Uuteen vuoteen heti ensimmäisenä oluena jotain vähän tykimpää. Tölkistä kaatuu lasiin reilulla kolmen sormen vaahdolla varustettua mustaa öljyä. Vaahto raikkaan kuohkeaa ja melko vaalean ruskeaa. Hajultaan yllättävän mitäänsanomatonta. Hieman paahteista mallasta ja suklaata. Suutuntumaltaan raskasta kuin öljy, mutta pehmeää. Maussa vahvaa paahteista mallasta ja kauraa, tummaa suklaata, ja karamellia. Ja sitä alkoholia reilusti, vaikkei yhtään niin paljon kuin etiketistä voisi päätellä. Yllättävän mieto siis prosentteihinsa nähden. Jälkimaku pistää ja hieman polttelee kurkussa, sieltähän se alkoholi tuli. Tämän kanssa ei kannata hätiköidä. Taidan käyttää tähän seuraavat tunnit. Näitä voisi olla kaapissa useampikin pimeitä talvisia iltoja varten.

When the going gets tough, the tough gets going. Another big beer, this time in can and wrapped in a box. Never seen a box-wrapped can before although I've cracked open a few cans myself. Here we go. Gotta be careful, this is 18.6 %. Untappd categorizes this as "Freeze-distilled beer" which seems to be a different style from Eisbock. Ratebeer lists this as Eisbock though. The beer pours murky, extraordinarily deep dark brown, could also be black but I can't actually tell in this darkness. The timid, hasty carbonation releases a tan, soft cotton head that barely reaches half a finger's measure. I guess this kind of beers are not meant to fizz like ciders. The fragrance is somewhat restrained: quite sweet dark malt, dark drycake and a neat twist of chocolatey drycake are the key elements that I get out of the scent. The palate overwhelms my tastebuds: deep, dark, rich -- that's my first sip impression. Not sure of complexity but soon I'll find it out. I find attractive dark chocolate, loads of raw cacao nibs and dried dark fruit, first and foremost plum but definitely not raisin this time. The alcoholic tang is there but astonishingly disguised though, hidden interestingly behind the hefty sweetness. Moreover, I receive massive licorice and licorice root, cough syrup and oversweet roasted dark malt with a strong burned impression. The body is robust, no doubt about it. The beer ends with tangy pitch black malt, a burned note of rye malt, the same dark plum as upfront, cough syrup and faint tar. The boozy tang is getting distinctly more pronounced and sharp in the finish, it's somewhat chemical but it's more of the warming feeling in the throat than the actual edgy gustatory experience. The aftertaste gives the tastebuds no mercy for quite some time. The mouthfeel is extraordinarily strong, fairly round, significantly oily and slightly creamy. It's also very heavy, full, deep, throat-warming and relatively rich. Furthermore, the mouthfeel is soft and smooth, massively thick as well as sappy, not to forget lip-glueing. It's also relatively alcoholic although neatly camouflaged behind other qualifications. Complexity misses a bit. I could imagine this slow beer to be enjoyed in no rush over a couple of hours at least and with burning fuelwood in open fireplace warming up the mood.