Franklins St. Charles Imperial Stout

Formerly brewed at Franklins Restaurant, Brewery & General Store
Style: Imperial Stout
Hyattsville, Maryland USA

Serve in Snifter

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Thanks to Ken for this growler. Drank most of it, but just found a hand bottle in the back of the fridge I figured I would open. Pours a rediculous pitch black syrupy, and a purpleish brown thin head- almost as black as DH impy stout. Aroma is chocolate malts, roasted barley, black cherry, leather, and hints of coffee. Rich thcik sweet coffee and chocolate malts, caramel sweetness, some toffee, dark dried fruits- black cherry, raspberry, and cassis with a burtn matl finsih and moderate to big bitterness in the end. Nice Impy Stout.

Draft, brewed in 2008. Lots of vanilla extract flavor, some cherry and sweet dark chocolate.

"Big beer week" at Franklins and they were offering up limited quantities of older versions of their Imperial Stout. Not sure if the one I sampled was an ’06 or an ’07. Whichever one it was, it was very nice. On Tap. Poured pitch black with no head to speak of. Huge roasted malt nose with some deep dark chocolate and coffee notes. One minor fault is that the alcohol is a little too present in the mouth, but it realy doesn’t take away from the beer that much. Chocolate is the predominant flavor here, but the subtle roasted malt and coffee flavors are very nice. Also, this is not a bitter Imperial Stout which is welcome. not sure if that’s due to age or brewing style.

On tap a few weeks ago, just called Imperial Stout: Pours a rich opaque with dark mahogany edges and a small, creamy dark tan head that leaves strands of lace behind as it subsides. Aroma of sweet caramel and bittersweet dark chocolate with some molasses and black cherry notes. Starts with good fullness and sweet dark malts along with some molasses and fruity complexity. A well-balanced and enjoyable brew that hides its alcohol pretty well.

Pours a dark brown with a ruby undertone. Very roasty espresso and earthy aromas. Flavor is also a roasty espresso with some smokey, earthy notes. Pretty light body with a dry finish.

Pours dark, dark brown with a thin tan head. Smells of coffee, roasted malt, and vanilla. Strong roasted malt flavor with a hint of coffee and tree. Body is a little too thin for me, wish they amped it up. I was hoping for better.

Cask @ DuClaw RAF. Small tan head with decent retention and some spotty lace. Black goodness. Big choco roast nose, light berry and coffee notes. Full bodied, chewy with a soft carbonation, lightly oily and coating. Choco, roast flavors along with more berry notes, hints of licorice and dark fruits, nice. Lightly sweet, choco finish.

Firkin @ DuClaw Real Ale Festival. FAVORITE OF THE FESTIVAL! Big boy! Deep and dark. Deep brown, black, and opaque. Very little tan head. Light carbonation . Aromas of chocolate, brown sugar, molasses, some smoke, coffee, roast. Smooth body with lots of malty goodness. Some bitterness, not sure if it is the roast or the hops. Does not drink like 9.5%. Had this four times over the four hour festival. Nice job Charles!

Courtesy of artusory

Growler: Big aroma of chocolate, smoke, nuts, roasted coffee, alcohol, and a hint of pine. It pours a very dark brown, virtually black, with a moderate brown head that lasts a minute or so. The flavor has lots of chocolate, smoke, and roasted coffee. It finishes with light burnt flavors and piney hops. The alcohol flavor is pretty noticeable but not a lot of warmth. The greeness along with the moderate alcohol flavor throws things off a little. Slight improvement could really make this top notch.

Draft at the brewery. Deep brown or black body with a thin dark brown head. Creamy dark chocolate, bitter chocolate, a little buttery in the nose. Starchy on the palate, tastes of cream, roasted honey, it’s sticky with some some plum and port in the finish. Thick and syrupy crawling down the sides of the glass. Tastes a little bit of burnt plastic, and even a little jalapeno without the heat. Loads of burnt tar all over this onem not a stellar stout but still better than most.