Aldergrove Empirical Staught

Bottle from Malt & Vine. Pours a very dark brown/black with a 3-finger dark tan head that lasts. Aromas of dark fruits, dark chocolate and darkly toasted malt. Near full bodied with creamy carbonation. Flavor is unusual. Kind of like burnt toast covered with chocolate coated prunes or cherries. Getting some coffee, but that might be cause I just had Mokah. Seems a little oaky. It’s more complicated than I am. Finishes mouthwateringly dark fruity/chocolaty. This one is worth seeking out.

Poured black with a thin tan head. Aroma is chocolate, prune, and a bit of dried cherry. Flavor is chocolate, roasted coffee, toffee, prune/raisin, and a bitter, slightly woody finish.

Bottle from scrizz. Thanks man!! Pours a very dark brown pour with a small tan head. Chocolate and roasted malt hit the nose followed by some old wood aromas. Flavor is a bit roasted and has lots of chocolate and some light oak nuances.

Aroma is full of chocolate and plums. Jet black and a creamy tan head. Flavor is big on cocoa with a touch of sweetness to fill out the chocolate flavor. Dark fruits, plums and fig come through. Roast comes through in the finish helping it to dry. Just bitter enough to balance, and a huge, creamy mouthfeel. An awesome beer by maybe the smallest brewery out there.

12 oz bottle thanks to Scrizz! Pours thick oily black with a slowly forming thick tan head. Nose is Rum, raisins, figs, a hint of apple, some cocoa and some wood. Flavor is quite tasty of licorice, above mentioned notes, maybe a bit of cola syrup and some more wood. Carbonation is just about right. Has a nice tingle on the lips after a sip. Nice stout.

12 oz bottle picked up in Seattle at Bottleworks. Pours a fairly flat cola brown with almost no head. Nose is really sweet candy, dark chocolate, cinnamon, and a touch of oak. Flavors are muddled a bit. Oak is the strongest presence, roasted malt, cola hints, black licorice, faint maple. Mouth is a little dry and thin. Very low in carbonation.

Pitch black coloured body with a nice thick light brown head and a good lace on the glass as it settles. Aroma of nice potent roasted malt, alcohol, oak, vanilla, licorice, anise and some molasses. Full-bodied; Strong roasted malt flavour with a good potent sweetness and a oaky finish. Aftertaste showing some more complexity with tobacco notes, a bit of dry wood and a touch of noticeable hops too. Overall, a pretty nice and complex imperial stout with plenty of character and interesting flavours. I sampled this twelve ounce bottle purchased at Bottleworks in Seattle, Washington on 11-November-2008, sampled at home in Washington on 06-July-2009.

Bottle. Brownish black with medium light brown head. Nose is coffee, chocolate, bread. Intense rich chocolate flavor with a bit of coffee roast. A bit acrid at the end, fairly bitter. Flavor is good if simple, reasonably sweet without overdoing it, but the bitter finish is actually too much for me in a stout.