Sierra Nevada 30th Anniversary Fritz & Kens Ale

Formerly brewed at Sierra Nevada Brewing Company
Style: Imperial Stout
Chico, California USA

Serve in Snifter

send corrections   |   shelftag   |   edit barcodes   |   add pic

I thought this was exceptional. Cork popped like a champagne bottle, pour didn’t seem to viscous, but it had a huge fluffy head that stuck around til the bottom of the glass. Flavor has loads of chocolate, slightly roasty, not much in the way of hops or bitterness. Just flat out delicious stuff... easy to drink the whole bottle

On tap last year, dark cola pour, very impressive cobweb lacing. Roasted malts with slight metallic backbone. This beer had many porter characteristics as well. Roasted nut with chocolate aftertaste in mouth. Delicious warming stout from Sierra Nevada.

19 may 2012, Bottle. Black, very thick frothy head that lingers. Nose is very burnt toast and very dark chocolate. So burnt and dark that the smell isn’t really harsh. Med body and mildly fizzy. Burnt toast, raisins, faint blue cheese, alcohol. This is okay bothered is a lot of complexity but not a lot of finesse.

Pours pitch black with a large sudsy head. Smells roasted and of licorice or anise. Taste is strong roast up front, with a bit of licorice-like and alcohol kick that all blend together amazingly (especially with two years of age). Full-bodied with a slick texture and soft mouth-carbonation, Sierra Nevada 30th Anniversary Fritz & Ken’s Ale (Imperial Stout) finishes incredibly intense, amazing.

750 ml bottle into snifter; bottled 2/20/2010. Pours pitch black color with a 1 finger dense dark brown head with good retention, that reduces to a thin cap that lasts. Some nice soapy lacing on the glass. Aromas of big dark roasted chocolate, raisin, caramel, coffee, charred malt, toffee, vanilla, bread, tobacco, earth, and light herbal hops. Fantastic aromas here with great balance and complexity. Taste of big dark roasted chocolate, caramel, molasses, coffee, raisin, biscuit, earth, charred malt, toffee, tobacco, vanilla, and light herbal hops. Good amount of roasted bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of dark chocolate, biscuit, coffee, raisin, caramel, toffee, charred malt, earth, tobacco, and herbal on the finish for a while. Great flavor balance and big complexity. Medium carbonation and very full bodied; with an extremely lush, creamy, and fairly slick mouthfeel that is very nice. Alcohol is extremely well hidden, with hardly any warming noticed at all after the finish. Overall this is an absolutely fantastic imperial stout! Very complex, robust, and balanced; and very smooth to sip on.

Originally reviewed: 6/2/10. Had this on tap at City Beverage in Winston. Poured into a Chimay goblet. The pour was a deep dark black, with a thick coffee-colored head on top. Great retention. Left lots of sticky lace. Big scents of roasted malts, baker’s chocolate, vinous grapes, and toasted sugar. This was much sweeter in the nose than expected. The body is velvety smooth. Some thin spots noted, but overall, this is creamy and soft. Flavors carry some wine-like characteristics, but not to the full. Plenty of milk chocolate and roasted malts to round this one out. As the beer warms, there’s a nice resiny hop finish that I really like. No surprise coming from SN. Great beer. I’ve got a bottle that I bought when this first came out that I’m going to hold on to for awhile. I bet these flavors will develop superbly.

Tap at Blind Tiger. Thanks Jredmond. I owe you a beer. Black with a tan head. Potent nose, lots of coffee, cocoa, roast. Flavor is rich, roast, cocoa, light coffee. Tasty beer.

Bomber bottle aged in cellar for 1 year. Pours dark as hell with high brown thick head. Aromas of coffee burned sugar some chocolate vanilla. Hoppyness is pleasantly present in taste. Medium full palate. Quite smooth and fine tuned. Rich... Well done!

Drank this out of an ale glass, should have used a snifter... Pours dark, almost black, with medium, thick tan head. Aroma of roasted malt, chocolate, dark fruit, brown sugar. Taste opens up a touch sweet, with a hefty hop backbone to balance it up. Loads of roasted malt, chocolate, coffee. Creamy and rich with a medium finish that’s dark chocolate bitter with a subtle brown sugar sweetness.

UPDATED: MAR 12, 2012 Une magnifique impériale stout avec une belle ligne de saveur comme le tabac, la mélasse, le cuir, le chocolat et une touche de fumé. Quand même assez sirupeuse avec une légère amertume.

Pours like an imperial stout. Aroma is sweet complex malts with light smoke and chocolate. Taste is super roasty and medium sweet with a fruity sweet finish that ends with smoke.