Ottos Jolly Roger Imperial Stout

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.

Courtesy Santa (DocLock). Black with a thick, persistent dark tan head. Strong cocoa, anise, licorice, and roast. A hint of alcohol. A lot of bitter rosat and alcohol on the taste - they both are present all the way to the finish. Slight astringency, but it settles down and behaves. Got sweeter as it warmed. Very well done. The Ottos brews I’m trying keep getting better.

Courtesy jayMFg. The pour yields a dark mahogany body with a small tan head. Minimal amounts of sudsy lacing are left behind on the glass. The aroma shows deeply roasted caramel malts overlaid with coffee, roasted barley, baker’s chocolate, and some mildly smoky soy sauce. I also picked up a bit of cream, which I didn’t expect from this brew. The flavor follows suit, though it is a bit more impressive. The bittersweet chocolate blends well with sweeter than advertised caramel and dark smoked fruits. A touch of charcoal and some creamy coffee provide interesting contrasts. Medium-full bodied and smooth. Very drinkable despite the 9%. Solid brew. I’d definitely go for this again.

Bottle from Kramer. Inky black pour with a small but nice brown head. Tar and sludgy coffee aroma with a huge alcohol burn. The aroma is actually quite unique and not what would be expected. Smooth, cookie dough and chocolate chip flavor, a touch of grass and a mild marshmallow finish. Very nice. This IS is a lot different than others and is certainly a recommended drinker. If the alcohol burn wasn’t so strong this would be 4+, but I like a beer I can get a good sniff out of without burning my nose.