4.3 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 17/20
16.9 oz. bottle- 45-50 degree (slightly colder than recommended)- Pours black with zero transparency, it has a beautiful creamy tan head that slowly recedes, decent lacework. The aroma is roasted chocolate malts, anise, campfire smoke, and hops are present immediately. The flavor is chocolate and coffee up front, followed by a nice smoky flavor, then the bitterness sets in, wonderfully complex. Body is full, carbonation is medium, finish lingers and is very dry. Overall I think this would age wonderfully, the hops would mellow, everything would blend creating an excellent brew. I highly recommend buying two of these, drink one immediately and let the other one sit for a year to five.
3.7 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20
Bottle; Pour is murky dark brown with a fine bubbled khaki head that retains fairly well in this glass - light, spotty lacing is present here - the nose is raisins, chocolate chips, brown sugars - while the flavor profile begins on the bitter roasty chocolate notes. There are considerable dark fruits present, along with caramel, toffee, licorice, chicory - while the peat smoked malts round it out in a subtly way, regardless of how considerable it was added to the mix. This is a nice stout, overall.
4.2 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20
The pour is an opaque black with a tan, full, cream, dense head which settles to a creamy, rocky layer and leaves soapy, frothy lace. The nose is pleasant with subtle peaty notes, only faintly smoky, lots of molasses and toffee, some earthy coffee roast, rustic notes, some red currant, maybe some resins. The flavor is similar with peat still being subtle with so much other rich malt notes; toffee and molasses adding the richness, red currant all over, Sumatra coffee roast, still rustic, and some burnt cinnamon toast. The palate is medium to full, silky, creamy, and just over soft in carbonation. The beer finishes average in length and more peaty with resin and rustic, slight currant still and an earthy coffee aftertaste. Interesting beer from the start; typical Scandinavian head, very rich but hoppily balanced stout, and a unique very peaty addition. The richness and the intense hop notes matched the peat notes well and subdued the smokiness well. However, I am curious how the base beer would taste without the peat. Very well put together beer and something completely unique.
3.9 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20
500 ml bottle. Served in a snifter, the beer pours very dark brown/black with about an inch frothy tan head. The head sticks around a long time, and there’s also a good amount of lacing left on the glass. Aroma is nice, the brew smells like roasted and smoked malt, chocolate, coffee, and some dark fruit. Taste is similar to the aroma, it tastes like roasted and smoked malt, coffee, bittersweet and milk chocolate, piney hops, dark fruit and a bit of licorice. Nice balance between the sweet and bitter flavors. I don’t think the smoke is strong in either the aroma or flavor. It is noticeable, but it’s closer to being subtle than it is strong (which is a disappointment since this is labeled as being a smoked imperial stout). Mouthfeel/body is medium, it’s coating and has moderate carbonation. Even though this beer wasn’t as smoky as I was expecting it to be, it’s still a good overall brew and I liked it.
4.3 AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20
Pours pitch black with a nice and very biglight khaki head. Really good head retention over time. Aroma is very nice with coffee, smoke, chocolate, dark caramel, nice malt sweetness, roasted, some good berry sweetness too, maybe some figs and raisins. The hops are very well represented in the aroma as well, adding some balls to the malty aroma. The taste is just very balanced. A lot of coffee bitterness, hops hops, caramel, roasted nuts, chocolate, malt sweetness, hints of smoke. Just very very good. A no bullshit imperial stout, but very good and very balanced. Nice work guys.
4.3 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 18/20
En riktigt trevlig Imperial Stout. Kraftfull men tack vare sin betydande beska en lättdruken smakupplevelse. Smak och doft av choklad, farinsocker, viss fruktighet, en aning laktristoner, brullepudding och vanilj.
4.3 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20
Bottle. Pours almost black with a nice creamy long lasting and lacing cappuccino coloured head. Aromas of roasted malt, coffee, licorice, hops and caramel. Oily texture. Flavours of roasted coffee, licorice, caramel, smoke, fruity hops and dark chocolate. Great beer!
4.4 AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 18/20
Bottle from Belmont Station. Colour... absolutely black with a thick, dark tan head. Nose... imagine smoked hops with licorice root! Palate... SWEET, almost cloying, then waves of smoke and hops settle in and stay the night! Nicely smoky, lightly briny and earthy with char, smoked beef jerky, molasses, soy, brown sugar and a lingering hoppy finish! I suspect that this would be a great "brine" for Chinook salmon filets to sit in for a couple days before placing in the smoker!
4.1 AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 17/20
500 mL bottle. Pours black with a large tan head. Great aroma, roastiness, cocoa, coffee, citrus, and smoke. Flavor again has the roastiness, coffee, smoke, bitter cocoa and hoppy hints. Wouldn’t mind the flavors being even more bold in strength, but the flavors themselves are definitely right.
3.8 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20
500 mL bottle at Churchkey in Washington DC, served in a snifter. Pours black with a minimal tan head that fades to a small amount of bubbles without a proper head. The nose has big notes of peat, smoke, roasted malts, molasses and piney hops. The flavour is somewhat sweet with roasty malts, molasses and subtle smoke. This is balanced with piney-citric hops that build towards a long, hoppy-roasty finish. On the palate, it is full in body with a smooth, syrupy slightly dry texture and minimal carbonation. Overall, this is a nice imperial stout with peat and prominent hops. 2012-06-09
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