 goldtwins (3672), Nesconset, New York, USA
May 1, 2008
Poured a deep brown color with a thin tan head and brown oily legs. The aroma was yeasty and funky with notes of leather and chocolate. Some coffee as well. The flavor had a light tartness to it and some chocolate. Thin on flavor and light body.
JK (2356), Twin Cities, Minnesota, USA
Jul 18, 2008 Interesting stout in the English style. Lots of pressure under the swing top, but very little carbonation on the palate. Black with brown sediment. Some lactose flavor, which I don’t care for very much. Also roasted walnuts, chocolate, tobacco, very mild European hops, sugar, honey, and grain. Some citrus in there, as well as oak and sourness. The flavor really opens up as the beer warms. BFM has done better, but this is unusual and good.
nearbeer (1079), Knoxville, Tennessee, USA
Jul 13, 2008 330 ml. One of the blackest beers ever, with a small but lasting halo of a head. Tart dry cherry dominates the aroma, with some coffee, vanilla, oak and char underneath. Initial taste is delicious roasty stout flavors: coffee, char, light cocoa, maybe some toasted wood. Quickly takes a turn to the tart fruit and yeasty flavors that mostly dominate the rest of the glass. It seems I detect some pepper and tea leaf, now that I read the bottle. The bottle also says: "extremely complex"; I guess I’m just a simpleton, cause I don’t care for so much sour yeast in a stout. Medium-heavy body is sometimes smooth, sometimes too frothy; but is nicely balanced between sticky and dry. Try Alvinne Podge or Hercule Stout instead, for a good Belgian take on the style.
JoeMcPhee (3632), Jackson Heights, New York, USA
Jul 7, 2008 Dark black beer with fairly creamy brown head. Aroma is quite different from any other imperial stout that I’ve ever had. Licorice, black pepper, toasted barley malt and a touch of lighter lactic tartness. Fairly vineous and woody with a light oaky/herbal character. Flavour is very vineous. Lightly herbal and spicy with some black pepper, cocoa, cardamon and a touch of vanilla. It is actually a nice change from the usual US imperial stouts. Lingers with a bright red wine tannic type of quality. As it warms it takes on a lightly tobaccoish quality. Doesn’t taste like a 10% beer. Very unique but pretty decent.
Mes_and_Sim (3927), London, Greater London, England
Jul 6, 2008 A Mes rate: bottle from Spuyten Duyvil.
I’m guessing from the rates that this one varies a bit. There is no doubting that this bottle that Sim and I shared with Ang was a cracker. A deep, dark noir violet colour with a thin beige film that reappears briefly when swilled. Thick and tarry English imperial stout style nose with loads of raspberry, blackcurrant. lashings of alcohol and some pepper and peat. Bloody good! Once in the mouth you can really tell that this is from the same brewer as Bon Chien. Huge fruity sourness that really hits you. Wonderfully light for a beer of this strength. I really feel like if it wasn’t for the carbonation, I could down this. In contrast to the aroma the alcohol seems like only half of the very accurately noted 10.276%. Glorious wooden notes with a good lingering bitterness in the finish followed by a tarty tang at the edges of the palate. So fruity and bright. Glorious zesty mouthfeel. Not really anything like an imperial stout but this really is excellent stuff regardless.
Davecooks (1128), Bay Area, California, USA
Jun 30, 2008 Bottle. Very deep brown pour with a effervescent, tan head. A faint Ban-Aid aroma fills the air but seems undetectable when I bring the glass to my nose. Lively fruit aroma, strawberries and raisins. Slightly sweet smelling with some vanilla and sour notes. This beer is a wreck... very thin mouthfeel, extremely sour . This has to have gone bad. Crap, a $9.99 drain pour.
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