Arcadia Imperial Stout

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

12-oz. Thanks, Pantanap! Black. Solid, moussy, orangey tan head. Big fruity sweet nose--cherries, plums, chocolate, and sweet caramelized malt. Nice medium body for an impy. Rich creamy, chocolate, and fruit on the mid-palate. Nice clean, easy-drinking finish. Definitely not much of a candidate for aging, but it’s a sweet and delicious impy that hits my sweet tooth right where it lives. Awesome stuff.

$5 for a 12 oz bottle. Bored, I had to try something aggressive. Very alky volatile aromas and its pitch black but surpizingly not too viscous. Strong alky flavors with a bit of roasty back woods campfire coals. Not as bitter or offensive as most imp stouts but is still rude and a good representaive of the style. This style is a little too much for my girlie lager lovin taste buds. Finish is nearly terrible unforgetable whisky soaked alky taste bud numbing liquid. Will not buy again. Curious rough seas venture satisfied.

2007 vintage from bottle. Pours very dark into pint glass with two fingers of slowly receding dark tan head and leaves spotty lacing on the glass. Smells of vanilla mocha latte, milk chocolate, rich fruit with slightly herbal hop aroma in the background. Velvety across the tongue with flavors of toffee, chocolate, coffee, with a hint of dried currants. A moderate bitter and spicy hop and alcohol vapor finish. I like this beer maybe I’ll lay a few down and see ho they taste next year.

This stout poured a deep black colour with a deep brown head. To the nose you could smell wine, chocolate, nuts, paint thinner and a very earthy scent. First taste was very roasty with flavours of coffee and burnt malt. Little cocoa flavour. Slightly hoppy finish left palate a little bitter. Very bold flavours reminded me of a old cough candy named Melloids.

Pours pitch black with a fully receding brown head. Aroma of mild roast, lactose. Taste is sweet roast, lightly acidic, little to no hop presence. Mouthfeel is full bodied, but lighter bodied than many Impy Stouts.

A very soft imperial stout, from the velvety chocolate head that never quite disappears, to the mild burnt flavors of roasted coffee and chocolate that predominate, with underlying licorice notes, this beer makes a good case for the drinkability of this style- unfortunately, the slight mashy taste of sour grain in the finish significantly detracts from what is otherwise a very good beer. Hop presence is slight in the finish and overall is almost a non-factor. Basically, this beer starts out great, but finishes very weakly. Reservedly disappointing.

Bonus from mreusch. (Thanks Matt!) Pours deep rootbeer brown with burnt caramel brown head. Nose is leathery, with bittersweet chocolate. One of the smoother IS’s that I have had. If you let it sit on your tongue, you pick up the vanilla and kind of creme brulee. Aftertaste of coffe and chocolate, with a little bit of a bitter finish. Very nice offering.

Bottle, vintage 2006. [Courtesy of yespr] Small brown rocky head that mostly diminished. Spare lacework. Pitch black color. Aroma of lovely berries, vanilla, chocolate, coffee, sweet malty base, some liquorish, roasted malty and light hoppy underlying feel over the palate. Full bodied with a thick texture and soft carbonation. Well balanced between the bitter and sweet flavor. Lasting coffee light bitter finish. More of that please! 15-08-2007