Arcadia Imperial Stout

Brewed by Arcadia Brewing Company
Style: Imperial Stout
Battle Creek, Michigan USA

Dark brown, small, quickly diminishing foam. Sparse nose of fudge, cocoa and black licorice, but it’s a stretch. Really light body, with little texture. Flavor shows some chocolate, but the flavors are really light and a bit of a stretch. As an Imperial Stout, this is disappointing.

pours thin black with very littl ehead at all. aroma is dark fruit and ??rum??? not sure, kinda vanilla-y. flavor is malty, dates, almost tastes burbon aged. smooth. tastes stronger than 8.4% though, i would have gueses closer to 10-11%.

12 oz. bottle from 2006. Pours an extremely dark brown color with a small disappearing tan head even with an aggressive pour. The aroma is big roasted dark malts and moderately sweet chocolate with some alcohol thrown in. The flavor has alot going on: Roasted malt, rich dark chocolate,dark fruits, molasses, and a shot of espresso. This leans toward the sweet end of the spectrum. Alcohol is present but seems to work well with the other flavors. Full bodied, smooth, and a nice surprise.

2005 bottle from HailSquishFace - thanks, man! - had I realized the age of this bottle before I opened it, I might have saved it for something a bit less mundane than a Wednesday evening nightcap - oh, well - I’m normally not a fan of arcadia beers, but this one is a bit different - dark ruby, nearly black pour, with a soapy lace - aroma of burnt malts/sugars, tobacco, and a lot of red wine character - some noticeable alcohol underneath - low carbonation, but a kind of thin body for the style - almost tart red wine tannins up front, followed by some roasted malts, caramelized sugars, and ashy character - a bit dry in the finish, with some more wine-like qualities - not terribly complex, but interesting for an arcadia beer.

5-12-08 bottle shared with lb4lb thanks to Holdenn!
Black pour with a watery chocolate milk-like tan head. Smell is big anise and roasted bread (almost on the verge of burnt toast - but not quite). Flavor is similar to a thin red wine. It is fruity with a hint of roasted nuts in the flavor. Still and unmoving. Palate is also wine like. I can pick up hints of alcohol in the finish - but not huge. This reminds me more of a strange wine than an imperial stout.

Bottle courtesy of Holdenn. Thanks man!
Pours dark black with a big lasting tan head in a snifter. Smell is vinuous, slightly peanut buttery and rich and roasty. Alcohol is hidden well. Taste is roasty, but not too highly, or burnt, and is smooth, creamy and nutty. Very soft but suitable carbonation aids in its rich, creamy smooth mouthfeel. Very solid, and highly drinkable with soft nutty and chocolately roasty flavors. Reminds me a bit of Thirsty Dog Siberian Night.

Bottle from oak tree. DArk brown pour with dark creamy head. Roastiness coffe, hoppy, malt, some etoh, and dark fruit. A poor example of impst.

[bottle] shared by OSLO and Guerde. Pours not quite pitch black with a small tan head. Nose is astringent malt, coffee, chocolate, and some alcohol. Flavor is the same with a long bittersweet finish.