3.9 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20
UPDATED: OCT 24, 2005 My first reaction to this was a visceral stream of obscenities. Black body with a thin but lasting head the color of coal slag. Aroma is huge fresh espresso. Flavor is massive coffee, sticky sweet malt, roasted grains. Not a big fan of real chocolate in stout, but the coffee and bitterness are tough enough to make it work here. Makes me want to add a bit of vodka and cream and call it a white russian. Hey, that’s not a bad idea. Note: doesn’t age particularly well.
3.9 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20
Nice black color with a soft light brown cream foam clinging on the side of my snifter. The aroma in intense coffee, overshadowing the chocolate, caramel and oatmeal I was hoping for. The flavor is strong with the coffee at first, but lies down to a smoother chocolate and oatmeal taste. It all ends with a dry coffee aftertaste.
3.9 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20
Bottled at the London gathering, November 2005. Thanks to Captain Cougar for bringing this one over. Very black. Coffee, coffee and more coffee. Just as well I like coffee. Not sure about 8.3% for breakfast, although I’m sure that feeding this to children (a depicted on the label - surprised it hasn’t been banned!) would keep the little brats quiet for most of the day. I thought this was quite dry for a sweet stout. Slightly oily texture. A sumptuous and delicious beer, if a little one dimensional.
3.9 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 16/20
dark as balls. even the big head is super dark. i’m getting a lot of coffee and chocolate. tastes pretty good. a bit lighter than i was expecting but i guess it’s classified here as a sweet stout. very bitter, all chocolate malts. not as complex or sweet as i’d like.
3.9 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20
Bottle. Pours a fairly thin dense black with brown notes. Just a touch of head. Aromas of seriously heavy roasted malt, bittersweet chocolate, walnuts, some coffee. Mouthfeel is very tight with mostly caramel, coffee, chocolate, roasted malt, and almost like a very smoky whiskey. Well done, but just too heavy in the bitterness. Needs some sweetness to balance it out a bit.
3.9 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20
UPDATED: FEB 23, 2008 12 fl oz bottle, with twist off, thanks to Storm. Pours dark brown with a lacing light brown head. Thick coffee aroma, dense. Flavour is sweet malty with a distinct coffee note into a dry bitter finish. Lacks all the smoothness that the Bourbon version has. Coffee and beer - mix. Nice hardroasted coffee.
3.9 AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20
12 oz bottle. Pours almost black with a syrupy brown head. Lots of coffee flavor, a little bitter like coffee grounds. Rich mouthfeel - I like it. Its about time I tried this one being that I live in Grand Rapids.
3.9 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20
Nice strong coffee aroma starts this beer off. Pours an opaque black, with just a sad ring of tan head. The flavor is where this really shines. Notes of coffee, roast, a bit of chocolate, and all with a nice full mouthfeel. About the only thing that hurts with this beer is the price for it, but it is a great stout, and I’ve tossed some in the cellar to see how it holds up.
3.9 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20
On tap at the brewery, served in a tasting glass. Pours black with a moderate tan head. The head fades slowly to a thin cover but leaves lots of dense lace. On the nose, there are huge notes of coffee, roast malts, chocolate, earthy hops and herbs. The flavour is moderately sweet throughout with lots of coffee, roasty malts, chocolate and a hint of earth. The finish is long, with coffee and roasted malts. On the palate, it is full in body with a smooth, creamy texture and average carbonation. Overall, this is an excellent imperial stout. It is sweet but effectively balanced with coffee and hops. It begs for barrel aging! 2011-08-16
3.9 AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20
Finally found this one at Vintage Wine and Estates in Boardman, OH.
A- Has a cloudy dark brown, nearly back body that pours with a 1 finger or so mocha colored creamy head. Head eventually fades to <1/2 finger but leaves traces of lacing all the way down the glass.
S-Rich dark chocolate malts and toffee balanced with a nice roasted malt character. Nose is on the sweet side but rich and balanced.
T-The roasted malt notes come through much more in the flavor and are actually the highlight. Roasted dark chocolate malt upfront with some accents of bitter coffee and sweet caramel. The finish is a balance of roasted bitterness and characters mentioned in the nose. What lingers is a big roasted dark malt bitterness and hints of coffee, toffee, and a caramel sweetness.
P- Medium carbonation and thick, somewhat syrupy mouthfeel. As expected for a imperial stout.
O-The ABV is not detectable at all in this brew. Actually the roasted character is definitely the highlight. The smell is immaculate but the taste is more roasted than I like but still good. Overall a solid, good imperial stout. i would still love to try Kentucky Breakfast Stout and compare these offerings.
Serving type: bottle
Reviewed on: 11-04-2008 04:20:27
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