Great Lakes Blackout Stout

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

Huge dark chocolate in the aroma. Also roasted malts and some coffee. More of the same in the flavor, with distinct hop characteristics in the finish. The mouthfeel is big, thick and slick. Medium carbonation. Very smooth Impy without much bitter bite in the end, which I prefer. This is a really great brew.

12oz bottle poured into a snifter. This Imperial Stout poured a solid black with a thick tan head that slowly faded away, leaving some excellent lacing around the glass. Just a bit of light is visible through the beer. The beer has nice big chocolate aroma, with notes of lightly roasted malts and some hop undertones. The flavor has quite a bit going on. You can taste cherries, milk chocolate, hints of coffee, and a touch of alcohol. I really enjoyed the flavor of this brew. The mouthfeel is full-bodied with a healthy dose of carbonation. Just a little bit thinner than I would prefer. The thin mouthfeel and unwanted level of carbonation are my only complaints. Overall, a very well done stout.

Pours black with a thin tad head that disapates quikly. Aroma is pleasant of malts,vanilla, smoke. maple and brown sugar. The flavor was very smooth considering, I didnt age the beer. It had notes of coffee, fruit, chocolate, and a roasted flavor. A very Good Imperial Stout.

Picked up single 12-oz bottle from Bob’s McFarland Liquors in McFarland, WI. Pours an opaque near black brew with a thick, creamy tan head. Good retention and lacing. Aroma of chocolate caramel, roasted malt, vanilla and some herbs. Taste is full body, coffee and chocolate with flowery hops and some burnt bread. Finish is slightly bitter with a dark coffee after taste.

Aroma is caramel cappucino with herbal hints. Dark roasted flavor with some pleasant lingering hop bitterness on the finish.

Pours pitch black color with a tan head. Wonderful roasted malt and chocolate aromas. Roasted malts and hop dominate this brew,then the big bitter alcohol ending hits you.Hints of chocolate and vanilla in there as well.Real bitter ending.

Bottle from Capones, Thanks Stegosaurus. Black pour with thin tan head. Roasted coffee and chocolate aroma. Flavor is pretty much the same. Nice burn in the chest as this warms. A really good stout.

Rated 4/7/06: Seasonal brew from Great Lakes, I was looking forward to it’s release and grabbed a four pack soon after they hit the shelves. Great Lakes makes some very nice beers including this Imperial Stout. The beer is dark black once poured into my glass a thick head is formed. The head does become much thinner, but it sticks around for the duration of the brew which is highly unusual for a strong imperial stout, a real nice touch. There is moderate lacing. The aroma is a usual mix of roasted malts with touches of coffee and hops, but then the chocolate malts come alive and seem to dominate the thick aroma. Aside from the abundance of chocolate malts the alcohol can actually be detected with the nose, it seems to let you know that this beer needs to be enjoyed slowly. The mouthfeel is the one aspect where this beer falls short of greatness. There is an immediately recognized thinness to the beer especially thin for an imperial stout. The finish is satisfying and relatively smooth. Great taste with this one. All of the dark roasted malts create a nice flavor that is accented with a generous amount of hops that lead right into a well deserved bitter aftertaste. The chocolate malts also stand out in the overall flavor, but the coffee is more abundant than originally detected with the aroma. For an Imperial Stout Great Lakes has created a wonderful example, not the best around but surely worth trying. 5/12/06...Enjoyed the other two tonight mixed in with some other cellared Impy Stouts. Wow I upped my ratings in a couple categories, and for good reason. This is the most Aggressive Stout I have had, Absolutely killer.