Arcadia Imperial Stout

12 ounce bottle in pint glass. Blacker than Dick Cheney’s soul. Flatter than Keira Knightley. Something went wrong here. Well, at least I know that the date code is E2, whatever the fuck that means. Anyhow, some nice roasted chocolate/coffee flavor unblended with some underlying hop bitterness and some water floating around in between. Probably a good beer, but I gotta call ’em as I drink ’em, and this one is didn’t make it. And I shoulda known because the label was peeling off, always a bad sign. Sorry. I would have given more points or not had this experience at all if I could have deciphered the date code. Re-rate: Got a fresher bottle of this. Very midl roasted aroma. Roasted coffee and dark chocolate with bittersweet dark chocolate finish. Medium-low carbo. Full body. Nicely roasted. Much better.

2007 bottling. Jet black with a fleeting tan head. Big aroma is tobacco with blackened malts. Smooth medium body. Good taste is bitter charred malts balanced by sweet dark berry fruit and tobacco juice. A little on the sweet side but still enjoyable.

Black gold, sweet aroma, flavors of malt, fruit and Java... Tasty finish, A high quality imperial, very enjoyable...

THOUGHTS: Alcohol is in the nose, but not as much in the flavor or the body. The aroma is intense, but the flavor is a little watery by comparison. One of the worst Imp Stouts I’ve had so far, but still a decent beer. TECHNICAL: Bottle. Poured a dark brown that looked nearly opaque black in the glass with slight amber highlights and virtually no head. The little bit that was there was light brown and somehow managed to leave fair lacing. The aroma was mostly lots of alcohol, some dark fruit, very light milk chocolate and mild coffee malt and even less roasted malt and slight soy sauce. The initial flavor was lightly sweet and bitter; while the finish was moderately sweet and lightly bitter with a short to average duration. It was nice but watered down. There was chocolate syrup and toffee, some alcohol, a little dark fruit and a little roasted note. The full body was a little oily, yet creamy with soft carbonation and a light astringent and light to moderate alcoholic finish.

12 oz, notches at "E" and "6". Opaque black with a one-finger head that settles to a lasting spit. Caramel, chocolate, slight coffee, pecan and tobacco in the aroma. Flavor is all of that plus some nice dabs of piquant mesquite/hickory wood, sour cream, dates, mildly tart berries and charred wood. Heavy body is smooth, a little sticky-syrupy and alcohol-hop tingly, and finishes just dry enough. Very nice dessert.

Poured black with a miniscule brown head. Roasted red fruit and mocha aromas. Very full bodied. Molasses, slight chocolate, slight coffee. Clean finish, but definetely not bitter at all. Pretty solid imperial stout.

Bottle of the 2006 vintage. Pours thick, inky black with virtually no head at all. When held to the light, I can see some faint ruby spots around the edges. The aroma is sweet, leaning towards molasses, rum, ripe fruits. Blindfolded, I might not guess imperial stout by the aroma alone. The palate is fairly dense, though nothing too ridiculous and lacking any vigorous carbonation. Rich hints of brown sugar, rum, and sweet raisins are up front. The finish is almost meaty, maybe something like teriyaki beef jerky. This imperial stout is all about the sweet flavors, though it never becomes problematic or cloyingly sugary. I suppose it just lacks any real bitterness or roast that are commonly found in other imperial stouts. This pulls off a sweet, dessert-like beer without hurting my teeth. Not bad.

Pours a one finger brown head that fades quickly to a thin layer leaving some lace. Totally black color. Light carbonation and heavy bodied. Coffee/chocolate nose. Flavor is a strong roasted/burnt coffee with hints of sweet chocolate. Decent imperial stout. $2.89 for a 12oz bottle from Yankee Spirits South Attleboro, Ma. 2007 vintage.