Great Lakes Blackout Stout

Brewed by Great Lakes Brewing Company
Style: Imperial Stout
Cleveland, Ohio USA

Pours opaque chestnut to garnet @ edges, foamy and quickly-dissipating off-white 1 finger head, aroma of sweet chocolate malt w/ some toasted notes, semi-sweet and smooth, finish hits with a combination of bitter toasted malt, hot alcohol, and carbonated bite, tasty but would be even better after cellaring or a year or two to clear out some carbonation and mellow out the alcohol

on tap at Alto Cinco in Syracuse. Very dark pour. Wonderful roast malt aroma. I was very surprised at how well the alcohol was hidden So flavorful but no alcohol taste. Very well done.

Tasted on draft at Goose Island Clybourn. Pours almost black with a red tint and a thin, off-white head. The aromas are coffee, milk and dark chocolate, and very darkly toasted malt. On the palate, the coffee and chocolate come through nicely, but there is definitely big alcohol. The beer is big bodied with a very long semi-sweet finish. Overall, this is exactly what I look for in a big stout.

Sweet caramel odor with a bit of a hazel note. Starts with a light sweetness taht ends with a strong aftertaste of burnt toast and a little hint of vanilla. Pretty good Imperial Stout, hides the alcohol well.

$10 / 4 Pack- Mildly sweet and bitter, this stout is very easy on the taste buds. There is something a little funky on the finish, but can’t quite distinguish what it is. Overall, this is very well produced, but doesn’t stand out among the best Imperial stouts in a very competitive style.

Wow, what a great imperial stout. People tell me I overrate imperial stouts and need to rate more to style, but man, I really love this style and I can’t bring myself to deny such a great beer a good rating. This one is more subtle than others. 12oz bottle poured into tulip glass. Pours just about black with a one-finger tan head that fades slowly. Lacing coats the inside of the glass. Aroma is roasty with sweet caramel and lots of chocolate, along with some slight dark fruit notes. Flavor is very nice and incredibly balanced. Mildly sweet, with caramel, toffee, roast, and chocolate. A little anise and some hop bitterness also. Complex yet subtle. The mouthfeel is really outstanding. Medium body for the style with incredible smoothness. Very drinkable for an imperial stout. Overall an amazing beer, a really fine example of the style. Subtle and balanced rather than in-your-face. Time to go seek out BA Blackout.

A dark reddish-brown beer with a good 1 finger head that dissipates. The aroma was very grainy, & a slight smoky burntness. The taste was a roasted burnt grainy taste that is very smooth and made me wonder where the 9%ABV is as it is very hidden. A good Imp. stout.

Pitch dark, slightly syrupy, thick. Big roasted malt character to the nose, with some wet wood(oak), burnt malt, light caramel, all almost covering zesty hops underneath. The roasted malts carry well to the flavors here. So there’s the roasted malt, light oak, light caramel, chocolate, coffee. Rich, creamy, thick, oak finish, lightly sweet, complex. Boy oh boy do I love me aged stouts.