Carolina Imperial Stout

Brewed by Carolina Brewing Company
Style: Imperial Stout
Holly Springs, North Carolina USA

Wow, I got hit with a heavy aroma of roasted malts, real appealing. Pour gave my a huge head, tan thick and creamy. Nose was all the good things about stouts. The taste was bitter chocolate, sweet malts, touch of hops, lots going on here. I got a touch of licorice, some smoke even cherry? I LOVED this, look forward to more daring attempts from this brewer. OLDGROWTH, you rule my friend.

8.5% per the CBC email newsletter, but a dot-matrix 8.8% on the label. Bottled 1/24/07, tasted 1/27/07. Fresh as can be. Pours a deep molten black color where all visible light disappears. Fluffy head of mocha rises then quite quickly settles down into a thin collar. Laces in random patches. Aromas are full of roasted coffee bean and a dusting of cocoa powder. Ample roastiness in the scent. Heavy coffee notes. Alcohol fumes are negligible to the nose. Flavors give the palate a firm whack of coffee bean, chocolate, green leafy hops, and a dash of fiery alcohol. A bit young and burning in the ABV department. Hops are definitely more noticeable on the tastebuds than in the nares. A big roasty stout. Mouthfeel is really not indicative of a BIG impy stout, but this would be an ever-so-solid "regular" stout body. Alcohol makes this an imperial. Quite drinkable, and warming, and a couple of these made for a pleasant night’s sleep.

Bottle of CBC’s Groundhog Day Beer - 8.8% ABV. Deep espresso coffee and chocolate with an acrid dark roast quality. Black and translucent with a frothy brown head which coated the glass. Smooth flavor of dark chocolate coupled with coffee and a caramel character and some presence of raisins in the mix. Hops were present as well leading to a grassy impression. Full and smooth on the palate, but not chewy. Only hints of alcohol come in a light warming after consumption.

Bottle from somebody at the beerinator gathering on sunday night. We tasted a lot of imperial stouts that night. at least 10. This one was dark brown, a lightish shade of black, Had good chocolate coffee flavors with a mild hop bite. Pretty tasty offering from Carolina Brewing Company. Look forward to trying future creations from this brewery.

Bottle. Thanks to OldGrowth for sending me this. Pour was a dark brown, but turned into a nice medium black beer with nice head, perfect looking stout. Aroma is roasted malt, chocolate, slight hops. Flavor was smooth and creamy with a light chocolate flavor, light hops, roasted malt. Medium mouthfeel. This really caught me by surprise. Good stout!

From a 12oz Bottle, dated 1/24/07. Obtained in a trade with afatty 9/30/07. Pours a mostly transparent, dark brown color with edges of tobacco tannins and a finger of fine bubbled, tan head. A bold molasses character dominates the aroma, complimented nicely by some roast coffee and dark chocolate. There’s definitely some licorice character in there as well, but the tar-ey molasses dimension dominates. Medium bodied, lightly carbonated mouthfeel with a bit of a thin texture. This has the weight and feel more similar to a porter than an impy stout, but the flavors are awesome. Like in the nose, the molasses flavors are incredibly intense. More dark chocolate, and almost a burned barbeque chicken flavor as well. Everything is cohesive and well integrated, balanced by a light kiss of minty hops in the finish. Molasses, choclate, roast, mint, barbeque (but no smoke). I had no expectations for this beer, so it definitely shocked me by how good it actually was. Light body included, this is one of the better imperial stouts I’ve had recently. Thanks, Glenn!

Received a case of this as a brithday gift from my wife. Poured a dark, dark brown. Like melted chocolate. Thick, brown head that dissolved down to a thinner film. Nose is loaded full of toasted malts with some ocao swetness and tartness. Definitley one of the more drinjable examples of the style. Nothing overpowers and everything is in balance and smooth. Mouthfeel is velevet and silky. The flavor explades after each sip. Flavor is loaded with dark malts, choclate, cocoa, graham crackers and smoked wood. Holds out quite well and the flavor expands as the beer warms.

Pours out a black color with a nice dark chocolate brown head. aroma is sweet and filled with roasted malts. Flavor is very much the same. has a nice slight warming effect from the alcohol, but other than that it is nicely hidden.