3.6 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20Many thanks to Jake for his incredible generosity! I’m really greatful for the opportunity to even try this.
Number 183 of 600. Vintage 2009.
Pours a bit lighter than I was expecting for an imperial stout of this caliber. Beautiful head however quickly made me forget the previous. Quite a bit of hop aroma wafting up from my snifter. Had to dig quite a bit to find some bits of chocolate. Really pretty shocked at the amount of IBU’s, but I guess it’s a requirement considering the ABV and balance needed. Plus, this is a pretty young bottle.
Really surprised at the flavour. Right off the bat my palate is hit with a huge amount of tannins, acidity and bitterness from the hops. A small amount of chocolate makes its appearance after this initial wave, but only for a brief moment. After this second surge, a light amount of fusels take over followed by some additional acidity. The palate finishes dry with little lingering character. After the bottle has a chance to breath for awhile, the cocoa comes through a little clearer as does the molasses.
I guess I could chaulk some of this up to the fresh nature of this bottle. There were some raw notes in here, but overall I question how well this might actually age and if the acidity and tannins would mellow all that much over time to a point that the flavour is enhanced. Either way, if you have a bottle I would certainly hold onto it for a good year and try it at that point. Overall, I gotta say I’m perplexed at the hype this receives and really wonder if it’s just a variation in the batch or something else.
4 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20
Bomber. Thanks Cameron! Pours almost black with a nice tan head. Aroma of chocolate, malt, fruit, and coffee. Taste is roasted malt, dark chocolate, dark fruit, coffee, caramel, and vanilla. Nice balance. Very good!!
3.8 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 14/20
Finally found this beer on tap; hard to find considering that I live in the Carolinas not so far from the brewery.
Black and opaque with a fairly durable tan head that leaves streaks of sticky lacing on the glass.
Coffee, chocolate and dark roasted malts in the nose. Sightly floral too.
A bit of hops show up upon tasting, putting a spicy tome on the chocolate and dark malt base. Sweet up front, balanced mid-taste, and mild/moderate bitterness in the finish and aftertaste. The aftertaste is quite durable and features both chocolate and malts.
O: slightly disappointing, but very high expectations, so clearly recommended.
3.5 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 14/20
Draft at Appalachian Vintner. Pours black with a thin khaki head. Some chocolate roast on the nose. Hides it’s alcohol very well. Definitely some cocoa on the tongue and the finish is clean. Slid for style but perhap this one was a bit oversold.
4.3 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 18/20
---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone
4 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20
Bottle thanks to the guy next to us in line at Tired Hands. Poured black with dark tan head. Strong choco aroma. Slightly bitter choco.
4.3 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 17/20
Pours thick And black with a thick brown head. Nose is chocolate, coffee, licorice and wood. The taste is high sweet, medium low bitter. The texture is silky smooth, body is heavy and finish long.
---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone
4.2 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 18/20
Really good, well balanced big stout. Lots of chocolate, coffee, and hazelnut. Goes down really smooth, particularly the finish. Drinks way too easy for the abv, and tastes great.
3.6 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 15/20
Solid impy stout here, coffee, caramel, cocoa, roasted barley, it is a bit thin though.
4 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20
On tap at Mellow Mushroom. Looks gorgeous, black with a 1/2" head. Nice aroma of chocolate malt, hops and toffee. Taste is similar, with big chocolate, nice smooth malt, significant hop taste. Palate is very nice, a bit sweet, but has a lot of hops to balance it out.
---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone
3.8 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20
Bottle thanks to Mike. Pours a deep brown/black with the decent sized tan head. Aroma of chocolate malts and alcohol. I was expecting more chocolate though. Has the bitterness of black coffee/ dark chocolate. No sweet chocolate here. Thick mouth feel. Tan lacing paints the side of the glass as I finish up.
---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone
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