Närke Kaggen Stormaktsporter

250 ml bottle - 2005 vintage; wow, as if after4ever has not shared enough, he breaks out a bottle of this; jet black with thick, chocolate colored head; intoxicating aromas of candy, chocolate, coffee; very rich, smooth and thick with everything coming together perfectly; creamy texture goes down with no effort at all; woody, chewy with chocolate, toffee, bourbon and vanilla; basically the most amazing beer i have ever had and quite an experience; stunning in every way and without a doubt it well exceeds the hype; a new #1 for me and well deserved; cannot say enough for the generosity of tom in sharing this gem

Bottle and huuuggeee thanks to maltomeal at RB Dec Houston Impy Stout tasting. 2006 version. Pours midnight black, opaque, no head. Nose is sweet, woody, a bit alcoholic, whiskey. Flavors of burnt malts, alcohol, whiskey, chocolate with a nice woody background. Sweet with a dry, chalky aftertaste. Chewy full mouth as you almost eat this beer rather than drink it. Overall, as good as it gets. Probably the best beer I have ever had. I did not want my glass to end. Lived up to all the promises.

Huge thanks to pilsnerpeter for the chance to try this one. Deep pitch black beer with a thin creamy dark brown head. The aroma is incredibly intense. Very rich dark 80% chocolate, tootsie roll character. Black licorice and a very interesting herbal/cocoa aroma. As it warms it gets a little bit muddy. The flavour is fairly boozy. Soft peppery spiciness, a touch of pine and even a light earthiness. Not really tart per se, but there is a lightness that is quite unusual for an impy. It’s big and slightly sweet but it isn’t syrupy. Light sage like herbal character. Man, this stuff is very tasty and very unique. Fairly savoury character with a lingering roastiness. Man, this stuff is so good. A lightly pruny sweetness as it warms up... awesome stuff.

2005 vintage in bottle sampled at Akkurat in Stockholm, Sweden. Pours pitch black with thin dark brown foam head. Aroma consists of roasted chocolate maltiness, coffee, toffee, caramel and loads of tart oakiness and bourbon. This beer is extremely smooth and quaffable. Roasty flavor up front with smooth creamy center and sweet bitter dry finish. Flavor dominated by excellent oak and bourbon flavors that are balanced with chocolate, coffee, toffee, caramel and a dry hop finish. Excellent! Lives up to the hype and the $65 price tag.

250. Thanks, Thewolf!
This is the best beer I have ever had.
Jet black. Brunt tan, dense, creamy, thick head. Huge roast, chocolate, plum, vanilla nose. Creamy body just a little higher than medium. Roast, chocolate, oak, plum, and vanilla on the mid-palate. Long backing chocolate finish. Some beers just live up to the hype that surrounds them, even if the hype is huge. This is definitely one of them.

Bottle at Pikkulintu. Very dark brown. Nose is more dominated by chocolates than the ’normal’ version. This is an extraordinary brew; significantly rounder and more balanced as well as more sophisticated than the normal Stormaktsporter (which is a fantastic brew as such). Noble touches such as truffle and oak. Great.

25 cl bottle, 2006. Huge thanks to Yngvar for this my 1000th rating! and 100th Imperial Stout. Dark brown with some tan froth around the edges. Nose is molasses, licorice, cocoa and espresso. Medium body with a light tingle. Taste is dark roast, prunes, oak and bourbon. Smooth dry finish with lingering chocolate. Rich and complex but not overdone.

WTF?!? How did I not enter a rating for thiis? My son dutifully hand carried this back and we shared it prior to his clooegiate departure. He enjoyed it as did I though his gf of the time did not. I am always amazed when a beer is so praised and I find that I agree. Much easier for me to say ’’naaah’’. But this had a velvey texture and abunndance of flavor - bitter sweet. roasy - so much that a drunken guy can’t quite convey. But I do know what I had, and it was indeed exceptional. Thanks to Adrian.