Scotch Irish John By Imperial Stout

5/26/2009: John By Imperial Stout has a tan-colored cascading head that is dense and lasting. The acutal color of the beer itself is black. The rich, deep aroma carries a really nice assortment of blck cherry and dark chocolate. This beer has a very good roasted malt flavor also containing blackberry, dark chocolate, and maybe even a slightly burnt characteristic. It seems like a full-bodied, succulent red wine! It is VERY good and I am very impressed.

341 ml. bottle (6.7% alc./vol.) shared by alexsdad06. Thanks Brad! Rating #125 for this beer.

Bottle shared by Sammy on 2/07/08: Pours a very dark black with a frothy, well-lacing tan head. Semi-sweet toasty dark caramel and chocolate malty nose has some earthy dark fruity notes. Body starts fairly full with some earthy roasty sweetness and good rich bittersweet dark chocolate complexity before a drier lightly roasted finish. Pretty well-balanced but could use some more flavor and body.

Bottle sample- been hanging onto this one for a while. Pours inky black with a robust mocha head. Nose- milk chocolate, some anise. Taste- quite roasty, medium bodied. A little card board on the finish. One of the more dry RIS I’ve had. Lots of flavour in a relatively low abv stout. Best canadian RIS I’ve sampled (a low population).

Black with a decent brown head. Coffee, dark chocolate, and roasted malts. Thick and rich mouthful, yet smooth and easy going. Wonderful.

Roasted nuts and dark chocolate fill the air as the cap is removed. The chocolate is mouth-watering. The pour forms a hearty brown head. The beer looks very near to actually black, and is entirely opaque, even when held up to the lights. As the head diminishes, the lacing happens in horizontal columns. The head subsides non-uniformly, resulting in a network of ravines and indentations atop the beer. The flavour has chocolate, a bit of smoke, an acidic/sour component and some grains. The hops are blunt yet restrained. It foams a little in my mouth, making the texture smooth and creamy. Finishes bitter, while remaining pleasent. I can’t detect any of the unpleasent qualities (vague, I know) which have plagued many other stouts I’ve had. No hint of alcohol. Some dryness. While not highly complex, its one-tone approach is executed flawlessly. Damn good. I must find more.

Very strong malt smell and taste. Thick black colour. Very viscous stout.

Bottle, dated Oct/08 Deep Brown Pour with Light Brown Head. Thick body with dark chocolate and dry roast coffee notes, smooth finish

Pours a pitch black with an off-white head and nice lacing. Hoisin sauce, sweet red bean and dates in the aroma. Roasty and porter-like in taste, watery, soy, blah. Thin but decent carb. The aroma is quite pleasing, but the taste fails to deliver, and the result is a bit bland.