 crizay (1050), Brook Park (was Tampa,FL), Ohio, USA
| 4 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 7/10 | 4/5 | 8/10 | 4/5 | 17/20 |
Jan 13, 2008 Thanks Brigadier. Pitch black pour, medium brown head. Roasty aroma, fruity esters, hot & boozy. Flavor is thick and rich, with a lot of booze. Sweet molasses, fruity esters, licorice, anice, then a thick cloying chocolate and roastiness in the finish. Thick and chew, hot, creamy mouthfeel. Good beer.
Ibrew2or3 (2724), Safety Harbor, Florida, USA
| 3.9 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 7/10 | 4/5 | 8/10 | 4/5 | 16/20 |
Jan 12, 2008 Big thanks to Quake1028 for opening this splendid brew (#01376). Pours deep dark abyss like with decent mocha head for such a huge beer. The aroma is licorice, chocolate, coffee and a decent load of alcohol. The nose is a bit light. The taste starts mildly viscous (not as viscous as I was expecting) with roastiness mixed with chocolate and coffee. The ABV is there and noticeable but at 16% it is well hidden. Midway the ABV sensation grows some with rich creamy chocolate followed by more coffee. Into the finish notes of licorice and dark fruity esters are also noticed as the taste concludes. The roasty, burnt, chocolate malts and coffee seem to linger for an extended period of time. I would love to try this again with a decade or more of age on it.
fly (1331), austin, Tejas, USA
| 4.4 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 8/10 | 4/5 | 9/10 | 4/5 | 19/20 |
Jan 11, 2008 Bert, finally managed to pop the top. Wasn’t sure what to expect as some coments from long ago were floating through my head about this possibly not being worth the price. Well, not sure about that and only know about what I was drinking - just amazing. Alcohol was there, but NOTHING to show that it was amped up to this degree - was told it was 16% well into sampling and just found it hard to believe. In that eregard, will say I felt the alcohol was hidden, and the coffee and bitterness play like the best of friends on an outing when the weather is just so, the mood is right, the sun strikes all to amplify what is good and the pieces just fit in place. Sometimes when brewers go all out, they’re hoping for this. This is that in a bottle.
Thanks Bert, yer the very best SLOB Ia guy could know.
jerc (3885), Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| 4.4 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 8/10 | 4/5 | 9/10 | 4/5 | 19/20 |
Jan 9, 2008 Bottle is a birthday gift from and belatedly shared with DuctTape. Pitch black body with a small foamy brown head (3+). Alcoholic malty aroma, muted fruit, cocoa and chocolate (7+) Sweet rich malt flavour, moderate roast notes, mild chocolate notes, moderate alcohol is surprisingly mild. On a whim I try the old wine trick of breathing some air into your mouth, which quickly marshals the alcohol vapours off the tongue to make themselves known. Intriguing. Smooth medium to full palate. Dangerously drinkable considering the high alcohol content. Very very good, but there are comparable beers for less money.
Brigadier (1230), Chagrin Falls, Ohio, USA
| 4.3 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 8/10 | 5/5 | 9/10 | 4/5 | 17/20 |
Jan 9, 2008 500 ml bottle
Rating #700 - Thanks to the fine staff of Steve’s Wine in Madison for procuring a bottle of this for my cellar. I have been saving it for a special occasion; this seemed as good as any. The other bottle is going to sit in the cellar for a few years now to settle. At 16% I can’t imagine it diminishing until six years or more have passed. If you find yourself face to face with this monster pull the trigger. It was worth every penny of the $24.95 you might have to pay.
Aroma / Appearance - A deep stained head rested above the murky black body which was a virtual black hole. Viscous lines of lacing stuck to the sides of my tulip glass throughout the pour. Cherries, expresso and dark chocolate were the most obvious things but all of the smells you would associate with any Top 50 caliber Imperial Stout were there. The smokiness cut through everything clearly. My only complaint was the slightly medicinal nature of the nose which I attribute to the 16% ABV.
Flavor / Palate - Chocolate, plum and smoke hit the senses after a slight delay. The thick mouthfeel coats everything. It clings to even the gums to give a longer experience. The total experience is everything you would expect. I would compare it to the Chouffe coffee liquer or even something in the chocolate vein. This is not something to slam or take lightly. I look forward to the other bottle once it has had a few years to settle down.
pnista (1008), Bloomington, Indiana, USA
| 4.4 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 8/10 | 4/5 | 9/10 | 5/5 | 18/20 |
Jan 6, 2008 Yowzah! Thanks for sharing this treat Sprinkle! Impenetrable blackness with a healthy light brown head. Big sweet nose. Small chocolate. Sticky sticky smoke. Roast. Some dark fruit. Subtle? No. Complex? YES! Big full creamy mouth. Viscous low carbonation, oily. Wonderful! Fucking nice! Great smoked impy stout. Like their Impy combined with Alaskan Smoked Porter, perhaps. Alcohol! Raisins, dates. Fruity alcoholi finish. I’m also getting a good dose of floral hops hidden in there. quite lovely!
1FastSTi (2557), Glendale, Wisconsin, USA
| 4.5 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 9/10 | 4/5 | 9/10 | 5/5 | 18/20 |
Jan 6, 2008 Thanks Mike for sharing this. Bottle #2712. The beer pours to a black body with a thin creamy light tan head. The aroma is rich deep chocolate, interesting dark fruits, coffee, and dark cane sugars. The flavor is richly complex chocolates, dark fruits, coffee, molasses (and/or cane sugar). The palate is creamy, smooth, and dominated by sweet sugars.
yjb (110), Bloomington, Indiana, USA
| 4.2 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 9/10 | 5/5 | 8/10 | 4/5 | 16/20 |
Jan 6, 2008 dark, smooth and sweet. strong Offensive-Lineman holding it down The immovable object. The unstopable force
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