Arcadia Imperial Stout

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

Bottle@Home. Strong coffee aroma. Black, thick, firm brown head, very nice lace. Sweet, bitter. Very malty, coffee, loads of chocolate, anise, licorice finish. Soft and full mouth feel. Warming, flavourful, nice.

Dark black, with rich dark edges. Light islandic tan lacing. Nose of licorice, sweet roast and dark fruit, light tannins and a rich robusto espresso note. The flavor is very balanced with a bit of hot alcohol and more tangy rich dark things; molasses, soy sauce, etc. Finishes sweet and acidic. Beefy presence in the stomach. Decent, thanks TAR.

Draft at MBG Festival in Ann Arbor. Black hue with medium brown head that diminished quickly. Very good aroma of chocolate and coffee. Full body with creamy texture. Rich flavor of chocolate, roasted coffee and a long smooth finish with small alcohol bite.

Pours dark black with a big tan head. Aroma of malt, cabernet, and chocoff. Tastes malty, with chocoff and slight fruitiness at mid-palate, and a velvety chocolate emerging at the finish. Very smooth. Not as complex, dense, or balanced as the elite Impy stouts, but I wouldn’t kick this one out of the refrigerator either. Thanks to BBB63 for this one.

Bottled. Frpm Indianapolis August 2004. Deep black stout with a brown creamy head. Smell of vanilla fudge as soon as bottle is opened. Sweet cacao and licorice in aroma, with notes of alcohol and roasted coffee. Roasted coffee and sweet smokey malt with pleasant lactic notes with alcohol coming out very discreetly. Licorice comes out as beer warms up. Very smooth and restrained. Yummy IS!

Head is initially large, frothy, brown, mostly diminishing. Body is opaque black (bottle conditioned), bottle conditioned. Aroma is lightly malty (caramel, chocolate, roasted grain), with a light note of vanilla. Flavor is heavily sweet, moderately acidic, moderately bitter. Finish is moderately sweet, moderately acidic, heavily bitter. Medium to full body, velvety/watery texture, lively carbonation, lightly alcoholic. Uh, after their wonderful London Porter, this was a let-down. Very weak aroma, and otherwise not all that impressive. Sad.

Bottled, Dec 2002. Probably the foamiest, fizziest Imperial I've seen; nice head but a bit much; good dark color and creaminess. Roasted coffee and alcohol aroma, pleasant but not the greatest or most complex. I can really taste alcohol in this puppy; don't know the ABV but its certainly not masked as well as in some; also seems too roasty/bitter without much chocolatiness or sugars except at the very front when it starts out a bit milky. Good mouthfeel, if a bit too bitter. Rather a disappointment, but in all fairness I've had a bunch of killer Imp Stouts the last month; this is still a quality brew, it just lags a bit. Mar 03: I find the body a little more interesting; it's less foamy, more assertive in the nose, creamier on the tongue. Good, not great, Imperial.

Bottle from Vintage Cellar. Black color with a frothy dark tan head. Aromas of dark fruits and toasted/burnt malt. Full bodied with frothy/creamy carbonation. Flavors of sweetish dark fruits, chocolate, burnt malt, and maybe coffee. Finish is surprisingly dry and marvelously bitter. Drinks incredibly well.