4 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/202007 bottle thanks to CaptainCougar. Pitch black with a medium-small tan head. Sweet aroma with intense malt, caramel, burnt sugars, and roasted malt. Seems a little mellow, but at a couple years old, this was to be expected. The flavor is dryer than I expected with a roasty bite in the finish. Overall though, quite smooth with just a little more angular roast and a hint of alcohol towards the end. Rich all the way through with a light lingering sweetness. A touch of wood mostly adds to the dry feeling that I get, but bourbon is not at all evident, which I sort of like, but also doesn’t seem to be adding anything positive. Medium-full in body with medium-low carbonation. Pretty nice stout, but not the most intense, good or bad. Mellow after a couple years, but still hanging on. I’ve really got to get around to cracking one of my relatively fresh ’09 bottles to compare now.
4.5 AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 18/20
The 2009. The nose is of vanilla, dark fruits, prune, chocolate and licorice. The taste stars with notes of bourbon, oak and vanilla. Roasted malts, dark fruits, dark chocolate, and molasses round out the end. Extremely layered and complex, exceptionally well-balanced. Its quite a treat!
4.7 AROMA 10/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 18/20
Great beer. Very smooth, rich flavor. Solid mouthfeel from front to finish. Enjoyed this very much on draft at a Deschutes event at Churchkey DC
4.3 AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20
On tap, poured a deep thick brown so dark you can call it black w/ a frothy dark tan head and some lacing. Big complex aromas. Big complex flavors. This is an Imperial imperial. Wow!
---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone
4.3 AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 17/20
Schokoladig und röstiger Antrunk. Sehr intensiv, vollmundig nach Bitterschokolade. Noch einmal deutlich intensiver werdend, SCHOKOLADE. Wenig herb, erdig. 11/13/12/13/12/13
4 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20
How have I not rated this yet?! Opened the '06 and '11 this weekend, and the latter was far superior unless you like excessive oxidation.
Pours syrupy black with handsome tan head and good retention. Molasses, deeply roasted malt, smooth (and mild) bourbon, toffee. Smells great.
Oily, viscous body delivers the delicious fast and furious. Some initial sweetness up front before coffee, bourbon, chocolate, and molasses take over. Touch of hops midway through too. Mildly bitter finish is reminiscent of baker's chocolate; booze kisses the back of my throat as it descends. Damn tasty.
One of the very best RIS that hits the shelves. Quite impressive that Deschutes can make a stout this good on a macro scale.
4.6 AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 10/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 18/20
Rating # 250! 2011 version on tap 12 oz pour into a snifter at Brouwer’s cafe Back in black stout fest. Pours a pitch black color with a thick khaki head that leaves great lacing. Smells of oak roasted malt dark chocolate, black licorice, vanilla, and dark fruit. Tastes of all the same thing’s in the smell with a slight bourbon flavor mixed in. As it warms it tastes better and better Mouthfeel is thick and creamy but pretty smooth and chewy with good carbonation and a dry finish. This is one of the best imperial stouts around period. Has a plethora of different flavors and is very balanced. Glad to have finally tried the 2011 version. Only had the 2010 version before and I think I like the 2011 version slightly better.
4.3 AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20
Bottle @ ZeeBra Extreme Beer Festival 2013. Black pour, tan head. Aroma is creamy, roasty, spicy coffee, licorice, ash and burnt malts. Flavor is roasted, spicy, creamy, quite bitter and with a huge roastedness.
4.2 AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20
Bottle @ ZeeBra. Aroma is huge roast, liquorice, ash, molasses and more. Flavour is huge roasty liquorice, ash, slight alcohol, some sweet woody and bourbon notes. LRAB.
4.4 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 19/20
Pitch black, tan head. Chocolate, clean, full bodied. Rich, powerful brew. Warming, burned malts. Bit of wood, complex stuff. Slightly too big on alcohol, though. (ZeeBra)
4.7 AROMA 10/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 18/20
On tap at Taps on Petaluma. Pours a dark black color. Smooth tasting flavor of roasted malt, coffee and chocolate. Amazing brew.
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