 Ofortuna (322), Grafton, Wisconsin, USA
| 3.6 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 6/10 | 4/5 | 7/10 | 4/5 | 15/20 |
May 21, 2009
Many thanks to Jake for his incredible generosity! I’m really greatful for the opportunity to even try this.
Number 183 of 600. Vintage 2009.
Pours a bit lighter than I was expecting for an imperial stout of this caliber. Beautiful head however quickly made me forget the previous. Quite a bit of hop aroma wafting up from my snifter. Had to dig quite a bit to find some bits of chocolate. Really pretty shocked at the amount of IBU’s, but I guess it’s a requirement considering the ABV and balance needed. Plus, this is a pretty young bottle.
Really surprised at the flavour. Right off the bat my palate is hit with a huge amount of tannins, acidity and bitterness from the hops. A small amount of chocolate makes its appearance after this initial wave, but only for a brief moment. After this second surge, a light amount of fusels take over followed by some additional acidity. The palate finishes dry with little lingering character. After the bottle has a chance to breath for awhile, the cocoa comes through a little clearer as does the molasses.
I guess I could chaulk some of this up to the fresh nature of this bottle. There were some raw notes in here, but overall I question how well this might actually age and if the acidity and tannins would mellow all that much over time to a point that the flavour is enhanced. Either way, if you have a bottle I would certainly hold onto it for a good year and try it at that point. Overall, I gotta say I’m perplexed at the hype this receives and really wonder if it’s just a variation in the batch or something else.
fata2683 (892), Panama City, Florida, USA
| 4.2 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 9/10 | 4/5 | 9/10 | 4/5 | 16/20 |
Dec 13, 2009 2009 bottle 257/600, pours a thick black with a tall dark tan head. Aroma is heavy on the chocolate with roasted malt and some alcohol as well. Wonderful burnt sugar and chocolate flavors with some dark fruit as well. There is a nice finish of black patent malt and coffee with again some booze in the vein of bourbon, it’s sweet and lingering. Very nice RIS!
SpencerDB (82), Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| 3.8 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 8/10 | 4/5 | 8/10 | 3/5 | 15/20 |
Dec 13, 2009 Sampled at ORF tasting. It’s not called sexual chocolate for nothing... Aroma is a large amount of thick chocolate, molasses, and mocha. The taste was about the same, but just didn’t quite seem to have as much umph to it as I was expecting. It was OK, but nothing to write home about
tarheels86 (780), Washington DC, USA
| 3.5 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 8/10 | 4/5 | 7/10 | 3/5 | 13/20 |
Dec 13, 2009 Sampled a few times at the ORF pre-release tasting. Had this back to back with Abyss ’07, Abyss ’08, CCB Zhukov, Full Sail BA Black Gold. In general, I’m sure this beer is amazing sampled in of itself. But trying this comparatively to other impys, I found it quite disappointing. The pour is great: jet black, deep brown head. The nose is quite excellent: rich with cocoa, molasses. But I found the taste to be a bit ashy, dry, simplistic. There is no buttery, creamy richness I found in the Abysses or Full Sail Black Gold.
phaleslu (534), Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
| 4.4 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 8/10 | 5/5 | 9/10 | 4/5 | 18/20 |
Dec 1, 2009 2008 22 oz. bottle shared by shawnm213, #263/500. Wow, thanks Shawn. I don’t know that I ever could have tried this otherwise. Pours a super dark brown, near-black and opaque, with a small brown head. Aroma of espresso, dark fruits, toffee, molasses, with wood more noticeable late. Incredible flavor of dark fruits (raisin, fig, cherry, plum), molasses, caramel, chocolate, coffee. The dark fruits are such a nice touch here, adding a tart and sweet element to the roastiness from the coffee. The aftertaste is both tart and roasty. Full bodied and incredibly smooth, with an oily consistency, though not as dramatically so as Kentucky Bourbon Stout or Dark Lord. This is a fantastic imperial stout, and not just because of its limited release or awesome label.
shawnm213 (949), South Bend, Indiana, USA
| 4.2 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 9/10 | 4/5 | 8/10 | 4/5 | 17/20 |
Nov 28, 2009 2008 bottle from captaincougar- Thanks a ton Tom. #263/500. Pours a pretty much black witha small tan head. Aroma of chocolate, toffee, raison, dark fruit. Flavor is roasted malts, dark chocolate, dark fruits, figs. Great stuff. diggin the dark fruits. not overly complex, but super tasty.
madmitch76 (645), , Essex, England
| 3.9 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 8/10 | 5/5 | 8/10 | 4/5 | 14/20 |
Nov 15, 2009 19th July 2008. Smooth slightly creamy and remarkably light Impy Stout. Smooth non bitter coffee, a little chocolate and an undertone of subtle red fruit. Thoroughly enjoyable!
kiefdog (1624), Tampa, Florida, USA
| 4.2 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 8/10 | 4/5 | 9/10 | 4/5 | 17/20 |
Nov 7, 2009 Sample at GABF 2009. Pours a menacing, murky black color with tan head. Aroma is sweet and roasty with notes of chocolate, toffee, caramel, ripe dark fruit, rum-soaked raisins, light coffee and roast. Flavor is about the same. Medium to full body with a pleasing chocolate, roast, malt finish.
elihapa (1066), Honolulu, California, USA
| 3.9 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 8/10 | 4/5 | 8/10 | 3/5 | 16/20 |
Oct 4, 2009 GABF Saturday. Another gem of a beer that I literally stumbled upon walking the stands of GABF on the last day. Appearance is dark dark brown but not black, cloudy but not opaque. Nose is deep milk chocolate with toasted malt, blackened wood and a certain breadiness. Mouthfeel is medium, a bit lean for an Imperial Stout. Flavors are indeed very well balanced, emphasizing chocolate. They are not all too powerful, but what is there is a tasty array of dark and milk chocolate. Overall, though this beer was very good, but perhaps not quite world-class. I’d drink this again though.
|
Rate This
Statistics
Find This Beer (Want/Have)