4.4 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 18/20
Great dark rich color creamy tan head. First taste a little off slightly bitter. The second taste the chocolate and Carmal malt came out. It not New Holland night tripper, but a good alternative.
3.9 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 15/20
Bottle at Dans, courtesy of Aaron. Thanks man. Poured a deep, deep, brown almost black, with a khaki head. Smells of coffee, chocolate, tobacco, molasses, and bourbon; hints of alcohol, as well. Taste is much the same with hints of coffee, big chocolate, molasses, brown sugar, and vanilla. Mouthfeel is extremely thick, syrupy, and leaves my mouth coated with flavor. Overall, a pretty good stout and worth seeking out.
3.8 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20
Bottle @ Dan’s house, courtesy of a cool trader. Black appearance with a light brown head. Roasty, light anise, dark chocolate, light coffee aroma. Roasty, dark chocolate, black licorice, light vanilla, anise, light coffee flavor. Pretty tasty, but nothing special.
3.8 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20
22 oz bottle from a trade long ago. Late 2009 vintage shared at a brew session. Pours a rich opaque black pour, ominous, a touch of brown glow on the bottom. A rich frothy brownish head atop dies to a decent layer and laces very well. Richer and thicker even with age. Aromas are abundant with roast and cocoa, toffee sweetness creeps in with coffee, mellow vinous dark fruit, gentle raisin, dryness on the nose. Toffee, carmelized malts, and gentle coffee grounds give whispers. Initial is full and thick, even with age it offers firm roast and toast up front, thicker palate offers some sticky malts, black malts, roast and toast. Coffee, dark chocolate, touches of gentle dried fruit, plum and gentle cherry. Full and thick with some roasty elements lingering into the finish. Black malts, caramel, a touch of dryness and lingering dark fruit into the finish. This has held up well but lacks that oomph I was hoping for. A mellow hopping has aged out, touches of heat, red and dried dark fruit. Firm yet a bit sweeter, big obviously. Solid Imperial Stout that can hold it’s own. A lot of fruit elements into the backend.
4.7 AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 19/20
Aroma is dark roasted malts, dark fruit/vinous and chocolate. The flavor is dark fruit/vinous, dark malts, coffee, chocolate and a very warming alcoholic finish.
3.6 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 14/20
Poured from a 22 oz. bottle into a tulip. 2010 bottle.
Smuttynose Imperial Stout pours a molasses, nearly black color, with a generous mocha head that rises up to the top of my glass and leaves a nice web of lace down the glass.
Dark fruits, including dates, plums, and raisins, dark chocolate, sweet molasses, roasted malt, and some smoke all contribute to the nose.
The flavor matches up the the aroma fairly well. There is a molasses and dark fruit sweetness that contrasts with the smoke that comes through right away. After a moment, roasted malt and dark, unsweetened chocolate come through next, with a bit of bitter coffee and some more smoke coming along at the finish.
The body is definitely on the full side, with a creamy carbonation that just stays out of the way. It is definitely sticky on my lips and leaves a little bit of a bitter, acrid feel at the end.
I have been sitting on this bottle for a while, and it was about what I expected: nice, but nothing overly special.
3.4 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 14/20
Pour is a pitch black with almost no head at all. Aroma is a nice roasted malt with some dark chocolate but a big nose of alcohol. Flavor is a nice sweet dark chocolate with some roast and char. Finish leaves a little tobacco on the tounge. The alcohol went away after it was left to breathe for awhile. Decent Impy stout worthy of a pick up.
4 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 17/20
Bottle from the York Tap. A black beer with a decent tan head. Aroma of coffee, dark cooking chocolate, alcohol, light bourbon and oak. Similar flavours with moderate carbonation and CO2 prickle and a foamy mouth-feel. Lovely if a bit too fizzy for my tastes. A nice liquorice and chocolate linger with a mild alcohol hum. Alcohol is well balanced given the abv.
4 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20
(22 oz bottle) deep black with tan head. Aroma of roast malt and coffee. Flavors of coffee, caramel, dark fruits, roast malt.
4.7 AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 19/20
Aged to perfection. Pours a dark espresso brown with frothy dark tan head that dissipates to a thin layer. Aroma is chocolate, a tiny hint of bourbon, faint notes of dried cherry, almonds and roasted malt. Flavor is a mix of raisin, cacao and a hint of sweet dried fruit balanced by roasted malts and rich grainy bread flavor. Body is creamy with light to medium carbonation. Very balanced.
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