Town Hall Jesters Reserve Imperial Porter

Had on tap at the pub for the 6th anniversary, 10-18-03 Fully, chocolatey brown in color, with a firm, solid white head atop...aroma: plain at first, but further gleanings reveal a thick, oily, syrupy character...deep and viscous...motor oil, even, I might say... Once in the mouth, big-time, fat chocolate flavor, that continually recurrs throughout the drink...teases the lips and tongue...full-bodied, thick and chewy, substantial texture! The kind of mouthfeel that is fully in control and drives your senses, no back-seat driver, it is in command! Nicely roasted, with a long, resilient finish, and significant alcoholic content that appears medicinal-tasting toward the end. Thick, bold, spicy flavor...I've loved many porters before, but few have delivered the goods like this maniac! Wow...wow...and, one more time, Woa-a-A-OWW!!!

GABF '03, black with a small tan head. Aroma of dark fruit,chocolate and roasted malt.Flavor is bitter/sweet with a mild whiskey charcater and oak essence.

Got a growler of this at the release party back in September, I think it was and sealed the neck with wax and cellared for a couple months. It held up amazingly well. Beautiful fruity, sweet and alcohol nose. Color is very dark, but not opaque. Carbonation was very light and little head formed, but that is how it was when first released as well. Taste was magnificent. Strong, plummy, fruity, slightly smokey. Apparent, but not overpowering notes from the barrel aging. Chocolate notes and alcohol, but neither of these or overpowering either. A beautifully complex beer that held up very well after several weeks in a growler!

Produced specially for the 2003 Anniversary - Color is a solid inky old, faded black with a nice tan head of thick froth about 1/4 inch high, fades some to a thick skim on top and clumpy thick lace impressively sticking. Smell has lots of deep dark espresso chocolate with some very dark cherry hints, black sweet malts and cognac/brandish-like alcohol sweetness and warmth in the midst of the chocolate cloud. Taste is super smooth and chocolatey! Late hints of alcohol. The chocolate tone is nice and deeply sweet with some coffeeish notes in a late lingering finish. Very nice! The chocolate is quite complex in its its thickness and layering, much like a fudge and/or brownie mix. Feel is airy and fluffy full of creamyness with a late velvety textured palette with a supurb chocolate/cocoa/coffeeish drying. Oh this is quite heavenly, what a lovely Imperial Stout. I could drink this all the time, any time! Smooth and creamy, chocolatey and sweet, awesome and yummy!

Wawood! stop brown nosing Town Hall in hopes of free beer. It aint happening! This for me was another taste I experienced in St Paul at Winterfest. She's all chocolate...like Halloween..very taboo..she gives decent head and is also very smelly.

5/8/05 Re-rate: Ar 9; Ap 4; Fl 8; Pal 5; Ov 18. A partial keg of this stuff had been sitting in Town Hall’s basement for 2 years and they brought it up for the "I Love Beer" pub crawl. Might actually have been the same keg from which I had my previous sample. Many similarities to the Czar Jack. I have no question that if Town Hall brewed this more often and gave more folks a chance to rate this that it would be in the Ratebeer top 100 as well. Bourbon barrell aroma. Not much head. Smells and tastes like Czar Jack but perhaps not quite as good. 2/9/03: Before I realized that this beer was aged in a whiskey barrel, I was unsure of the distinct hard alcohol aroma. However, with that knowledge, the aroma lends a unique quality to an excellent big beer. Kudos again to the brewers at Minneapolis Town Hall.