 Vertical Bacon Strips (874), Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Jun 29, 2009 remember the first time I drank this beer - back in ’02 in my oversized hotel room in Temecula, CA. I used a lamp to open this beer and all the other ones. I had no idea what this was, I’d never had a beer remotely near to this... I almost died but somehow loved it none the less. At the time is was the harshest beer I’d ever had. I followed it up with some DFH Chicory Stout, which was another sodomy of the mind. I digress....
Poured out a large, creamy caramel coloured head that has amazing retention and leaves 360 degree lacing that layered like a well poured Guinness. The aroma is interesting but not the headliner for this beer. It’s a really good even mix of biscuit, chocolate, coffee and orange with smoke and grapefruit. Gets fruitier as it warms. This is an incredibly soft and creamy beer! The taste revolves around lots and lots of malts (roast, caramel, biscuit), lots of chocolate, coffee that is more in the background and tied in with the bitterness, roasted nuts, grapefruit, alcohol, sweet cinnamon candy, more fruit. So complex. Smooth beyond smooth. Full bodied, super fine carbonation, very thick indeed, very very long lasting bitterness with the mildest of coffee, obvious citrus hop finish. Ooop - just had some bakers chocolate show up right at the end. The after taste during the first quarter of glass was pretty harsh, almost bad in the way that it pulverized the end of the flavor but thankfully that fades. Wow - incredibly drinkable. My only qualm is that I think this beer would benefit from a bit less hops, not much, just a bit as they are fine in this brew.
randolphjj (88), Raymore, Missouri, USA
Jun 28, 2009 Sweet and bitter at the same time. There oats in there, because it’s nice a silky. Dark dark dark with all the signs of imperial stout - coffee, chocolate. Well balanced beer.
KnN (712), Greenbelt, Maryland, USA
Jun 28, 2009 Deep black color with an off white head. Aroma is roasted malt, coffee, chocolate, all the usual Imperial Stout suspects. Flavor delivers the same roast, chocolate and coffee. Nice slight bitterness that complements without being overwhelming. Very balanced and very tasty Imperial stout.
hawk1 (12), Portland, Oregon, USA
Jun 27, 2009 Unique nose. Deep black color with coffee colored head. Balanced taste. Noticeable disappointing alcohol content.
Hopcrazy (27), Washington, USA
Jun 27, 2009 12 oz bottle from the red apple e. bremerton wa. Pours black with a minimal and beatiful dark brown cap. Nose is strong dark fruits and espresso. Taste is strong espresso and is consistent and long. Ends with a bold burnt espresso/burnt cherry flavor. Extremely pleasing.
boscoja1 (14), gainesville, Florida, USA
Jun 27, 2009 Wow. The best Imperial Stout I’ve ever had. Smelled great, tasted great, was great. Rich chocolatey, coffee aroma and taste. Thick black pour, no head, very little carbonation. Nice lasting palate. As close to perfect a beer as I can imagine, a new favorite.
ewest9 (2), Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
does not count  Jun 27, 2009 This is what I would consider my favorite beer. I love the style, and I think North Coast did a really good job balancing the flavor components in this big beer. When I first discovered it, I wondered why they only sold it in 4 packs! Needles to say I quickly found out later that evening as the 9% quickly knocked me on my butt. Love the malt and chocolate with subtle bitters to cut. Coffee flavors are present, but not too prevalent fortunately, as I am not a coffee drinker. I love this beer! But approach it with a healthy fear and reverence.
ben4321 (957), Rockville, Maryland, USA
Jun 22, 2009 Location: 12 oz bottle from Total Wine, drank it, 6/22/09
Aroma: Strong coffee aroma, some toffee, chocolate, and roasted notes as well
Appearance: Very dark brown color, thick brown head that dissipates pretty quickly, pours from the bottle like it is going to be super thick like motor oil
Flavor: Really nice coffee malts flavor, pretty bitter for a stout (a nice bitterness), well balanced flavor and a long and enjoyable finish
Palate: Full bodied beer, kind of chewy with a really nice mouthfeel, a really nice palate on this one
Overall Impression:
I really liked this beer a lot. Back when I first started drinking beer, I use to tell people that I wasn’t a huge Stout fan, but that just plain wasn’t true. The truth is that I wasn’t a huge Guinness fan, big difference, but I tended to shy away from Stouts for a while because of that. There then came a point in time where I decided to give this style more of a chance and I’m glad I did. Beers like this, a Ten Fidy, or a Storm King make me realize what I was missing out on when I judged all Stouts by one of the style’s worst examples.
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