Founders Imperial Stout

Brewed by Founders Brewing Company
Style: Imperial Stout
Grand Rapids, Michigan USA

had in my fridge for over a year .. Dark, pours a beautiful dark black .. . its a looker .. . very rich chocolate and tar flavours, big solid mouthfeel! .. . what a finish by Eto! .. This is a classy brew, and the added age has made it so much better! .. red card for Drogba .. I can see why this got hype when released, but really should have got more! .. as i entered this review Chelsea fc get tossed outta the Champions league by Inter Milan, what a wonderful day, i wish i had another FIS to celebrate!

Bottle: Poured black with a medium tan head, nice lacing, aroma of coffee and roasted malts, flavor is rich, burnt malts, chocolate, coffee. Burnt flavor was most prominent. Not bad.

Growler fill at CBX. Pours a thick, midnight black with about 2in thick fluffy, dark beige head. Smells of sweet licorice with a hint of dark liquor. This is one awesome beer to look at. And then the taste...instant taste of roasted coffee beans with a nice ding on the end to let you know its alcohol. Lingers well on the tongue, nothing overpowering, but enough to remind you of the sip you just had. This is one of the finer beers I have had the privilege of partaking in in my short delve into the world of craft beers.

12oz bottle. Pours deep black / dark brown with a medium-thin brown head. The aroma is deep and roasty with lighter notes of caramel malts. Breathe in lots of coffee, molasses, tangy malts, and strong roasted malt character. The flavor also has a strong roasted malt character, but well balanced with sweet caramel and chocolate malts. The finish is bittersweet with sweet tangy and bold malt. Interesting fruity complexity and a light earthy and very subtly spicy hop bitterness. The mouthfeel is creamy and frothy with a full chewy body and a luxurious texture. Overall - crazy delicious.

12 ounce bottle black pour brown head A robust roasty, chocolate laced stout with a nice bitter finish

Bottle - Pours a deep black. Medium dark brown head. Very nice lacing. Big chocolate aroma. Milk chocolate as it warms. Roasted flavor, some bitterness. Very hearty and thick. Best description is liquid chocolate. Based on taste and appearance alone I actually would rate this higher, but after reading an article about drinkability I need to come down to reality a bit. This is a tremendous rich beer, a tribute to Founders, however it is not an everyday beer. This is a beer to be sipped and savored. A beer that will enjoy aging in my basement. Not the kind of beer you drink around the pool. however very worthy of my 200th rating.

Dark beige head--perhaps the darkest one I’ve ever seen. Very thick. Leaves a coating of lace like a blanket on the glass. The liquor is nearly black. Lots of chalky cocoa to the nose. Dry, coffee flavors up front. Although it is potent at 10.5% abv, the alcohol warmth is missing--very deceptive. There’s a touch of cream to this beer. The body is extremely rich, like light cream. The carbonation is low so it is exaggerated. It’s too dry to be a dessert beer; it’s too rich to be a regular brew. But it is a special beer, worth seeking out.

Pours about as beautiful as I can imagine a beer of this style looking very viscous with a deep black color, a medium reddish brown head and a very good dotted lace. The aroma on this seems pungent and messy at first but gives way to it’s charm in time. The immediate aromas I get here certainly do not make me want to drink this at all green olives and a paint thinner esque alcohol seem to dominate the aroma at first giving way eventually to roasty burnt toast aromas with plenty of plum and dark fruit aromas. The flavor is very good about as much burnt toast as I can take with lots of bitter dark chocolate flavors. The flavor presents it’s self with plenty of earthy and nutty nuances, and of course there is plenty of fresh hoppiness to this as well. There were times I really wanted to dislike this guy but in the end it charmed the hell out of me... I guess in many ways this is what is meant by "challenging beer" although aromas of green olives and paint thinner aren’t challenges I aspire to overcome anytime soon. For a 10% beer the alcohol is well hidden and in fact this beer left me wanting for another, not something that can be said for even some of the best Imperial Stouts.