Founders Imperial Stout

Brewed by Founders Brewing Company
Style: Imperial Stout
Grand Rapids, Michigan USA

Midnight black pour, no light comes through at all. Small brown head with plenty of lacing. There is a lot of complexity in the aroma, with chocolate notes present. Very thick mouthfeel, with a high roasted chocolate flavor. Alcohol is felt more than tasted. Lingering finish for several minutes, with a dark chocolate aftertaste. This is a glorious beer!

Nice vsicous pour. Man this thing looks great. Thin chcolate head. Nice looking beer. Nice aromatic roast aroma with coffee. I love the aroma; it is very pungent, and not hard to smell at all. Has an aroma of a milk stout. At least, that is what I think. Nice ash flavor, but this thing screams milk stout! Nice use of hops. Huge roast flavor that just hits all of your tastebuds. This beer is extremely good. Nice smooth palate. This stout is a great stout and is almost better than the breakfast stout. The coffee part is lacking, but the roast flavors are amazing.

12oz bottle of the most recent release poured into a tulip. Pours a viscous oily black with a creamy one-inch tan head which settles down fairly quickly and leaves good lacing. The aroma is big and roasty. Tons of dark chocolate malts and roasted coffee with a balancing sweetness of licorice. The taste is definitely sweeter than the aroma with lots of licorice, vanilla and dark fruit that balances with the huge dark roasted malt base and then, interestingly, a bit of hoppy bitterness leading into a dry finish. The mouthfeel is fantastic and super creamy with some soft carbonation which leaves a very nice coating on the palate. Another great beer from Founders and a very good example of an RIS all the way around. Excellent!

12 oz. bottle. Black body with a rather spare brown head, yet shows surprising durability with a spotty lace. Impressive aroma with blasts of espresso, chocolate, licorice, roasted nuts. Full body, lighlty carbonated, rich and chewy mouthfeel with notable oiliness. Treacle sweetness is quickly overcome by a healthy dose of piney and spicy bitterness that prolongs the satisfying finish. Excellent.

Bottle. Black pour with almost no head. Roasted malt, coffee, bitter dark chocolate and some smoke and ash. Nice silky mouthfeel.

Bottle. Pours a thick brown black with a huge thick burn ruby tan head. Nose is cigarette smoke, burnt malt, some coffee. Taste has that same cigarette flavor too it?! I think it is mostly in the head. Flavors become a lot more roasted burnt chocolate malt. Burnt roasted coffee too. Mouth is full and creamy. I dig this beer but very smokey and the cigarette beginning is gross but as that goes away it is good!

12 oz. bottle poured into a Czech Pils glass. A thick, motor oil pour of black/brown colored brew, with a dark, tan head that didn’t last long but left some clingy lace. The aroma was roasty, toasty, coffee, dark chocolate, with a touch of smoky wood. Ditto on the flavor plus a favorably astringent bitterness that lasted through the finish. Silky mouthfeel and ultra full body. Whoa! A very big, Imperial Stout

Snifter at bar. Pour is pitch black with the thickest dark brown head i have ever seen. Aromas of coffee, dark chocolate, roasted malts, and expresso. Flavor is outstanding with chocolate, strong coffee, roasted malts, and finishing very smooth. Alcohol was hidden extremly well in this guy. Outstanding!