Arcadia Imperial Stout

Brewed by Arcadia Brewing Company
Style: Imperial Stout
Battle Creek, Michigan USA

12oz bottle, 2005 vintage. Pours a pitch-black center with minimal light at the edges. Fluffy, medium-tan head with good retention and lacing. Dense, dark chocolate and nougat in the aroma; layered sweetness, with no show of alcohol. Medium-to-full mouthfeel: milk chocolate and chewy, roasted malts, with an oily, nutty character throughout; light carbonation, with any show of hops well-integrated at this point; a well-done imperial stout (dense, flavorful, well-integrated), that relies mostly on its chocolate notes. Lengthy, dry chocolate and cocoa at the finish; ends with only the slightest bit of dryness.

Black color. Lots of roasted malt in aroma and taste. One of Arcadia’s best brews.

’05 vintage. Black oily pour, a small brown head that fades to nothing. Smokey aroma. Big sugary chocolate sweetness, with licorice, mollasses, coffee, dark chocolate, some light notes of raisens. Coffee aftertaste with sweetness still lingering and even some whiskey coming through as well as smoke. Slick mouthfeel and the alcohol leaves some warmth. Pretty good but I’d say much more suited for the colder weather.

Bottle. Pours pitch black with a small brown head. Roasted and malty with notes of dark dried fruit, coffee, bitter chocolate and hops.

Black, tan creamy head. Rich nose of black chocolate, caramel coffee, and sweet toasted dark currants. Bittersweet chocolate and berry flavors are counterbalanced with touches of dark roasted coffee and light hoppy bittering notes. Medium to full bodied, soft smooth carbonation, bittersweet finish. Well made...

The color was black and pours very thick. There was barely any head, but what little the beer had was dark tan and creamy. The aroma was soy sauce, coffee, roasty malt, alcohol, sweet, and some sour notes. The flavor was soy sauce and sweet malt upfront, but was thin followed by a roasty coffee malt. The palate was thick-bodied and smooth. The finish was roasty.

Thanks to hoppymeal. Poured a fairly black brew, resembled oil in color but not quite as viscous. Has no head in the pour and shows spots of brown bubbles. A dark creamy brown head can be coaxed if swirled. The aroma is very roasted, nutty, a subdued sweetness, rich molasses, alcohol. The flavor is a little more one dimensional. A solid rich and burnt/roasted taste is predominant with hints of coffee and nuts. The palate is of a good consistency and also leaves a mild warmth at the back of the throat. Not a spectacular imperial stout but definitely very solid.

12oz bottle, no date. pours black, but not as thick as I’d have expected, with a 1/2 finger tan head that recedes within a minute or two. Aroma of roasted malts, char, booze soaked raisins, burnt grain, and some light soy. Flavor has a bit of dark chocolate in addition to the other flavors. A little more salty than I’d have liked. Roasty char finish. Alcohol is spicy and not hidden well Medium to full body with some creaminess I wasn’t expecting from the pour. With the exception of a few quirks, this is a pretty decent Impy.