 mgermani (595), Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Apr 8, 2008
Many thanks to Robinvboyer for the trade! Pours a pitch black with a nice thick brown head and great lacing! Aroma is ash, earthy, slightly metallic with a nice fresh coffee-bean note. Oh god oh god, the taste!!! Clearly, coffee and imperial stout go together even better than coffee and regular stout. There is SO much to love here - well-blended dark malts, thick and sweet without any unpleasant astringent character but without any glaringly sweet malt additions to throw the taste. Top this off with rich, fresh coffee - no, espresso - and a warm, bitter, balanced finish that leads to excessive smiling and deep sighs. The body is thick and coats the mouth and throat so you can enjoy it a long, long time.
Thanks again, Robin for coming through with a real winner! Thanks also to my friend Nick who was kind enough to pick up another for me in Montréal so I don’t have to weep bitter tears into the dregs, knowing this one is not my last!
cgreb (34), Marburg, Germany
Sep 4, 2008 bottle (thank’s Alex!!!) - black (really black) beer with a brownish head. Very clear coffee aroma. The strong alcohol (9.5%) is hiding behind the intense coffee flavour. Never had something comparable. Highly viscous beer.
Mr_Stitch (138), Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
Sep 4, 2008 Bottle. Thanks to Linus_Stick for sharing this one. Pours a thick oily extremely dark brown, with a thin as velum tan head. Aroma is thick... filled with roasted coffee beans, 75% dark chocolate, cream, and roasted malt. Taste is sticky and bitter up front, then fades into a sweeter malt and choclatety flavor. Mouthfeel is smooth and soft with a light sticky residue left behind. An excellent beer that should be tasted by all.
tmongoose (31), Louisville, Kentucky, USA
Sep 1, 2008 11.5oz bottle bought in southern ind. dark opaque pour with nice head. just stared at it for a few..the aroma was intense and coffee and unsweetened chocolate and malt. the first taste was nectar. the stout and strong coffee flavor was intense and incredible and the sublteness of the chocolate and malt was a nice after taste. worth every bit of its rating.
KyotoLefty (110), Kyoto, Japan
Sep 1, 2008 Bottle at Volo, Toronto. Like a big, smokey, malted coffee milkshake. Flavors of smoke, wood, coffee, cream, sweet malt, burnt barley, and something like gin. Super complex. I would cut back the coffee just a touch, but hey, I’m a tea man. Dieu du ciel, these beers are hard to find in Ontario!
MAP (863), Lakewood, Ohio, USA
Aug 30, 2008 This is my first rating since 3.2.2006 and from what I recall this was one of the most sought after beers. I must say that I am not disappointed. Standard high octane stout look, dark viscous black and a thin head. The aroma is impressive. Tons of roasted coffee, malt and a hint of citrus in the aroma. The flavor follows through beautifully with the marriage of coffee, maltiness and bitterness at the end. This is extremely nice on the palate, not think and sticky like some imperial stouts, but smooth until the coffee gets in there with the alcohol. Very impressive and worth the wait.
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