Great Lakes Blackout Stout

Brewed by Great Lakes Brewing Company
Style: Imperial Stout
Cleveland, Ohio USA

Botttle, poured black with a thin brown head. Nose is roasted malts and chocolate. Full bodied with a very smooth mouth feel. Flavor is roasted and slightly sweet with notes of chocolate, caramel, and light coffee notes. Finishes mildly bitter. Nothing crazy here just a well balanced well made impy.

12 oz. bottle shared at Logan’s 2009 pre-GABF Party. Dark brown to black pour. Aroma of dark chocolate, coffee, and oatmeal. Incredible aroma. Slightly disappointing flavor after the aroma; some chocolate but there is an almost tea-like flavor that I don’t care for as much. Still a very good beer that I would love to revisit.

12oz bottle from treyrab I think, can’t remember for sure. Rating #721. Pitch black pour at first, but I could make out a little dark red highlights from the bottom of the glass. Very roasty, dark chocolate, and dark roasted coffee. Very smooth, but with a slight roasty bitterness, silky mouthfeel, more dark chocolate, very good. ꀛ)

12 oz bottle from Capones. Poured a deep dark black with an average size foamy light beige head. Aroma of burnt toast, burnt coffee, a touch of dark chocolate that adds a hint of sweetness and some grassy hops in the background. Fuller bodied with stronger fizzy carbonation that when added in with all the burnt flavors and aromas make this one seem just a tad harsh. Flavor is burnt overall, burnt coffee, burnt toast, burnt malts, no real detectable hops but for the matter no trace of alcohol. This was one great beer and the perfect way to start opening day 2009, or opening morning 2009 would actually be more accurate.

bottle 12 oz. - Poured almost black with thin tan head. Aroma - toasted malt, coffee, chocolate and dark fruits Flavor - Initial coffee taste and coco in the middle. Nicely balanced and fairly smooth. Palate - light/medium bodied and has ashy dry finish. Overall - Good IS but not as good as expected.

Black pour with a small, bubbly, tan head. Aroma is quite nice; lots of roast, earth, peat, loam, bitter chocolate, cocoa nib, and a bit of creaminess. Smell is reminiscent of, but not as good as, Beer Geek Brunch Weasel- some notes similar to Harviestoun Ola Dubh in there as well. Flavor is interesting; shifts from the aroma quite perceptibly. Flavor has less depth than the aroma, unfortunately; a more straight forward sweet roast is the dominant flavor, with the chocolate and creaminess remaining evident. The peatiness mostly leaves, but it’s still a really nice flavor. Palate is a bit thin for an imperial stout, but still a really nice brew. Thanks to Beerman6686 for bonusing this one to me in a trade.

Courtesy of craftycarl21. Black pour with a half finger off white head. Aroma is extremely earthy- lots of loam, peat, and roasted barley in the nose. Creamy cocoa nib and caramel. Roast dominates with a slight warming alcohol creeping into the sinuses. Flavor is also quite roasty with sweet creaminess, chocolate, coffee, and peat. Roast dominates again. Palate is a tad thin for the style, but creamy, velvety and supple. A delicious example of the style.

Bottle from Archer Liquors. Very black pour with a significant tan head. Aroma is toast, coffee, chocolate. Full bodied with creamy carbonation. Flavor is very smooth dark toast, nearly milk chocolate and touches of espresso. Finishes towards bitter - but malt or hop? No mind, it is incredibly delicious. And then it goes toward sweetness. Fantastic.