t Smisje Catherine The Great Imperial Stout

Pours a very dark brown almost black color with a HUGE frothy beige head that has excellent retention, only very slowly fading into a thick cap as it goes leaving chunks of lacing in it’s path. Hoppy aroma with some dark fruit notes. Spicy presence with hints of pepper, lemon zest, cinnamon and mint. Very strange considering this is an Imperial Stout. Smells more like an DIPA. Very hoppy up front with a strong peppery spice note, chocolate malt, dark fruit followed by a strong zesty/peppery spiciness and a very hoppy dry finish. Not your typical imperial stout.

Bottled at Cafe Frape, Color is hazy very dark amber with huge head. I mean HUGE head. Nose is roasted malt, fruits and yeast. Aroma is the same with more spices and more dominant smoke. This is weird but not bad but definitely NOT an imperial Stout more like a Strong Belgian Ale with a roasted flavour.

Bottle. Pours brown with a nice tan head. Fair lacing. Nose of roasted malt and plums. Flavour of roasted malt, dark fruits, liquorice and molasses. Full bodied. Ends up more dry and pleasant bitter. A nice and well balanced brew.

Bottle from the Sam’s in Downers Grove, Illinois: Odd drink. Not really any roastiness to it, at least not enough to call it a Stout of any sort. It poured an opaque lighter brown body with an humoungous beige head that was half fizzy, half creamy. Then it went away. It had a sweet dark stone fruit aroma with some dark toffee-ish malts and brown sugar. The flavor was much the same, but added a sharp alcohol bite and a bit of earthy bitterness. Way too carbonated. A drink of interest, but not of repitition.

Julio’s Belgian Beer Festival. Sample. I found this to be a big dissapointment. Not like any imperial stout I’ve ever had which is not necessarily a bad thing except that I didn’t like this one. I’m thinking that the yeast is the culprit here and is just not imparting the right flavors for a stout. beh

OH MY THIS IS SO NOT A STOUT ... bottle in belgium ... brown /copper ... sweet roast ... big yesty toffee malts .

Murky medium orange-brown body with abundant yeast sediment; medium dense buff head. Aroma of plum, apple, caramel and spice, sweet and bready. Rather thin body with a sharp alcohol bite, with plum and medicinal notes more typical of a Belgian Quad than a stout. Tasty but unrefined and rough, with a harsh, bitter finish.

Dark brown color, big head, reducing fast. Moderate Belgian aroma, with light chocolate. Good body strength, with a very good mix of caramel flavor, some chocolate, rubharb candies, fair sweetnss, strong bitterness, alcohol bite. Solid and well balanced. Excellent.