I popped open the bottle of Redhook Double Black I received last month with lots of anticipation; this was a beer I’d first (and last) had way back in the 90s and Redhook stopped brewing it after 2000. I’m a big fan of these big bold beers (as you all know) and even though this isn’t as big as many these days (7% alcohol for an Imperial Stout seems paltry by current extreme beer standards), a 22-ounce bottle will still do ya.

I even had a bit of the Dagoba dark chocolate they sent with this beer; they pair well together and overall, I really enjoyed it.

Appearance: Black, dirty motor oil-colored with a nice dense froth of foam (though I didn’t pour it rigorously enough to be overly thick). Opaque and quite attractive.

Smell: "Roast" is an apt description—it’s full of coffee and roasted barley and some deep bittersweet chocolate notes. Almost a coffee liqueur thing going on.

Taste: Black as night and tastes every bit of it. "Char" notes—in a good way—make me think "burnt wood"; French roast black coffee (Turkish?); lots of black malts; a touch smoky. Fairly dry even as it has a silky texture. Very "roasty" here too.

Mouthfeel: Full-bodied, well attenuated, a silky smooth feel overlaying other subtleties. Finishes dry with a coffee aftertaste.

Overall: Very good, very rich and lots of roasted goodness happening here. The more I drink, the more I notice the long, dry finish—it’s fairly pronounced and enhances the coffee character. Holy smokes, it accompanies the Dagoba dark chocolate really well.

On BeerAdvocate, it scores an overall grade of A-. (RateBeer is still down.)