Founders Imperial Stout

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

Serve in Snifter

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Thanks to OhioDad. Drank head to head against Thirsty Dog Siberian Night (also thanks to OhioDad) yesterday. Pours thick black and syrupy. Small dark brown head on it. Aroma is of heavy roasted malts, chocolate, coffee, fruity esters, and hops; plenty of hops. Good thick mouthfeel. There’s plenty of roast and coffee in the flavor, but it’s dominated by a nice sweet chocolate and dried/burned fruits. Very impressive beer -- I know it’s blasphemy, but I thought this one was better than the Breakfast Stout. Good job, Founders.

Friggn A this was good. On tap at the brewery, ’03 edition. Pour was super dark brown almost black with a small but purty head. Huge thickness. Aroma of chocolate, caramel, malt, some coffee but it seemed toned down. Dark chocolatey fruits all over this gem. Was seriously one of my all time faves.. at least with a little age on it. Hope to try a current edition to see how well it actually did age.

Out of a 12oz, thanks OhioDad for hooking me up. Rich thick flow encircles the glass with a tip of the hat chocolatey head that exits quickly. Nice aroma, burnt malts, hint of coffee and cocoa and the alcohol nips at the inner sinuses. Complex taste to it very much of the same as in the aroma with a bitter hop to it keep you from falling out of your chair. A light dark cherry lingers slightly before a dry coffee finish. Very nice and warming. A solid brew in my book and one that should be shared as well.

12oz bottle. Out of the bottle like used engine oil...no real head, but some patches of chocolate colored foam...jet black beer...Big aroma...chocolate milk, a little of last night’s campfire on my clothes, a touch of fresh pipe tobacco, and coffee. Sweet & alcohol hit the palate...so much so that I’m unable to describe it further. I don’t taste much else...lingering alcohol & chocolate...I can find some roast in there...its odd...I’m just about to taste all these lovely dark sweet flavors and then they are just burnt over...and big sweetness...faltering and stumbling...into sugary rum...It ends up coming off better than that sounds, unless my tongue has just number to the heat...Its gor the body & the nose and the start of a bit of acrid/sour balance to the sweetness...this one would most likely benefit fomr a year or more of cellaring. Thanks heemer!

Opaque black body with one of the darkest brown heads I’ve ever seen. Looks like used oil. Head is smallish though, even with a hard pour, but does leave ridiculous lacing. Smell is chocolate, rich fruit malt, powerful alcohol and faint sourness from the hops. Silky mouthfeel. Rolls around tongue richly leaving behind strong chocolate, cherries, grapes, turning to roasted hops, fresh ground dark roast coffee and very bold alcohol. This beer is powerful, well-balanced, and has just enough enjoyable quirks to separate it from all the other overally powerful IS’s out there. Thanks to jgb9348 for bringing me this back from Detroit, MI.

Huge thanks to Styles for this one. Pours the deepest black color, with a nice dark brown cocoa head. Aroma is of roasted coffee, chocolate, cherries. Flavor is sweet, full of chocolate and roasted malt. VERY nice. Reminds me of a beer that rhymes with "trepidition Stout" and thats definitely a compliment. Wow, just hugely impressed.

Jet black, with nice lingering brown head. Faint whiff of earthy hops, some smokey roast malts. Rich sweet and thick on the tongue. Complex, earthy with hints of mushrooms and roasted red pepper, a bit of charred wood, hickory? Some coffee, but little chocolate. Excellent mouthfeel, thick and oat-y, very soft carbonation. This is a total surprise and completely fantastic. The only thing I find lacking in this beer is a more inviting aroma. This is pure class. Thanks Eric!

Bottle: Pours an oily textured opaque black, with a small brownish head which disappears rapidly leaving the beer looking slightly unattractive and flat. Aromas were big and beautiful, roasted malts galore, coffee mixed with burnt toast, milk chocolate, some nuttiness. Flavors are equally as big, roasted malts, sweeter dark fruits in backround, touch of alcohol bite upfront but not overly offensive. Velvety moutfeel and a slightly dry finish.

Pours a thick black with a smooth brown head. Lots of rich chocolate roast in the nose with a nice hop presence. Very thick body with just a touch of alcohol present, but aging will take care oif that. A bit of a mocha coffee flavor near the finish and some sweet licorice taste. This was a really nice imperial stout that will improve a lot with age.

Pours black, with a brown head. Aroma is coffee, chocolate, roasted malt, and hops. Flavors are coffee, chocolate, roasted malt, and hops. There is some bitterness, and the body is towards the heavy side. Thanks to wohlfs for this one.