I'm a little gun shy on Stanley Park brews having been shot in the foot a couple times but I can't pass up a beer I've not seen or had before especially mixed styles. This really is a black beauty, even with a flashlight I can barely see any colour (red if it matters), and I mean barely. Very dark. It poured with a nice mocha 1" head that faded fast but left a nice little thin foam skin for the rest of the drink. I've never been shy about admitting my lack of qualification for reviewing beer but my limitations shine here. The aromas confuse me a wee bit. Initially I'm getting wonderful roast caramel, mild chocolate, and ever so slight suggestions of licorice. The confusion comes from the hops aromas. To me they are buried under the darkness. But I am getting some fruity notes. If I had to guess I'd say stone fruit and mango, but it's well blanketed in roasty goodness. It flows smooth and medium bodied in the mouth. The flavour profile is awesome. I'm not even going to mess about on this one. Far out. It's roasty, no fruity, no roasty, no fruity, and then roasty again. I am getting roast caramel, and mild chocolate. There is definitely some nice fruity hops flavours hiding under the darkness. I'm not getting a lot of bitterness. Then as the sip starts to fade Inger one more roast note that comes across as ashy. The 7% is noticeable in the taste but not overbearing or unpleasant. I dig it. Well done Stanley Park,well done.