t Smisje Catherine The Great Imperial Stout

Bottle from Wine & Cheese Place in (near) St. Louis, MO. Dark brown color (not quite opaque) with a humongous multi-finger tan head. Aroma is rather smoky, like a scotch ale. Near medium body with chewy carbonation. Flavor is smoky malt. There are some fruit notes - not dark fruit. More like light stone fruits and ripe tropicals. It’s quite spicy. Interesting. More of a smoky strong ale than a stout. Thins into the finish and leaves with faint sweetness. No doubt that it’s from Belgium.

Bottle. Pours a dark brown color with red highlights, big cotton candy like whit ehead. Plenty of lacing on the glass. Very spicy nose, dark fruit, some slight smoke, very subdued overall. Spicy chocolate flavors, some dry yeast, malty, full of banana and some tropical fruits. And...some soap. Lovely. How in God’s name is this an imperial stout? Interesting. Tasty, but hard to enjoy because the oddity of it.

Muddy brown color with a tan head. Flavor is very fruity with just a hint of chocolate. Boozy finish. Not a stout at all by any stretch.

Bottle at chris o’s punch you in the face tasting. Alround rating: Typically belgian, sweet and yeasty with a roasted note thats not over powering but just feels out of place, but its too yeasty and estery to start with.

Belgian Imperial Stout. Tap Capital Ale House Innsbrook 08/31/2008. Slightly smoky with chocolate, roast, rum soaked fruits, and molasses. Cloudy, almost black with small white head. Smoky, spicy Belgian character with pronounced hop bitterness. Light body with light mouthfeel. Spicy finish with a load of residual grain astringency and bitterness.

Muddy reddish, brown colour with a dense beige head. Yeasty, earthy aroma with notes of vegetable and hints of some sourness. Malty, light caramel sweet flavor with notes of yeast and fruit. Light roasted finish with notes of liqourice.

Chris o’s GBBF Shindig August 08. Sweet and bitter at extremes with a wild earthy quality inbetween. Not my thing. Pulling away and not working in the areas where it should. A little confused.

There are many very good RISs out there, this one found at State Line. A moderate one, and yes a foreign export stout, not very thick with chocolate and coffee and the like. In fact, little coffee. Quaffable, black with some head.