest an up front note of nail polish and methanol; luckily this is not too dominant.

Not as heavy bodied as I expected, though it is still pretty rich and chewy. Incredibly rich chocolate flavors are found in this brew; these chocolate notes are a mix of Dutch cocoa, chocolate extract and milk chocolate. A distinct fruitiness is noticeable here in the flavor, while not as burnt as the aroma might have suggested I get notes of prunes and figs. The finish is sweet from both the fruit-like malt and a touch of alcohol. There is also a dusty, slightly husky, toasted grain character in the finish that lingers for quite some time. A touch of dark-roast coffee notes are noticeable just a bit in the finish, but this note plays a lesser and lesser role as the beer warms up. The prune flavors get a bit more amplified as the beer warms up and it even picks up a bit of saltiness.

This is a pretty mellow beer for such a big imperial stout. Strangely the umami-like character I noticed initially in the aroma did not show up again in this beer really, including the aroma. I really like that it is focused more on the rich malt and chocolate character than the overly roasted, burnt character that is so often found in the style. Not a bad brew, somehow it is a bit too mellow. Said another way, this brew seems to work much better near 50°F / 10°C, as it gets much warmer & loses the carbonation texture it becomes a bit boring. So my recommendation is to share this with at least four other people so you get the best of this brew (don't serve too cold though).

Aroma: 5 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 6

Bottle courtesy Robert at statelineliquors.com. Pour was black, tan chocolate initial head, settles, but regenerates with a swirl or two. The aroma was fruity chocolate. The flavor was dark fruits (raisins, figs, plums), vinous, chocolate, very light coffee, sweet residual sugars or something in the aftertaste. The mouthfeel was light for an impy.Simple, uninspiring. Always fun, though, having even an average beer with great company! Thanks, Robert.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 8

A black apperance with a beige head. A smokey chocolate filled aroma. The flavor is very roasty with a hint of sourness. I detect some coffee, chocolate, and maybe even grapes in the flavor. A good one!

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

Pours dark black in color with a thick tan head. Aroma is roasty with hints of berries. Smooth roasted nut, chocolate, and spice flavors. Chocolatey aftertaste.