A dark brown almost black beer with a fluffy healthy head of light brown foam. Nice. The beer settled nicely and is crystal clear as you pour. There's a rich chocolate malt aroma with a decent estery twist. Maybe a bit of black pepper and clove? The first sip has some alcohol warmth--this would age out nicely given another year or more in the bottle. Damn, maybe I should have saved this. The body has some nice dark malty heft. This would be a good bottle to share with one or two people. Pretty syrupy sweet. Maybe a bit too sweet. Again, another reason to hold on to this bottle for a while before cracking it open. There is some earthy flavors, but the maple doesn't stick out as a flavor as much as it seems to stick out in the viscosity of the body. The finish has a lot of roasty flavors with a hint of smoke and bitter chocolate. A great beer that will be even better in another year.