Growler filled at brewpub: Very deep brown, near black with some light getting through at the edges. The deep an head fades to a weak film. Roasted barley aroma. Pretty straight forward with a good amount of dark coffee, as well as bitter chocolate notes. Body is well carbonated. The roasted qualities give off some bitter chocolate (bakers chocolate), salty qualities, which leads to a chary, unpleasant finish, reminiscent of stale coffee grinds. Doesn’t seem Imperial, and doesn’t have much depth. A decent Stout.

Pitch black with a thin white head. Woody aroma with a strong earthiness, heavy char and licorice. Oaky and heavily roasted. Quite salty. Roasty with a strong bitter chocolate, salty licorice and a touch of treacly character. Gets quite hoppy as it warms up, showing lots of woody earthy character. Very British and really reminds me of the Porterhouse Celebration. It’s okay, but not great.

Typical for this type. A decent imperial stout. The appearance is jet black, rich tan head. The aroma is roasty, with some bittersweet chocolate. The palate has a bittersweet quality as well. No better or worst than most in its style. Its slight blandness in tatse could be attributed to the beer being served too cold. Not bad.

Dark black, brown head, chocolate/coffee flavor, alcohol finish. Except for the thin body this is a textbook Imperial Stout. Not terrible by any means, but it doesn’t really take any risks with complexity.

Tap @ Black Forest: Poured black with a creamy beige head. Light roast and light coffee on the aroma. The flavor is roasty with some fruitiness and a hint of chocolate. Light to medium bodied with a thin finish. Way to one dimensional and thin.