Victory Storm King Imperial Stout

Bottle from Hollingshead Deli in Orange, CA. Pours a black color with a large tan head. Smelled nutty and of roasted malts. Very bitter on the palate with a substantial amount of roasted malt flavor. A little bit of chocolate backed up the roastiness. Not bad...not bad.

Bottled. Pitch black with a beautiful creamy lacing beige head. Fantastic complex nose. Both nose and taste show some subtle hints of tobacco, candied fruits, homemade caramel & burnt caramel, ginger, tar, smoke, dark chocolate, lavender and wonderful hops- great hop profile indeed. Perfectly balanced. Good bitterness. Smooth. Long complex finish. A very nice imperial stout.

Bottle: What a surprise! Passed to me by a good beer-loving friend who found it and thought I’d enjoy it. This boy pours jet black, foamy tan head on top. Aroma of milk chocolate, espresso, molasses, and lots of surprising hops. The flavour is initially quite bitter, expected with the many hops and roasted malts. A good milk chocolate chaser, nice and deep and complex. I love imperial stouts and this is a good one.

A very good Imperial Stout with a hoppy aroma and a fairly balanced character. It’s honestly a bit of a disappointment given the beer’s big reputation, but that’s common with the more popular beers and it’s still quite good. Storm King pours black and opaque with a thick, creamy beige head. I don’t really know what Imperial Stout would garner a perfect appearance score, much less a 1 or 2. Anyway, the aroma is quite hoppy with a mix of floral and grassy/citric notes. There’s a touch of roasted, chocolate/coffee malt in there, but it’s a bit weak. The flavor is more satisfying. It’s clean and relatively dryly sweet, err... not sticky or cloying anyway. Again, the flavor is a bit dominated by hops, but there’s a decent malt backbone lurking in there. I’ve heard that the malt comes forward with age, which would probably push this beer above a four for me. The feel is slightly thin. I think that I’ve cracked this beer too early. It’s only about nine months to a year old and could probably use another year or three.

Six pack from Majestic on Eastchase. Dark and rich with some slight hops, which is cool. It’s pretty damn good.

14-SEP-2009 @Ølbaren. Dark dark brown wtih a little darker than off-white lasting head. Creamy, very roasted, very bitter from rightly balanced hops. Very easy drinking. Nice surprice from a brewery I have never come across before.

Bottle thanks to Ksurkin! This beer is great, and again, where the hell is my rating? Pours a deep brown with a thick foamy tan head, smelling of dark fruit and chocolate. Strong flavors of Licorice, dark fruit, and bittersweet chocolate. Rather carbonated, more than I care for in an Imperial stout, but it doesnt detract too much. Finishes with a strong bittersweet chocolate flavor.

bottle: YOWSER!!! I reached into the fridge, grabbed a beer, popped the top and took a healthy swig... all without looking at the bottle. (thought I was reaching for a Miller High Life). Boy was I suprised! I promptly poured the rest into a glass, admired the dark red/ brown/ coffee tones, brought my nose to the glass and went in for more. Lots of roasted qualities, some earthy/ nutty scents as well. The taste is full bodied, heavy, roasty, with lots of esters. Great brew in a difficult style.