Sweetwater Happy Ending Imperial Stout

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

Serve in Snifter

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Bottle muled back from my trip to Atlanta. Pours deep amber capped by a small tan head. Nose of roast. Taste adds roast, chocolate, caramel. Some astringency. Body is moderate, but seems thin and watery at times.

Black pour, fairly large tan head. Getting a lot of roast and hops in the aroma. Dark chocolate followed by an ipa-like blast of citrus, coffee, cocoa. Medium body, a bit thn for the style. Somewhere between a thin stout or a black ipa on steroids.

Bottle from ck1 from his FLA trip - thanks bro! Pours an opaque black with a tan head leaving nice wedding lace dripping down the sides. Aroma has chocolate, caramel and citrus. Taste is of dark chocolate, sweet caramel and grapefruit/oranges. Medium thickness with some roughness. The citrus is an interesting if a strange bitterness in a stout. Perhaps a bit thin. Tasty and a solid Sweetwater offering.

Roasted cocoa, chocolate, not too boozy, not the thickest baddest or boldest but good.

Deep black color with a small tan head. Very nice, deep hoppy aroma with a slight underlying roasted smell to it. Huge roasted malt flavor and a big blast of floral and hoppy goodness. Mellow-espresso like flavor. No harshness from too much roasted malt or alcohol. Good body. Very drinkable and dangerously so. I knew nothing about this beer.

I poured a 12oz bottle into a tulip glass. It had an expiration date of 1/25/14, leading me to believe it was about two and a half months old.

Appearance: Jet black opaque body. Forms a large, brown, frothy head which laces and retains very well.

Smell: Pine, flowers, citrus, some candy. Odd considering it’s an imperial stout. In fact I don’t get much of the stout in the aroma.

Taste: I’m surprised SweetWater Happy Ending is marketed as an imperial stout rather than a double Black IPA as it’s a beer that’s all about the hops and not so much the beefy stout body. Though only 51 IBUs, it drinks like a California-style hop bomb with intense piney bitterness from beginning to end. It only grows stronger and drier as it reaches the apex, and then gives way to some milk chocolate and black licorice and leaves a slightly dry aftertaste. If I let it linger on the tongue, the pine character grows a little stronger, as does a chocolate candy taste. These are two flavors you wouldn’t think would work well together, but they do here mostly because it’s not a 50/50 ration (more like 90 hops/10 malts).

As it warms the classic imperial stout character becomes a little bit stronger, but not all that much. You could easily give this beer to someone under the guise of an imperial Black IPA and they would have no trouble believing you. In fact, it’s kind of disappointing that I don’t get more of the base stout character like roasted malt and a stronger chocolate presence (no coffee either).

Drinkability: SweetWater Happy Ending doesn’t taste like an imperial stout and it doesn’t drink like one, either. Though rather potent at 9% ABV, there is no alcohol presence whatsoever. The body is more crisp than your average impy stout with a body that’s more on the medium side rather than anything viscous and sticky. It’s easy to sip or drink in bigger gulps and the palette makes it rather versatile as it can stand up to a strong meal or be enjoyed as a liquid dessert.

Pours jet black with tan head and no lacing. Aroma of hops, roasted malts and musk. Taste of pine hops, cocoa, and coffee.

Looks like used 50 weight motor oil but has a nice hop aroma. This beer taste like an an IPA on steriods, lots of smooth stout beer taste with a hop finish. Sweet Water thanks for another banging beer!!

Bomber into a snifter. Pours nearly black with a nice, persistent tan head. Aroma is surprisingly hoppy. Overall it’s a really strong black IPA more than a stout. Everything is a lot more grassy than roasted. Hops overpower the malts at every turn. Incredibly good, dangerously drinkable.

Pour is dark dark brown with a tan head. Smell is hops and roasted malt. Flavor is heavy on the hops with a slight roasted coffee finish. Doesn’t taste like any imperial stout ive had but i dont really care because it is delicious.