White Birch Indulgence Ale
Poured from a bottle into a Portsmouth tulip. The beer pours a very inviting pitch black with a thick frothy mocha head. The head quickly fades, leaving behind some oily lacing. The smell is great. A blast of dark chocolate introduces the flavor, followed by rich roasted coffee and hints of sweet milk chocolate. Underneath all the rich roasted elements there is a hint of floral hops and some light candied sugar sweetness. The taste is not as good as the smell or the appearance, but it's still nice. The chocolate takes a back seat to the mild coffee flavors and the over-roasted malts. This one has a burnt malt quality, almost too much before the sweet milk chocolate brings it back from the edge. The beer is well carbonated and light bodied, making it easy to drink. The alcohol, as with all White Birch brews, is completely hidden. This will be probably be my only bottle of Indulgence, as it's already gone in my area. A good, but not great beer.