 wetherel (1012), Carlsbad, California, USA
Jan 11, 2008 Updated: Feb 24, 2008
Holy cow! I was very fortunate to try this tonight at Churchills with Ivan and Tim. Tim somehow managed to trade for one of these great bottles. I tried several times to get a trade, but could never cut the mustard. Many thanks Tim! Bottle #571/480 (they sold 480. they bottled almost 600. they remaining ones they’re hanging onto for their own purposes) A superbly well made beer. Some chocolate in the aroma initially. Initially I thought the aroma was mild, but then as it warmed up in my glass and as I had a glass with just tiny bit of liquid the aroma starts to explode with chocolate and malt and caramel and figs. The taste is another explosion of flavor. It wraps around your tongue imparting flavor to every bit of the top and bottom of your tongue with lots of chocolate and sweet malt. Not barrel aged, but surprizingly mellow for a beer that has just been released. Also surpizingly easy to drink. Easy to get carried away sipping into blissful heaven. Starts at a 4.7 and quickly creeps to a 5.0 as it warms up. I settled for a 4.9.
vyvvy (1689), Hazelwood, Missouri, USA
Aug 23, 2008 GTMW 08 - Pours very dark brown with a beautiful tight orange / brown head. The aroma has heavily roasted malt, lots of vanilla, fresh hops and some earthiness ~ good start. Medium thick body with extra soft carbonation. The flavor starts off with overly sweet roasted malt, almost syrupy sweetness that is overpowering and there are some hops hiding in the background. The finish is almost like drinking straight sugar. It did hide the alcohol well, but it was hiding behind sweetness & I’m not a fan of that much sweetness in a beer. This is obviously loved by many, I’m not one of them. Disappointed.
kseecs16 (537), Westmont, Illinois, USA
Aug 13, 2008 Cask at the Great Taste of the Midwest. Opaque bubbly tan head. Rich woody malt aroma. Creamy as you’d expect from the cask. Chocolately with nice roast coffee hints.
valpoaj (290), Valparaiso, Indiana, USA
Aug 12, 2008 First stop of the GTMW ’08 - on cask. Pours just a shade lighter than pure black, with a nice tan head. Aroma is beautiful...the melding of hops and dark, chocolate and caramel malts...some slight notes of coffee and dark fruits also became evident as I took this in...I can’t imagine any beer more destined to be on cask than a good imperial stout. Flavor is also beautiful, and much better than I expected it to be. I"m not sure what percentage of this is due to the fact this was on cask, but the hops did not overwhelm the stout characteristics...lots of chocolate, rich caramel malts, with a good dose of bittering hops to balance everything out. I kept noting a nice dark fruit accent lying in the background which was just amazing. Palate is great as well...smooth and velvety. Although I’m sad I haven’t yet tried this on regular tap / bottle, the cask version was downright phenomenal...one of handful of rare/hyped beers that exceeded my expectations...great beer Surly!
Brigadier (887), Chagrin Falls, Ohio, USA
Aug 11, 2008 Great Taste of the Midwest 2008
Rather than wait until 2:30 PM to slam it before racing off for another tapping I found this at the start in the Real Ale tent. Since I’m not sure how that changed things I would love to sit down with a regular pint at some point to compare. Unfortunately you don’t get that luxury at a five hour festival.
Aroma / Appearance - The deep black body had strands of lacing and a tan head that are typical of a high gravity imperial stout. Oak, black coffee, rich truffles and raspberries meld into a balanced mixture. Somehow still light on the senses that the hoppiness did not seem out of place I enjoyed this aroma greatly.
Flavor / Palate - The creamy full mouthfeel is just what you would expect from a world class imperial stout. The chocolately hoppy conversion soon fills the mouth with a rich coffee like texture. Better than the barrel aged version that was on tap last year I think this is an imperial stout best enjoyed before the hops begin to fade into the background.
General_Gao (2509), Iowa City, Iowa, USA
Aug 10, 2008 GTMW ’08. Cask. Poured an opaque black color with a soapy brown head. The aroma was of molasses, chocolate liqueur, light citrus, and a dash of soy. Full bodied, sweet, and syrupy. Chocolate dominated the flavor, but there were also hints of maple, citrus, and soy.
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