“Intense notes of chocolate and coffee for a beer with character! A tasting beer full of greed, sweetness and surprise!”

Glassware: English pint.

Appearance: Solid black pour with just a skerrick of light cutting through at the foot of the glass. It struggles to produce much head and then immediately disappears. Zero head. Zero lacing.

Aroma: We weren’t really sure what to expect from this. We’ve been told it’s a Brown Ale from one and a Coffee Porter from another. French beer has always been very hit and miss so this was certainly a risky purchase. First whiff is pretty decent though. Lots of chocolate, cherry, plum, creamy vanilla, toffee, red currant and sponge finger. Kinda smells a bit like a black forest cake. Subtle coffee coming through too. Not too shabby.

Flavour: The depth falls away a little bit here but it’s still fairly well structured. Like the aroma it’s mostly chocolate, cherry, jammy red fruits and subtle coffee tailing in later in the piece. Some delicate spice like cinnamon, clove and pepper here and there. A soft earthiness also develops as it sets up for a bittersweet and mildly roasty finish that lingers nicely.

Mouthfeel: Slick, oily, but just a tad too thin. The lack of Co2 doesn’t help either. Medium body. The 8% ABV is pretty well hidden.

Overall: We probably changed our mind five times during this review. In the end it’s actually a half decent drop. Certainly an acquired taste though, and one we most likely won’t return to.