Sweetwater Happy Ending Imperial Stout

Brewed by Sweetwater Brewing Company
Style: Imperial Stout
Atlanta, Georgia USA

The appearance is a thick chocolate-brown head, with little bubbly pockmarks; just massive. The beer is dark, dark brown-black; completely opaque. Looks like a Big Beer. Spiderweb of lace. The smell is sweet hops, tangerine and blood oranges. The hops also have some sweet pine. Balanced with a roasted black malt. The hops are superior. The taste is a very dark burnt-cookie malt; rich and burnt. The hops are a sweet, rich, fruity balance. The flavors are disparate but they are harmonious. The feel is a dry malt, with an oily-wet hop feel. Overall, it’s incredibly bitter, uncommonly sweet. I’ve had few stouts with this level of hops, and they make all the difference.

Bottle shared by GodOfThunder @ otakuden’s Vero Beach Throwdown. Pours black with brown head. Aromas of burnt malts and coffee. Roasted malt, coffee and citrus hop flavors. Full body with moderate carbonation.

notes.
How: Bottle 12oz. Consumed when about 1 year of age. Thanks to Jimbowood for sending it my way.
The look: Black body topped by a small dark beige head
In long: Pleasant nose blending roastiness, chocolate and bakery. Full body with a creamy texture. Very roasted (almost burnt) malts with a chocolate cake and creamy brownies taste and a light blubbery pie flavour (!?). Generously hopped with a juicy citrusy (dry hopping?) bitterness that clashes with the highly roasted malts. Alcohol a little apparent. It would have been a nice somewhat complex pleasant impy stout had it not been for this asparagus flavour I was getting (I sometimes get that from highly roasted impy stout). I’m not sure if the vegetables/asparagus notes are intrinsic to the beer or if it was just my bottle/batch. The beer had potential and I’d like to try another batch/bottle. I’d like to buy some more but I’m in Montreal so the only Happy Endings I can purchase are from my masseuse.

I really enjoyed the Sweetwater IPA so I got this in a trade. It pours black (is it even worth mentioning anymore?) with a light brown smattering of bubbles. The smells are many chocolates, milkshakes, some hops. The taste reminded me of Yeti at first, hoppy stout. The flavor is not as strong as I had expected and this goes down easy. I am surprised at how well hidden the 9% ABV. Good beer but it may not be enough for the Imperial Stout connoisseurs. Serving type: bottle Reviewed on: 12-07-2007 03:54:47

On draft at Taco Mac, Decatur GA. Pours an opaque, very dark brown with ring of brown head. Roast, chocolate, sweet vanilla. Lots of cherry juice. A little thin on the palate. One of the best beer names ever!

Courtesy GodofThunder. Pours a black body with a foamy, tan colored head that leaves nice rings of lacing around the glass. The aroma shows dark chocolate, roasted coffee, and a dose of pine resin from the hops. THe flavor follows with the rich chocolate and caramel malts, roasted coffee, and the piney hops. The hop presence seems to keep all the sweetness in check while adding nice bitterness. A full, substantial mouthfeel with subtle carbonation leading to a nice bittersweet chocolate finish. This is a nice, solid stout.

One liter flip-cap bottle from GAManiac. Wow! Thanks, man!
Pours a deep, rich chocolate black with an intense aroma of slightly sour chocolate powder, sweet red wine, cherry, and alcohol. A head of dark cream sits atop the beer, leaving a nice latticework of Victorian lace patterns as it subsides. Flavor is a rush of sweet licorice chocolate, brownie batter, coffee, alcohol, dark fruit- all tempered by a noticeable hops presence to keep it from being too cloying. Nice, rich mouthfeel that leaves a chalky, coffee-like finish on the tongue. A fine, fine stout; shoulda saved it for a tasting but it looked too good to wait!

Awesome bonus beer from captaincougar, YOu da man. This beer is big and rich (not the allgay band). Big oilly pour. this is like a milkshake . Notes of brownies, espresso, cocoa, fudge, and licorice. a little booze as well. as this warms the mouthfeel of this beer is rediculous. Bigger than i expected. Thanks again for this after dinner treat.