Ottos Jolly Roger Imperial Stout

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

Tap at HDG - viscous black beer, with a thick tan lace - almost spicy, woody aroma, with some smoky, almost meaty notes to it - thick, oily mouthfeel - sweet up front, but some cocoa bitterness, alcohol, and mild spicy character squash it pretty fast - after that it becomes seriously smoky and almost woody, which I loooooved - I wish more impys used smoked malt.

Bottle. Very dark, allmost black colour with a little head. Aroma of dark chocolate, alcohol, sugar and vanilla. Smooth flavour of chocolate, roastedness and very much noteable of alcohol.

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.

[966-20071212] 1pt6floz (c/o HogTownHarry, w/ him, blankboy, jerc, tupalev). Roasted malt and a bit of creamy smoke aroma. Black brown body with a medium-lasting creamy tan head. Smoky roasted malt flavour has a hint of bitter tin. Medium-full body is thick. Great imperial stout but not quite as impressive as anticipated.
Other notes: See <A HREF=http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/new-glarus-belgi Glarus Belgian Red for related notes.

Appearance: Pours a dark brown, near black body with a short-lived tan head. Smell: Roasted malt aroma with notes of coffee, chocolate, licorice, plums, and with, of course, a meaty smokiness. Taste: Dark, sweet roasted malts with a fair amount of chocolate and coffee showing. Hint of licorice. Gobs of smoke, though. Lil’ dash of fusel alcohol. Twinge of tart plum fruitiness. Earthy, roasty bitterness grows and holds through to the finish. Mouthfeel: Medium-full body. Medium carbonaton. Drinkability: I am not particularly trying to keep anyone in suspense, the short of it is: it’s a pretty decent imperial stout.

Bottle shared with Jerc, Mabel, Hogtown Harry, and Blankboy, courtesy of Harry. Last beer of the night - great Christmas tasting guys! Black, small tan head. Nice aroma - very dry. Sweet as well. Greats taste, rich sweet dry malt, alcohol present and balanced. Complex yet drinkable. Very good.

Courtesy of Styles

Bottle: The aroma consists of chocolate, roasted malts, smoke, plums, alcohol, and faint coffee. It pours a dark brown, virtually black with a small tan head. The flavor starts with moderate chocolate and roasted malt. There’s some hints of plum in the background. Lots of smoke in the finish really blends well. There’s also some light coffee, licorice, grapefruit hops, and alcohol in the finish as well. There is a slight warming affect...tastes bigger than 9%. I really like the smoky character. Full bodied with an oily mouth feel and mild carbonation.

Bottle thanks to Ughsmash. Thanks Jason. IMO, this beer is as over-rated as Amager Hr. Frederiksen. Anyway, this beer pours to a deep, deep brown body that looks black with a thin brown head and spotty lacing. Smoked aroma of meats, beechwood, roasted charred black malts, I swear they used wheat and/or wheat yeasts as I detected some clove or banana. The flavor is charred black patent malt that lingers on and on with a heavily smoked malt and what I swear is something like New Glarus Black Wheat hiding in the background. The palate is dry and astringent from all that heavily roasted malt. Lingering and sticky. I applaud the effort of a smoked Imperial Stout, but this one didn’t work for me.