Great Lakes Blackout Stout

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

Deep black beer with a thick creamy tan head. Rich sweet cocoa/chocolate aroma. Heavily toasted with a rich deep caramel middle and a soft vanilla character under the very rich chocolate sweetness. Big and intense yet surprisingly restrained. Soft roastiness with a bit of soft licorice aroma as well. A little bit of ashy/charry flavour Really lovely, balanced sweet imperial stout. Lingering tar and a salty roastiness.

Deep brown, just above solid black. Big time roasted coffee aroma. Creamy. Medium bodied, not very bold. Kinda thin in the palate and one-dimensional. That 1-D bring roasted coffee, so it's still very good.

On tap at the Maple Tree Inn: Deep black with a towering brown head, this baby is profuse with dark rich aromas - - - bittersweet chocolate, roasted barley, burnt coffee... The taste is more of the same, with a generous daubing of anise and alcohol added to the blend. This drink would be a fine accompanyment with rich chocolate puddings or spicy pork sausages, especially served later in the day.

<font size=-4><a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/Places/ShowPlace.asp? Tree Inn, Blue Island, IL<font size=-1>

Black lutulent liquid with an initially boustrous tan head that settles to to a sturdy centimeter of small bubbles and riming the glass with lace. Dark chocolate, tar, toast and light herbal hops round out the aromas. More alcohol in the nose as it warms. Initial sweet dark chocolate mixed amelgamated with some roasted malt. Light feel of alcohol. If any complaint not as chewy as I would like it. Quite competent.

Bottle@Home. Peat, vanilla, licorice wood and chocolate aroma. Black coloured, light brown beautiful head, very nice lace. Sweet, very bitter, lots of hops, coffee, chocolate. Powerful and flavourful. Yummy.

Black color with a light layer of tan head & a persistant little ring of lacing. The aroma is full of milk chocolate with a nice roasty finish and some fruit/hop balance. Awesome aroma. The flavor bites with some alcohol & bitterness along with a smoky roasted finish. Lots of milky smoothness for this one and the alcohol bites really hard acompanied by the bitterness. Thanks BBB63 and jsquire (got one from each of them)

Bottle, at Kookfest, September 2006. Deep reddish brown colour. Lots of roasty burnt malt in the aroma. Chocolate comes through on the palate, with some light bitterness in the background. Not as big or rich as many US Imperial Stouts, but that’s not really a criticism. Pretty good, but lacked the "wow" factor for me.

Bottle. Dark black color with average creamy head. Aroma of moderate toasted malt and a toffee tone. Flavor is a complex heavy sweet with a heavy sweet with moderate bitter long finish. Medium to full creamy body with a light alcohol finish. One of the better GL and stout brews, but not the best.