Founders Imperial Stout

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

Serve in Snifter

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UPDATED: FEB 9, 2005 12 oz bottle-hmm, i think i got another infected/old bottle of this stuff. pours pitch black with slight tan head. roasted, chocolate, sweet dark chocolate-slight alcohol aromas. Some sour licorice flavors in the finish also. The sourness shows that this is either a badly stored beer or its infected. very acidic and unbalanced. I must seek a fresh sample of this one. ReRate-ok, here we go-we got a good one here. pours a very deep black hue with a nice tan head. Hershey chocolate bar aroma with a touch of roast. Flavors of chocolate milk, roast, char and mocha. Awesome palate that is much improved from the crappy bottle i had before. However, i can see where this beer can go bad with sourness. Some hops were present in the mid palate. Slightly strong carbonation for the style. Very tasty. origonal rating 3.1

Deep, rich black in color with a small tan head. Aroma of dark fruit,cherries,oak,roasted malt,chocolate and licorice. Flavors of roasted malt,chocolate,subtle smoke with a chewy malt palate.

Back with a tan head. Dark cherry aroma, sweet and full bodied. Excellent beer, with a Trois Pistoles feel.

UPDATED: FEB 1, 2007 2003 bottle. Pours an incredibly pitch black color, deep, dark and thick with an amazing amount of dark roasted tan head, big and creamy, with plenty of layering as it is poured. Bottle conditioned. Aroma, surprisingly, is pretty weak for an imperial. What there is, is not bad, but it just isn’t big and super sniffable. Some oily roast, hints of dark chocolate, a bit of smokiness, and a touch of alcohol. Flavor, however, is superb. Thick, rich and creamy with some smokiness intertwined with a big full roastiness jumping out first. As it proceeds some hops come in to the mix, lightly bittersweet and then a huge, creamy chocolate flavor is apparent towards the end and finish. Dark chocolate, oily roast and some sweeter malt touches all make this one great. There is alot of ethanol apparent, however, and I’m not a big fan of that. Still, must reiterate the wonderful chocolatey smooth mouthfeel.
2005 bottle consumed Aug 06
Initially large, beige-tan head fizzles quickly to cover, then ring. No lacing, quite black in appearance.
Beany, wet, stale and soggy are words that all come to mind. And infected. Pretty sure there shouldnt be any lactic qualities in this. Heavily vinous, to the point of being fatiguing and astringent. Dark chocolate and moderate bitterness with no softness or round malt edges to balance.
Flavor is old, very beany and vinous, with a definite cardboard blandness and way too much fruitiness. Watery in texture and body, with no malt softness. Infected, it seems. Granted this is not a fresh bottle and Founders certainly makes it known that their beers should be drunk fresh. But frankly it’s an imperial stout and if it cant handle a year of aging without developing an infection, that’s just pathetic. Gotta wonder about Founders bottling line....granted it’s not a strong infection, but still problematic and readily noticeable.
Score is an average of the two I’ve had (fresh and aged). If I can find an aged sample that proves my theory wrong, I’ll up the score.

One of my favorite strong stouts.Dark brown color with a thin shortlived tan head,slightly sweet,mocha/coffee and very faint black licorice. Easy to drink for the ABV and goes well with Chocolate cream Oreos.

Very nice dark brown color,small tan head that lasted for a short time then faded to a light lace.Good roasty aroma,with chocolate and mild coffee tones and a mild sweet side coming through as well.Chocolatey flavor with a decent but not over powering coffee and roasty flavor.it started out as bitter sweet and finished off at a nice mellow bitter chocolate and coffee.This is one hell of a smooth nicely done brew,and i wish i had a few 6’ers of this for later indulgence and ageing.Thanks go to Jsquire for sending another fine brew my way.

Bottle pours black, deep brown highlights, with a small tannish dishwater head.   Cocoa, soy, and light alcohol on the nose.   Flavor is quite large, heavily burnt malts, soy, light cocoa, prunes, with a bit of licorice mixed in.   Hop emergence through the middle, that becomes quite pronounced at the finish.   Lingering bitterness in the aftertaste.   A bit of cocoa/coffee in there as well.   Mouthfeel is solid, flavors are abundant, lacing is rather good, and the finish lasts.   This is one rock solid Impy.   Thanks goes out to jsquire for the trade.

black and solid as a coal miner's boot heel, the head was a gorgeous frappe of cedar-toned cocoa with bubbly black eyes as big as bambi's. aroma muscles up with a caldron of sticky red fruits-- blackened by a maniacal cajun chef--until they're reduced nearly to the state of fossil fuels. i'm certain that a scientist could render enough volatile compounds from this beer to power a home-made rocket-- one that could penetrate the exosphere. moreover, the aroma has hazelnuts, straw and burnt carob amid it's cocoa-tinged brandy aroma. the flavor however, attempts a difficult merger of creamy, sweet, liquid fudge with lingeringly bitter grapefruit juice. the resiny-black pipe tobacco flavor and alcohol conceal most of the discord, and the buzz arrives authoritatively to arrest further negativity: we happily accept the evidence that a burnt orange peel can be most amusingly engaging.

solid black with very little head. aroma is chocolate and anise/licorice, slightly alcoholic. extremely roasty body with some dark chocolate notes, somewhat smoky and a presence of alcohol. nice and thick palate, and finishes very smooth with some lingering bitterness. extremely complex and intense--i'm impressed!

ours dark as midnight with a slight brown head. Fantastic roasted smell with accompanying initial flavor. The roasted malt flavor gives way to notes of coffee and mocha. Slight hints of alcohol start to nudge in but are quickly pushed aside by a delicious smoked finish. The drinkability is exceptional for a beer this big. Very enjoyable and you definitely get your money's worth.