t Smisje Catherine The Great Imperial Stout

Brewed by Brouwerij De Regenboog
Style: Imperial Stout
Assebroek-Brugge, Belgium

11.2oz Belgian "grenade" style bottle. Murky, muddy brown-black color with a nice foamy head. Brown sugary sweet and very, very smooth, this one is a classic. 3.3 rating, WTF, this beer outclasses many of the high rated Imperial Stouts. It doesn’t, however, really have to many traditional stout-like qualities. A little light on the chocolate malt baby! Imperial Brown Ale? Nonetheless this is a seriously impressive beer, very tasty stuff.

In short: A failed dirty yeasty attempt at an Imperial Stout. Drinkable in weird kind of way
How: Bottle. Sample at Mondial de la Bière 2008
The look: Ugly cloudy dirty brown topped by a beige ring of foam
In long: An extremely yeasty beer. Flavour spectrum is crunchy fudge, some dry caramel, dark fruits, overripe bananas, old milk chocolate. An overall dirty feeling. Fluffy mouthfeel. Although totally off I kind of enjoyed it for its unplanned weird aspect. Belgium line of great Imperial Stouts is only matched by its line of great war heroes.

Reddish brown colored, moderate head, decent lacing and retention. This is light for even a porter. Sweet aroma with caramel, raisin, sugar, chocolate, light roast. Medium bodied, sweet. Rating this as an imperial stout would be a joke, but as it is it’s pretty enjoyable.

Pours a very dark, but definitely no trace of blackness, hazy brown, decent head. Aroma is an odd mix of Belgian yeasts, dark fruits, apricot, and a decidedly roasted note. The initial flavor matches, and it is a shocking muddle, as nothing is remotely integrated. As it warms, the roast notes thankfully diminish a bit, and a nice interplay of yeast, dark fruit, and light roast notes emerges. Significantly better warm, but it still wasn’t quite my thing.

33cL bottle, from State Line Liquors (Elkton, MD). Pours deep, hazy orange brown, capped with a moderate sized tan head. Aroma of cocoa powder, liquorice, roasted malt and vanilla. Flavor is a bit vegetal, with chocolate, anise and some hops. Thin finish, with some earthy, mineral character.

Bottle. A muddy brown beer with floaties and a big beige head. The aroma is of yeast, vegetable, coffee and glue, the taste is much the same with some fruit notes. Medium body with a finish of yeast. Mud!

Bottle. Large beige creamy like head that mostly lasted. Good display of lacework. Muddy amber color. Aroma of yeast, caramel, fruit, toasted malt, chocolate. Medium bodied with an average carbonation and mild alcoholic texture. Moderated bitter and sweet flavor. Roasted mild bitter malty finish. A bit strange for an Imp. Stout.

Objectively speaking: Very pale stout that has mostly sweetness to offer.
I like: Pleasantly fruity with appealing date and fig juciness. Complexifying earthy and spicy undertones. Fairly subtle alcohol. Thick and healthy mouthfeel.
I dislike: Quite yeasty and mineral. No balancing proper roastiness. Absent hops. Very limited complexity for the style. Not particularly appealing yeastiness, a bit musty in fact.