Fox River Vaders Imperial Stout

Brewed by Fox River Brewing Co.
Style: Imperial Stout
Oshkosh, Wisconsin USA

Serve in Snifter

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On draught at both brewpub/brewery locations (Appleton and Oshkosh).
Rating base on Appleton version - Pours an opaque dark brown brew with a thick and creamy off-white head that has great retention and lacing. Aroma of a faint dark toasted black malt, some flowery hops and a touch of molasses. Taste is full bodied, light carbonation with flavors of dark toasted black malt and some slight dark pitted fruit in the background. Finish is slightly semi-sweet, chocolatey with a watery dark malt aftertaste that quickly disappears. The character is more like a sweet stout than imperial but is very drinkable. The Oshkosh version has the same appearance and character but has a powdery/chalky taste and finish. The good word is this stout has improved since its original ratings in 2005.

Pours an opaque black velvet with very little head. Nose is coffee and malt. Creamy on the palate; not a lot of carbonation. A true imperial stout taste profile with strong flavors of coffee, chocolate, molasses, and malt. Fairly sweet on the finish. A good companion to red meats, including lamb, and also pairs well with nuts and pretzels.

opaque with chocolate milkshake head and zero lacing. nose is light bakers chocolate and subtle boozy note if you really hunt. flavor is well bittered with little in the way of outright chocolate. possibly some acidic coffee grounds. full mouthfeel but not creamy. brown sugar lingers slightly in a mostly dry end.

12oz bottle from my Secret Santa - thanks, Santa! Thick oily pour with very little carbonation. Nose is fruity and lactic for the most part, more like a Baltic porter than anything else. Slight hint of Twinkie too, believe it or not. Lovely thick mouthfeel and a sweet flavor profile that makes it a bit unexpected given the style (Imperial Sweet Stout?). Perhaps a bit one-dimensional in terms of flavor, but a decent malty sipper overall.

Thanks to Bob for the bottle! Poured a good soy sauce color and consistency, for that matter, with barely a spotty dusting for head. The aroma picked up a whole heap of rich, sweet molasses over a bed of toasty caramel.. some salty character, and a little butter as Mike mentioned (but not entirely to its detriment).. I found it rather intriguing. The flavor found molasses, honey, and aged caramel at the core, with mild earthy bitterness and vanilla around.. sweeter on the finish, picking up some lactic sourness on a little chocolate.. the finish fizzled out kinda quickly. Medium-plus bodied, but it felt thin after the initial impression.. carbonation was low, with the malts slowly rolling across the palate.. quite sweet and a little salty. Not a bad stout, and definitely one of the better beers I’ve had from these guys.

Hazy dark brown pour with some smokey and maltiness, strong but very quaffable, very good example.

Barrel Draught from the jug at the GABF, Colorado Convention Center 30/09/2005 Black slightly rich on the palate with a fruit aroma. Some dryness in an oyster roast flavour finish.

Butter nose - again. A slightly roasty flavor is there, but otherwise it’s raunchy and thin tasting - bland and sour. Thin, stale, sour and pretty much lacking everything I look for in an imperial stout. Sorry to be so harsh but this is one bad imperial stout.

GABF 2005. My notes say Fox River Vader’s Imperial Stout. Whatever. Very dark body with low viscosity and a fading, somewhat oily tan head. Aroma of caramel and butterscotch. Flavor is of burnt butter and roasted malt. Slick palate. This beer has a significant diacetyl problem. Needs a diacetyl rest badly.

UPDATED: JAN 7, 2008 Near opaque black color with a small tan head. Mushy grain and malt aromas. Flavors of sweet grain and some roasted flavors. Seems under-attenuated. Sweet and cloying at the end. 6/3/6/3/12 - 3.2 Rerate:-------& Brown color with a small beige head. Light roasted malt aromas. Hints of wood and alcohol. Woody flavors mix with the roasted malt. Dry malt and light pepper come in the finish and linger. Some zinfandel qualities, but too thin and feel and not much else, but a strong stout that seems to be thinned out by the alcohol.