Arcadia Imperial Stout

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

12 oz bottle 2003: Pours w/ a lasting tan medium sized head and a dark, almost black body. I’m kind of suprised that I’ve not rated this before! I’ve had these for 3 years, and had not realized until now that I hadn’t rated it! Licorice, sherry, and raisiny dark fruit aromas laced w/ a touch of alcohol. Some port wine fruitiness as well w/ a hint of roasty, toasty, and chocolatey aromas. Well balanced beer w/ a drier finish. Some raisiny port wine like flavors w/a light roasty coffee and chocolate that is more present than in the aroma. A hint of buttery diacetyl adds to complexity of flavor, as well as still having a decent amount of bitterness from hops to balance the malt. Also a touch of alcohol. Aftertaste is dry, bitter from grains/hops, and lasting roasty coffee. Fuller medium body, light alcohol presence, lower medium carbonation, and lightly dry in the mouth. I personally think this beer has aged very well. I like the dark fruity characters it’s developed, as well as rounding out the dark grain and bitterness from hops that I seem to remember this beer having when young!

12oz bottle, i believe an 03 vintage. pours pitch black with nice tan head. aroma has lots of soy, burnt coffee, and chocolate. too much soy sauce though. texture is nice and silky. flavor is a mess of soy, milk chocolate, burnt coffee, charred dark fruits (raisons/currants). the texture is nice but the flavor is not blended well, too charred and really rough. i’ll re-rate fresh cuz this beer hasn’t aged well, turned into a soy sauce mess.

12 oz bottle. My favorite from Arcadia so far. Black in appearance with a small brown head, dissipates pretty quickly. Aroma is chocolate, vanilla, coffee, raisins, and caramel. Taste is big, roasty, creamy, with alot of chocolate, hop bitterness. Notes of dark fruit are apparent. Some acidity in the finish as well as roast and a nice touch of lingering hop bitterness. Carbonation is light, and works with this beer as it keep the emphasis on the malts.

12 oz bottle: Pours a black motor old color with small tan head that diminishes quickly...nice color overall. Aroma is big on malts, chocolate, coffee, some hops intermingled, and a touch of caramel. Flavor is creamy and mouth coating. A nice large roasted malt note, subtle chocolate textures, nutty, caramel again, and a nice balance overall. Palate is nicely bitter, sweet on the lips, but lingers for quite a while with a dryness. Overall, This is probably on of the best Arcadia beers I’ve ever had. Their beers have really disappointed me as of late but this on is actually pretty good. Cheers!!!!

12oz bottle. Deep dark black hue with a thin ring of tan head. Aromas of coffee and mocha with a slight note of red fruit. Rather full bodied. with a creamy smooth malt note. This is followed by a pleasant burn and an astringent hop acidic finish. Coffee malts with vanilla notes. Toffee and anise malt notes. Smooth and easy. Well done.

Bottle. Creamy smooth mouthfeel. Nice toasty chocolate flavor w/ hints of alcohol and smoke. Excellent.

Bottle courtesy of HogTownHarry. Pours black with an average size mostly-lasting light-brown head. Very nice aroma of roasted malt, lots of chocolate, dark fruit, alcohol and fresh green hops. Flavour of roasted malt, lots of chocolate, coffee and hops and a long bitter finish -- delicious! Alcohol well hidden. Medium to full bodied, creamy mouthfeel. Fantastic, I loved it!

Lots of soy sauce in the aroma. This is a very English Imperial stout, which is what I would expect from Arcadia. Flavor has some coffee and considerable sweet malt. Light figs and prunes. Low carbonation adds to the English character. Quite good. No alcohol presence is noticeable. Smooth and a very good palate. Some coffee in the finish.