Walking Man Jaywalker Russian Imperial Stout

Brewed by Walking Man Brewing & Public House
Style: Imperial Stout
Stevenson, Washington USA

Just got a growler of the ’08 Jaywalker at the Walking Man Brewery this evening (11/19/09). Also got a growler of the Bourbon barrel Jaywalker (but that’s another rating, for another day!). Let me preface by saying this stuff was AMAZING and the Bourbon barrel version was AMAZING-ER!!! It was a pleasure to share these fresh growlers with, "hannont" and, "Mr. Plumpy". Colour... the total blackness of a moonless night, unless you count the thin mocha head. Nose... redolent of brown sugar, gingerbread, molasses and crushed Brooks prunes. Palate... gentle CO2, then a surge of sweetness including the coating flavours of Don Pedro Ximenez, coffee, unsulphered molasses, dark caramel, burnt dark brown sugar, turbinado and one extraordinarily long finish! Well worth the higher than usual growler price!!!

Growler purchased at the brewpub. A very nice and flavorful stout without being overpowering. Alcohol well hidden.

Growler split with jimbowood. Pours black with thin tan head. Aroma of chocolate, roasted malt, and dark fruits. Taste has thick mouthfeel with chocolate flavor. Good.

Tap @ Walking Man... Poured black with a brown head. Strong, roasted malt and chalky characters on the nose. Really thick palate that had a nice sting to it. Chocolate syrup flavors with thick, robust, roasted malt, rice-like grains and coffee liquor towards the finish. Fairly light feel for 12.7%.

I am a light weight and just a taste lit me for the night. The taste is alcohol and bitter.

Re-Rate. GABF 2007. Slowly rising brown head with wonderfully slow and deep full sub-surface "racing." Smell: cabernet, diacytl a little bit, strawberries. Full and slick in the mouth, but the flavors seem kind of flat: chocolate is not rich and expansive, the toffee is just kind of there. Not bad, but not impressive. I’ve adjusted the score downward from the previous rating. 7/5/7/4/15 = 3.8

Original Rating. GABF 2004; tasted then, rating from notes taken then. Great imperial stout. Buttery malts on the smell, deep but also sweet. Same carries over into the taste, caramel in there with the somewhat roasty chocolate. Awesome hops kick in the finish (not roasty, but almost tangy and definitely bitter), but turns a bit thin there too; otherwise, full body and feel. Very nice. 8/5/9/4/17 = 4.3

GABF 2007. Pitch black, viscous pour with a thick layer of tan head. Rather sweet aroma of caramels and bourbon blend with some spicy fig-like dark fruits and some dark chocolate. Mildly roasty, but the sweetness dominates the nose. A bit of additional roast bitterness could actually help smooth out some of the malt aromas, as the sweetness is a bit strong. Full bodied, chewy mouthfeel with a creamy texture and carbonation. A bit of brown sugar sweetness at first on the tongue, and then develops some nice prune/dark fruit flavors mid-palate. A bit of bourbon caramel sweetness lingers in the finish. Could use a bit more roast character to balance out the flavors, and far too sticky sweet for my preference.

GABF. One of the favorites. Nice Dark pour with decent head. Lots of dark fruit and chocolate aromas. More on the flavor. Roasted malt and coffee too. Very good