4.2 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 17/20
Bottle. Heavy to harsh aromas of toasted, molasses, bitter chocolate and strong coffee for the malt, moderate resin for the hops, moderate dough and earth for the yeast, with tar alcohol, solvent, tobacco, and a mulled wine and fruit cake essence. Head is average size, frothy turning creamy, brown with fair lacing and super sticky legs, and is mostly diminishing. Color is almost black, Flavor starts lightly to moderately sweet and lightly acidic, then finishes lightly sweet and moderately to heavily bitter. Palate is full, creamy with a soft carbonation and a chalky and slightly sticky/chewy finish.The somewhat harsh aroma belies the fantastic smooth and well balanced flavors and palate. You almost want to hold your nose as you slowly sip this enigmatic Imperial Stout.
4.1 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20
Pours rich dark oil black with a beautiful bright cinnamon dark caramel head. The aroma is light roasted coffee notes and sweet developed malts, the hops are gone with the age. The flavor is sweet roasted coffee notes on a smooth medium to thicky delicious body.
4 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20
Entering old-rates. 75cl bottle. Une RIS très agreeable qui profite d’un dry-hopping qui se ressent et devient modéré en bouche avec l’age de la bouteille, je dis dans les 6 mois, le profile fort en avant du houblon commence à se dissiper. Le tout garde un gros profile de malt chocolaté, grillé. Porte bien avec un aspect houblonné très agréable dans ce style de bière. Une pointe de réglisse à noter sur la fin, reste épaisse en bouche.
3.9 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20
Slightly hoppy aroma, followed by cedar and chocolate. Nice on the palate, it’s aged well. Dryer, not a lot of sweetness, moderate bittering. Pretty good.
4 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20
Bottle. Bourbon nose and chocolate nose. Hoppy with woody notes, complimented by a heavy dose of dark roasted malts..
3.8 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20
(750ml bottle. Sparky brought this to the Black Friday tasting). Pours black with an espresso head. Aroma is roast and coffee. Taste is sweet malts and roasty bitterness. Full bodied with a sticky texture. Dry finish. I liked it, but didn’t love it. A little roasty for my tastes.
3.6 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 15/20
750 mL bottle courtesy of Joe Redner. Thanks! Pours a pitch black color with a very dark fizzy brown head. Decent head retention. Big aroma with notes of roasted malts, soy, leather, wood, peppery notes, olives, vanilla, tobacco, toasted malts and faint cherry-like fruit notes. The taste is huge roasted malts, soy, wood, smoke, bitter hops, jerky. Full bodied. Just a huge beer. A little too much for me but still pretty good.
3.9 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20
Bottle. Pours a pitch black body with zero light passing thru, beautiful one finger dense and creamy dark brown head that had excellent retention. Sitting in the glass, I can’t imagine a better looking Imperial Stout. The nose is excellent, super roasty and chocolaty with some minimal wood, restrained alcohol, and some light char. There’s even a bit of all those hops still sticking around. It almost beats you over the head with intensity. The flavor is good, but not as great as the nose would lead on. A little less chocolaty and more intense in the burnt roastiness. The alcohol is still nicely restrained though, and that helps. A little more of the wood comes out on the finish along with a little taste of all those hops that have mostly faded by this time. The finish lingers on forever thanks to the enormously thick and chewy body. It just coats the entire inside of the mouth. Minimal restrained carbonation gives it just a little bit of life without being distracting. All in all a pretty good experience.
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