Ottos Jolly Roger Imperial Stout

Brewed by Ottos Pub & Brewery
Style: Imperial Stout
State College, Pennsylvania USA

Tough going from an 06 Abyss to this. Poured black with a small creamy brown head. Aroma of fruit and chocolate. More fruit flavors then the coffee and chocolate. Almost overpowering.

1-6-08 bottle shared at tasting
Black with tan head and decent lacing. Nice roasted smell with alcohol hints in aroma as it warms. Taste is smooth and roasted as well but also has the alcohol flavor too. Just not all that blown away by this - I was expecting much more depth and flavor and less obvious overpowering alcohol.

22oz bottle at Pittsburgh gathering 1/27/08, courtesy of Nate. Pitch black in color, barely a trace of head. Huge roasted malt aroma, some hints of hops buried somewhere in there. Big oily mouthfeel, a little lacking in the CO2 though. Flavor is chock full of dark bitter malts, a bit boozy, very nice bitter finish.

Man this beer is 9% and you would guess 11% if you didn’t know. Aroma was nice. Strong coffee and vanilla. Pour was a jet black with no head. Taste was extremely hot and alcoholic. Heavy coffee and burnt malt on the tongue with a bitter roasty aftertaste. Just a little too alcoholic, but if that’s your thing seek this out.

Had the pleasure of sampling this at the 1/27/2008 Pittsburgh ratebeer.com gathering upstairs, Sharp Edge Creekhouse. It will be a long time, if ever I am invited again and I see a spread of bottles like I did there - ever again. I am not good enough for the beers that were that we sampled! For example, how about this beer; the Jolly Roger and it was supplied by Nate. Probably mj will be pissed I got a chance to taste this. Strongish aroma that is roasty by nature. Blackish dark reddish tinge on the edges. Barely any carbonation. Rather strong on the palate with lots of alky character. Over the top, just as it should be with any imperial stout. Overall a perfect example of the style. Hopefully with over 100 ratings my below average enjoyablility will not affect the percentile much.

22 oz bottle. Dark brown with a foamy crema head. Sheets of lace. Nose of coffee and hay. Oily, medium body with a mild carb buzz. Taste is dark roast, dark chocolate, black currants and licorice. Alcohol creeps in.

Very smooth drinking imperal stout. Nice milk chocolate flavors mixed extremely well with a big robust roastiness. Almost creamy toward the end adding to its delicousness.

22 oz bottle via adrian910ss (thanks!). Pours near midnight black with a large tan head. Nose is chocolate, roasty and fusel alcohol. Taste is pretty much just like the aroma, with some piney hops in the finish. aLSO a bit of soy and anice in the aftertaste. Carbonation is medium, body is medium. I think this would be better if the abv were more hidden and had a bit more body. As is, it is a slightly above average IMP stout.