t Smisje Catherine The Great Imperial Stout

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

Unsurprisingly pale colored for an Imperial Stout, the beer is a dark, concentrated amber color as it sits in my 25cl tulip glass, but shows a lightly hazy, light-cranberry red color when held up to the light. It is topped by an initially three-finger thick, tan colored head that is held up by a persistent carbonation. Despite being so light in color I do get a solid, city-roast coffee note from the aroma as I am pouring this beer. A deeper inspection yields smoky dark grain notes, some salty peat, some sort of savory component that makes me think of umami rich miso, and a bit of vegetal seaweed.

A fair bit sweeter than I was expecting, though it is fairly light considering the strength of this beer (and for that matter considering other Imperial Stouts). The beer finishes with a persistent, lightly burnt cabbage note that I find contributed from roast grains / malt at times. Lightly roasted coffee flavors, mix with just a hint of smoke, some notes of cocoa towards the middle . This has a somewhat / fairly bitter finish to it that is as much a product of the roast grains as it is from hop notes. This is actually quite light and quaffable, especially when considering the strength and the alcohol seems to be quite well hidden. Some light fruitiness reminiscent of light roasted and smoke prunes and raisins helps to pick up the complexity just a bit.

Not a bad beer, but I was definitely expecting a bit more from this beer. I do like how light bodied and quaffable this is, I like that this is fairly subtle compared to others of the style and I like how much roast character is noticeable despite being so light colored. The vegetal note gets to be a bit too much in the finish, and the flavors are not quite so well integrated as I could want them to be.

Purchased: <a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/Places/ShowPlace.asp? Liquors, Tucson AZ

Bottle courtesy of jayg. Pours dark brown with a tan head. Smells fruity with some caramel and chocolate touches. Tastes of chocolate, some pepper, some bitter hints. Finish has a weird bitter aftertaste.

[1151-20080301] Tap. Sweaty fruity wood aroma. Cloudy, dark brown body with quick bubbles. Bit of milk chocolate and smooth alcohol in the flavour. Medium-full body has a bitter finish and aftertaste. Rich alcohol, fair.
(ZBF 2008; Sint Niklaas, BE)

(Bottle at VBPF08 on 2008-05-18) Deep dark brown. Quite brown and very big head. Yeasty and sweet nose. Full palate that dries quite quickly. Lots of sweet malts and some roasted in taste. Yeast. Noticeable amount of bitterness. I wouldn’t really call this an imperial stout, though.

Damn, I wished they hadn’t changed the label. In any event, one of the better belgian stouts I’ve had. Belgian yeast and spice on the nose with some roasted malts in the flavor. The flavor pretty much follows suit. Massive head.

Murky brown color with a large head. Aroma of Belgian yeast and light spice. Nutty and burnt caramel taste. Hazelnut, toasted malt. The nutty taste definitely comes out more towards the bottom of the barrel. Not even close to what I’d consider an Imperial Stout, but a delicious beer.

This is a lot like a strong ale and a belgian style stout got into a car accident. Large foamy and somewhat fizzy head, on top of a murky black with brown highlights. The flavors never seem to come together here, its like they are fighting with each other instead of merging together. The water is very present here, lots of mineral qualities. Some light chocolate and caramel, laid out with some dried fruits. The mouthfeel is rigid at best, with lots of astrigency, not enjoyable to drink in the slightest.

Fiftieth review of this beer: Bottle from jrob_21 - thanks, Jonathan! Aroma a thick minerally yeast with some candis and brown sugar. Huge, huge, huge head, rocky and tanned on a dark muddy brown body. Sweet roasted flavor with (what by now I am fairly confident in identifying as) Regenboog yeast. Fruit flavors are mashed together and cloy somewhat. Chalky mouthfeel on a medium body with sharp alcohol and initial crispness. Some chocolate. Otherwise, crystalline stalagmites. Really not like any other Impy Stout made in the world, I think, and though I love the floral, minerally house character of this brewery, it doesn’t work at all in this context.