Founders Imperial Stout

Brewed by Founders Brewing Company
Style: Imperial Stout
Grand Rapids, Michigan USA

Serve in Snifter

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Solid black body with zero head from the bottle. Subtle chocolate nose. Flavor is smokey and a little mocha like. Probably the most viscous beer I’ve ever tasted. Could use some more sweetness and hops.

UPDATED: AUG 2, 2007 A GEM !! Pours a pitch black color with a brown creamy slight head that barely is visible. Aroma is of intense dark chocolate,dark roasted coffee,black licorice,malts,and raisins. Has a perfectly balanced carbonated flavor with hints of dark chocolate,coffee,black tart,black licorice and oatmeal cookie. Roasted coffee aftertaste. This ranks right up there with Speedway Stout as a killer. AWESOME !!

black body, light brown dense foamy/creamy head. aroma is maple/molasses and a little soy sauce. sweet roasted malt too. flavor is strong roasted malt, licorice. high carbonation that quickly goes to a creamy texture. the alcohol heat is pretty light and on the outsides of the palate. coffee aftertaste. gets a little burny if drunk too quickly.

much thanks to pailhead for hooking this up...this impy pours dark as night with very little chocolate head.the aroma was nothing short of excellent.roasted malts,raisins,chocolate,oatmeal,damn....it just keeps going.now for the flavor....DAMN!again,this is excellent.coffee,chocolate,roasted malts,and a tad bit of alcohol.this is one of the best impy stouts i have ever had.

Starts off with a perfectly thick pour. Opaque, black obsidian in color, settling into the snifter with a few dust speckles for the head. Nose has some heavy roasted elements up front and the amplified ABV is no stranger; all of this set against a backdrop of espresso, currant, anise and unsweetened dark chocolate to round out the aroma. Flavor reveals pecans that have been roasting for hours, toasty oats, fudge ripples and several heapings of spent espresso grinds. Some black licorice and branded leather qualities as undertones. Waxy and smooth on the palate, like a thick blanket that engulfs everything. Malts reign supreme with the most delicate and gentle carbonation. Finishes like a sugarless iced mocha with a sooty, dark cigar aftertaste. A unique interpretation - this is what imperial oatmeal stouts strive to achieve. Well done.

Black body, tan head. Interesting aroma: buttery caramel with pine and earth notes. Flavor is thick and rich and quite impressive, as I like my imperial stouts to be. Dark, bitter chocolate with caramel. Yum!

Completely opaque pour, thick, clinging tan lace - aroma of carmelized brown sugar, toffee, coffee, caramel, anise, plums - same in the flavor, with coffee and caramel dominating, lots of roastiness - finish is chocolate and hops - this is some killer stuff.

Opaque black with dark brown film of a head. Roast, vanilla, and alcohol aromatics. Roast malt and coffee interplay with cocoa, vanilla, and fruity yeast esters. Finish is dark chocolate with some alcohol heat. Mouthfeel is somewhat oily, with a building alcohol warmth.

UPDATED: JUL 5, 2005 Bottled. Pours a very dark mahogany, almost black but not quite. Almost opaque with a dark brown head. Aroma is of roasted malts, fruity esters, coffee and chocolate with sweet caramel and toffee notes. Hops ever so present in the aroma: spicy and earthy. Flavor is of roasty chocolate, burnt toast, cocoa with cherry and fig fruit esters looming. Molasses and caramel present to complement. Surprising the hop profile on this beer is extensive. Spicy, earthy and slightly citrusy with adequate bitterness to balance the beer out though I think this beer is a tad bit too hoppy for style. Finishes moderately dry with some lingering coffee bitterness and next to no alcohol despite the 12% ABV. Body is very full and and oily smooth with nice carbonation level. Just a notch behind breakfast stout in my opinion.

UPDATED: NOV 8, 2005 a 12 oz. bottle courtesy of Heemer ( Eric ) in a recent trade. I’m not sure words can describe how tastey this dark brownish/black elixir is on the tongue. a multitude of complexity sits on the palate with every sip. not too bitter & not too sweet, the roasted malts, hints of coffee and chocolate combine to hide the 12% abv. my only regret is that I only have the one bottle. I’d love to try this one again sitting in front of a roaring fire on a cold winter night. YUMMY!

I’ve had this twice in the past week and felt compelled to update and raise the point score of this one. the alcohol is so well hidden and the flavor is just outstanding. many people like a strong coffee flavor with their imp. stouts, but I like a blend of sweet chocolate and coffee and this is just an outstanding example of what I like!!!