Ninkasi Imperiale High Gravity Stout

Brewed by Ninkasi Brewing Company
Style: Imperial Stout
Eugene, Oregon USA

Serve in Snifter

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22oz bottle. Clear dark reddish brown with a big, foamy, tan head and lacing. Aroma of chocolate, coffee, lactic, sour cherry and slightly phenolic. Flavor is bitter-sweet chocolate, acidic coffee with a mild alcohol heat. Medium to full body with a soft, smooth mouth feel. This one is a bit thin and had a slightly off aroma, could have been a bad bottle, tasted ok though.

chocolate, coffee, roasty aroma, black, tan foam appearance. Think and solid brew. heavy cloying sweetness, medium bitterness, followed by roasted chocolate with a touch of malt molasses body. full body, creamy, soft carbonation, long finish, This is a tasty high gravity stout. Nice roast through out the excperiance.

Pours dark brown, almost black like ebony. Thick tan head. Aroma is like rotated malt and cocoa. Heavy body, slightly syrupy; it leaves a significant film on the inside of the glass. As it warms up, flavors of coffee, black licorice and bourbon are released. Paid $5.49 for a 22 at Tacoma Boys on 6th.

Out of the bottle from Uptown. Pours black with a creamy tan head. Smells roasted and malty. Taste is roasted and a little smoky with malt backbone. Pretty solid for a high gravity stout. Doesn’t taste too much like alcohol and isn’t as sweet as a barley wine.

22-oz.bomber into a pint glass at my house on Nov. 30, 2012 (purchased the variety 4-pack for $15.99 at BevMo (with card) in La Mesa, Calif. (San Diego) on Nov. 27, 2012. Black with hints of red and 1-2 fingers of tan head. Not as good retention as I would have thought. Above average on the sides, but average on the top. Smelled coffee, dark chocolate, toffee, roasted nuts and a bit of smoky wood fire. A little bit darker than I expected. Tasted coffee, dark chocolate, dark caramel, dark toffee, roasted nuts and still that smoky wood fire. Pretty bitter. Full body. Creamy slick texture. Average carbonation. Long bitter finish. Not a bad stout. Thick, creamy and does the job. A little bit better than expected.

Bottle shared by a friend. Pours darkest brown with a medium tan head. Grainy malt and chocolate aroma with some roast. Grainy malt flavor with a bit of chocolate before a roasty finish.

pours a clear dark brown with a red tint, a medium size khaki head, and very good lacing. smell is of bakers chocolate, malt, and a touch of vanilla. taste is a bit sour, malt, chocolate, and some coffee. ends a little bitter and sour.

A - Pours a dark brown-black with a finger of frothy chocolate colored head. The head fades down at a normal pace leaving behind some nice lacing. S - Aroma is a mix of roasted chocolate malts with some coffee, dark fruit, molasses, anise, vanilla, and a touch of earthy hops. T - Starts off with a mix of roasted chocolate malts, dark fruits, molasses, anise, and some vanilla. Through the middle, some coffee comes through with some more dark fruits and some earthy hops. The finish is a mix of roasted chocolate malts, coffee, molasses, dark fruits, and some earthy hops. M - Medium-full bodied with mild carbonation. Feels smooth and a bit thick with a sweet, roasted, and warming finish. D - Very drinkable. Nice overall balance, could have maybe used a touch more body.

It’s just a run if the mill beer as far as Imperial Stouts go. The part that stood out the most for me were the roasted flavors. I was expecting more from Ninkasi. Overall though its not bad for the price.

At first when colder, the aroma is milk chocolate, but as it warms, roasted coffee and espresso come out. Very dark, but a nice ruby under bright light with a tan head. There’s a balance here between creamy chocolate and dry, coffee bitterness and it’s a good balance especially considering this beer is big all around. With undertones of wood and sourness, I would have guessed this was barrel aged, but there’s no mention of that. The 9.1 % ABV is very well hidden. Finishes smooth and slightly bitter with lasting milk and dark chocolate flavors. A very different and delicious Imperial stout.