When it comes to solid beers from a solid brewery, Sam Smith is damn near unbeatable. Some of my favorites like Great Divide, Anchor, and others are good, but none really have such an impressive line up of beers that are just the way they should be.
This one pours slow and black with a deep reddish-tan cascading head that stays.
Substantial bready smell. Not overly-roasted, or overly hoppy. It's not a beer that is intended to be in your face like many American RIS's, and that's OK for them because I like many of them. It's just solid. It doesn't have an enormous ABV, because it focuses on taste more than alcohol. I wish more "extreme" beers in the US took that stance.
Smooth body that goes down evenly and slowly, with a great roasted coffee flavor that's fairly vinous. There are a lot of similarities between this and their Taddy Porter, another of their solid beers. Moderate bitterness that is quickly covered by the vinous coffee flavor.
This was the first RIS I ever had, and I still judge all others by it. Great beer. I used to keep it around at all times, and have no idea why I got out of the habit.
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