I didn’t really know what category to judge it to, was the issue here. They bill it as an Imperial Chocolate Stout. Ok, but it’s not a Russian Imperial Stout (13F)- and though it’s got flaked oats, it’s not an Oatmeal Stout (13C). So, is it Category 23- Specialty Beer? If that’s the case, then I am definitely out of my league trying to apply BJCP standards to it; I’m only getting the hang of tasting for style! Tasting for no-style? It boggles my mind.

Still, let’s break it down… after pouring into the recommended glassware, a snifter, at 48 degrees, I get
Aroma: Huge chocolate nose with a whiff of alcohol; no yeasty odors at all and certainly no DMS or diacetyl. There is also a hint of roated malt, but the chocolate is predominating.
Appearance: very dark indeed, but not inky: under a bright light, the very edges show liminal ruby hues. A puffy 1-finger medium-tan head dissipates quickly forming a ring around the edge of the glass: alcohol. Swirling also produces slight legs.
Flavor: Like drinking chocolate- ok, slightly alcoholic and slightly carbonated chocolate. Still, there is only a hint of roasted malt flavor, though not sweetness, in the middle of the sip, and no hop flavor at all. However, the hops are evident in the overall balance of sweet and bitter. The finish yields some alcohol vapors up the nose, but no alcohol flavor is evident. The sip also ends dry, but not overly so.
Mouthfeel: medium-low carbonation; silky-smooth (oats), a bit of heat from alcohol; dry, but not astringent.
Overall: I really like this beer, and I happily drank it down, 22oz (even at 11% abv.) I would say, though, that it does really lack much malt dimensionality. While I totally enjoyed it as a fully chokolaty beverage, I can say that for a beer, I miss a bit of malt sweetness: it all seemed like chocolate sweetness, to me. Still, this beer beckons very strongly for the next sip, and only a fool would fail to oblige it.

I’m not going to embarrass myself by trying to assign points; as I said, to style? Which? But I do definitely recommend getting a bottle if and while you can! Props to Vinnie @ The Village Beer Merchant for scaring up one of their holdouts in the walk-in.