The color has darkened to a nice chocolate brown. It was lighter than I wanted it to be when I first took it out of the mold but that happens a lot in soap making. I am not going to comment on the scent as I do not want to influence any of our tester’s opinions. I did, however, have a glass of Wolavers Oatmeal Stout over the weekend to compare color and scent…You know, I really like my job!