4.7 AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 19/20
UPDATED: OCT 20, 2008 Black with burgundy edges. Nose was of chocolate cake and brownies. Silky texture. Rich, toasty, strong and intense flavors. Fudge played out in my mind. Lesser notes of whiskey and vanilla-laden oak, with rich chocolate. Some sourness and wood in the background. Mellow bourbon as well. Overall, I found it rich, sweet, chewy and warming. Luckily, the alcohol staved off the intense sweetness a little. Rerate (2007 bottle): Great looking beer; motor oil-like and very dark with a thick and creamy head. Smelled glorious. Felt like a silk milkshake. Complexity was amazing. Dark, roasted, toasted, oaky, woodsy, earthy and charred. Incredibly rich and succulent. Other aromas of coffee, dark chocolate, smoke, dark fruit and tobacco. Soothing warmth. Great beer. This new rating was much better than my last (and my last was pretty good).
4.2 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 18/20
Bottle 2003 vintage poured an inky black with a small but long lasting brown head. Aromas of bourbon, oak, coffee, dark chocolate,and a hint of some vinous notes. Palate was heavy bodied,but smooth and slightly creamy. Flavors of bourbon, dark chocolate,vanilla, and coffee with a slightly bitter warming finish. An amazing beer in my never to be humble opinion!
4.8 AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 10/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 20/20
UPDATED: JAN 19, 2007 Tiramusu, bourbon, coconut, chocolate, vanilla, caramel, peanut brittle, cake batter, fudge, and gramam crackers in the complex aroma. Black color. Really rich and full body, with a huge and brilliant mouth experience. Chocolate, fudge cake, with hints of caramel, along with an enormous barrel contribution, which gives hints of coconut, vanilla and oak. Wow. So rich and tasty.
3 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 5/10 PALATE 2/5 OVERALL 12/20
UPDATED: NOV 21, 2009 2009 bottle.
Head is initially small, brown, mostly diminishing.
Body is black, almost opaque (flashlight tested).
Aroma is moderately malty (dark chocolate, molasses, roasted grain), with notes of whiskey/alcohol, corn syrup, vanilla, sherry, wood.
Flavor is heavily to harshly sweet, lightly acidic, lightly bitter.
Finish is moderately to heavily sweet, lightly acidic, moderately bitter.
Full body, syrupy texture, soft carbonation, heavily alcoholic.
Woof...very burning and sweet and syrupy. Not elegant at all, and difficult to drink more than a few sips. Some good aspects in the nose, but it’s big, clumsy, and bruising; not how I prefer an Impy stout to be.
3.9 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20
Bottle. Very dark rusted red color, no head. Big whiskey and alcohol aroma. Coconut. Whiskey dominates the palate. Chocolate and cream in there too. Finish is smooth and bitter, something that is usually not seen in hot beers like this one.
3.8 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20
UPDATED: AUG 27, 2008 (1st batch, with a 3-7-4 indicated on the white label with typewriter inscription):
Loads of bourbon greet the nostrils upon approach, surrounded by black grapes, roasted malts, and nagging soy...Thick molasses engulf the fruitiness and roastiness, giving you a lip-smacking sweet mouthfeel...Alcohol heat is definitely felt, but doesn’t bother much...This is classy, well-brewed, yet nothing sets it apart from all those barrel-aged imperials...This was apparently the precursor though, you can’t forget that...3.6/5
(Versions bottled on 010505 and 101207 were quite similar):
A lot less soy sauce thankfully, thus roastier and more dessert-y that its ancestor...Alcohol is better controlled in the aroma, the bourbon being not as expressive, and less oppressive...Tons of residual sugar make a hefty mouthfeel presenting decadent molasses, toffee and vanilla...Alcohol burns in the end though, a firm reminder of its size...Overall, I have to say this is an intense sipper, and thus not very drinkable, but it remains quite harmonious despite its potency...3.9/5
3.8 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20
01-05-05 batch. Considering its strength, the pour offers a generous dark brown head to cover the pitch black, completely opaque hue. Heavily malty aroma, spicy licorice and molasses paired along chocolate chips. It has that sweet dessert component that reminds me of chocolate cookies while the hops, mostly floral, pair nicely with the minty barrel character. Obvious alcohol presence peaks throughout the blackberry and grapey fruitiness, all in a tar like bold malt base. Port and Madeira reminding finish, very alcoholic, bubble gummy and strongly roasty (tobacco). Expert palate rounding, full bodied, soft in texture, intense mouth presence. Good stuff if not particularly my style.
We also had a bottle of the first batch in that tasting (typing machine text saying only bourbon county stout and 3-7-4 whether it’s a bottling number or date – Thanks TAR) and it was concentrating on the bourbon a decent bit more, leaving a perhaps even boozier and certainly less integrated product malt wise.
3.6 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 14/20
Bottled in 8/05. Beautiful dark dank brown with foamy brown head. Nose is strong. Lots of EtOH is present and provides the backdrop. Bourbon steps up to the plate as well as some good chocolate notes. Oak and vanilla are there as well. Dissapointed with the flavor a bit. The EtOH is way too dominant. There is a strong presence of Bourbon which was to be expected. Chocolate is the next biggest player, mixed with some coconut. A tad too sweet yet as well. May benefit greatly from some aging to mellow it out a bit. Will rerate.
4.2 AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20
Truly great stout. Burnt brown sugar, vanilla, coffee, toffee, chocolate, cvaramel and roasted maltiness...But I really love the wood, smoke, and bourbon profile from the 5 months aging process. One of the very best!
4.6 AROMA 10/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 18/20
UPDATED: SEP 14, 2005 From a 12-oz bottle purchased at Torrence Liquors, Calumet City IL.
Vanilla, honey, chocolate and coffee tones on the nose. Could be the best-smelling beer I’ve ever raised to my sniffer. Pours solid black while the precious little carbonation forms a tiny tan head that quickly dissipates. Sweet honey & vanilla bean are prominent in the flavor, supported by roasted malt, hop bittering, a hint of licorice and a touch of charred wood. Small bit of raisin joins in the aftertaste. That tiny bit of carbonation does quite a dance on the tongue. I generally don’t care for Goose Island products but this one’s a home-run.
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