Arcadia Imperial Stout

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

2002 Batch:
Black in colour, completely opaque with a dense small-bubbled dark brown head. Simply put: a great looking beer! Smells of roasted malt, oatmeal, coffee, chocolate and the slightest of sweetness from pit fruit. Very nice smelling, but not perfect. Full-bodied; High carbonation; Roasted malt, coffee (espresso almost), bittersweet chocolate (~77% cacao) and once again, the tiny amount of sweetness that seems like it came from prunes or plums are all strong components of the taste. Aftertaste bittered from the roasted malt, oatmeal & coffee flavours, but sweetened a bit by the chocolate tastes. Overall, one of the best Imperial Stouts I've had recently...definately worth trying if you can find a bottle! I bought my twelve ounce bottle from Merchant's in Dearborn, Michigan and sampled it on 1-September-2003.

12oz bottle, 2005 vintage. Pours a pitch-black center with minimal light at the edges. Fluffy, medium-tan head with good retention and lacing. Dense, dark chocolate and nougat in the aroma; layered sweetness, with no show of alcohol. Medium-to-full mouthfeel: milk chocolate and chewy, roasted malts, with an oily, nutty character throughout; light carbonation, with any show of hops well-integrated at this point; a well-done imperial stout (dense, flavorful, well-integrated), that relies mostly on its chocolate notes. Lengthy, dry chocolate and cocoa at the finish; ends with only the slightest bit of dryness.

12oz bottle - Pours black and thick with a nice tan head that lingers and laces well. Aroma is is dark cherries, coffee, dark chocolate, and roasted malts. Flavor is of coffee upfront and then sweet chocolate, some cherries, and caramel. The finish is burnt malts and quite dry. On the palate this is very full bodied creamy and the alcohol is fully covered but a little more watery than some of the best imperials. Nonetheless though this is a solid imperial and enjoyable even on a hot summer night.

Black Coloring with Good Head. Bit Strong Overall from the Alcohol. Almost Syrapy Mouthfeel..Some Good Malt There...Hard to Detect Anything Else.

12 ounce bottle from Vintage Cellar in Blacksburg, VA. Pours a very dark reddish brown color with a medium head. Good head retention and lacing. Aroma of roasted malts, caramel, tobacco and slight fruity notes including cherry. Taste is chocolate, roasted malts, cherries, tobacco. Full bodied.

I really enjoyed this beer, although as an imperial stout it fell short in a couple of categories. The appearance was nice. It was black, but not opaque and a reddish-brown glow could be seen around the edges. Despite being fizzy during the pour, the head was thick, longlasting and a good coffee and cream color. The aroma was nicely malty with a bit of a twang. I'd almost describe it as an aroma I've noticed on a lot of belgian strong ales, but since it didn't carry over into the flavor, maybe I imagined it. The flavor was dominated by charcoal and maybe a little smoke under that, but was supported nicely by chocolate. This one didn't fall into the trap that some imperial stouts do in not supporting the burned and heavy roasted flavors with chocolate or other softer malt flavors to flesh out the body of the flavor. In with all this malt was that cherry flavor that's common in a lot of the imperials mixed with apple peels (and a bit of apple cider). The hops come across a little thin and even a tiny bit salty. Despite the huge nose and big flavor, the beer came across a little thin for style. Of course this made it easier to drink. All in all a tasty beer, but on the light side of the style.

Dark, thick, mysterious. Strong coffee roasted malts with a bit of fruit. Very bitter finish - like a super dark chocolate bar.

Bottle courtesy of Hogtownharry (2005 vintage drank in 2008): Poured a pitch-black color stout with a medium size light brown foamy head with good retention but no lacing. Aroma of vanilla and raisins with some vinous notes is really interesting. Taste is a complex mix between some sweet malt, vanilla, some dry raisins with some interesting vinous notes. Full body with some great carbonation and no apparent alcohol. Definitely more complex then I was expecting and very well balance overall.