Two Brothers Northwind Imperial Stout

Farily mild sweet aroma with notes of alcohol. Black with thin head. Flavour reminded me of a grilled burger with steak sauce (smoke, roast, & carmel.) Very smooth start to finish.

pours a used motor oil black with a nice looking one finger strong dark brown head. aroma is strong burnt malt and coffee. has a medium to heavy body with descent lacing and a little carbonation. flavor is the same as aroma just a little stronger. also has a small dry hop aftertaste and the alcohol is well hidden. it is a pretty well balanced impy stout little thin on the palate but not bad. as it warms there is a little orange and caramel flavor and aroma.

Aroma of light chocolate and some malts. Flavor was just really weak for an imp stout. was sweet and not very rich at all. Just not a great imp stout. Sweet and an average palate.

A dark tan head fades away in an instant. Body is opaque black with dark brown hues, creamy and thick in appearance. Thin, shiny lacing with microscopic bubbles is left behind, moreso as the libation warms. Aroma is most heavily centered around coffee, then chocolate. Also noted are roasted malts, stale yeast, smoke, caramel and subtle hop bitterness. The nose isn’t very forceful, but the coffee is noticeable at a distance. Light marshmallow rounds out the aroma, all of which seems like a hefty dry stout, absent are the dark fruits I typically associate with the style. Flavor is however very fruity at first, followed by light bitterness and subtle baking chocolate and coffee. Yeast is very noticeable. A light and smooth taste, with roasted grains in reserve. Alcohol is not a factor in the taste, warming in the finish is mild as well. Finishes sweet and with coffee, chocolate and touches of smoke in the corners of the mouth. Palate is light-medium to medium, with light but spritzy carbonation. Overall, very drinkable; by no means imperial. In a way, this feels like a good recipe that was undertaken with a tight budget; instead of skimping on the quality of ingredients, simply less were employed. Good beer, good balance.

Black pour small brown head. Chocolate malts mainly, with heavy roasted malts, some coffee, a touch of sweetness, and a dash of hops in the finish. Mouthfeel is not thick but not watery at all and very smooth and way too easy to drink. I believe the low ratings are because there is nothing over the top with this beer, it is a good example of an imperial stout and would say it is perfectly balanced. I could drink this a lot.

Bottle shared by puddintane: Black pour with an off white head. Aroma, roasted malts, some caramel, and coffee. Flavor, faint chocolate, some roasted notes, kinda watery.

Bottle: Dark body with a normal head and decent retention. Very dry aroma, chocolate like bitterness dominates, while the hops and alcohol are present. A medicinal quality was also noted. In the mouth, this started very syrupy sweet, with a very watery mouthfeel and notes of cough syrup. Dries up considerably , as the hops build to a strong, flavorful finish. Lots of fruit (orange, cherry) but still very medicinal. Not impressed.

Pours a dark dark brown. with a very large bubbled light tan head. The nose is strange. There’s something very asprinny with some burnt character and some subtle smoke. Actually, I remember this aroma characteristic of aspirin from HotD Rose, and I didn’t like it there either. Though the smoke is interesting. The palate is rather thin for an imperial stout with very little carbon dioxide. The flavor is a step or two above the aroma. Dry (for the style) and smokey, really smokey, close to Aecht Schlenkerla smokey in some ways. Really surprising! Some roast and coffee sneak in, but always amongst the smoke. Maybe some floral to fruity (raspberry?) hops. Burnt finish, getting stronger in the aftertaste. Not a bad beer, but definitely not an imperial stout. This should be more of a smoked porter. I can’t help but wonder if they used the wrong malts on this batch!