Caldera Kettle Series Old Growth Imperial Stout

Brewed by Caldera Brewing Company
Style: Imperial Stout
Ashland, Oregon USA

Serve in Snifter

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22oz bottle from Bottleworks in Seattle. Pours a thick brownish tinged black with lasting khaki head. Aroma is smoked caramel malt, coffee, licorice. Taste is complex; cocoa, licorice, some smoke. Alcohol is well worked though the bottle says 8.8% unlike the description listed here. Finish is nicely warming, lingering licorice and roasted malt. Very nice.

Bomber from Malt & Vine. Pours very dark brown/black with a slight dark tan head. First aroma was anise. Next was sweetish burnt malt with some darker fruit and coffee. Full bodied. Flavor starts a bit sweet, goes a bit creamy burnt malt, and moves on to dark fruit and coffee. Not getting chocolate. It’s a bit peppery/spicey. Finishes towards dryish and lightly astringent, but each taste starts over sweet. Play it again Caldera.

Bottle. Pours black, with a brown head. Aroma is chocolate, roasted malt, and coffee. Flavor is chocolate, coffee, roasted malt , hops, and licorice. Medium to heavy body, with a slightly bitter and rather long finish.

22 oz bomber shared with Scott. Pours a deep dark cola with a medium sized light brown head. Aroma of roasted malts, barley, dark chocolate and black licorice. Taste of roasted malts, barley, chocolate and black licorice.

22oz bottle. Poured a dark dark brown, almost black, with a smaller sized off white head. Aromas of chocolate, roast, licorice, and some dark fruits. Tastes of licorice, chocolate, roast, dark fruits, coffee, and lighter earthiness.

Wow - this pours rich dark brown with a very small tan head. The aroma is predominantly smokey with roasted notes. The flavor starts out with coffee and dark chocolate, and then ends with notes of bitter coffee, licorice, and some hops, the bitter Saaz probably shining through. The body is medium, a bit flat for me probably from the aging.

22. Pours black with a dense, creamy, incredibly resilient burnt tan head. Big smoky, coffee, chocolatey, ashy, roasty nose. Smells stouty and intense. Bitter and inviting. Creamy thickish body. Not dense or cloying, but well beyond the high side of medium. Coffee, bitter chocolate, roast, and toasty malts on the mid palate. Wonderfully dense and complex flavor profile. Long ashy finish. Very tasty and satisfying.

Black, thick tan head. Cherry cordial-ish fruit and dark chocolate nose, some dried date/fig and strong roasty notes. Lots of chocolate and black cherry flavor, more dates, ash and a pretty strong licorice presence, a bit earth and spicy as it finishes. Pretty heavy, full mouthfeel to it, moderate carbonation, dry but not very alcoholic on the finish. A great beer to slowly enjoy.

Nose of dark chocolate, roast, dark fruit, raisins, light earthy/peppery notes and anise as well. Pours dark - black with a creamy tan head. Sweeter intially with dark fruits, dark chocolate, light bitterness, definite licorice notes, earthy notes, a touch of dust here and there. Creamy body, sweetness turns lightly dry, balance is there, carbonation is medium low. A nice imperial stout with a touch of uniqueness.

Had the ’09 of this on tap at Bailey’s Taproom’s Cellar Fest (Jan. ’10). Colour... black with a thin tan head. Nose... dry roasted nuts, coffee and cellar floor. Palate... lots of CO2, dark sweet Swiss chocolate, dark roasted coffee, burnt grain, wet earth, delightfully coating with a lengthy caramel-chocolate-like finish.