Founders Imperial Stout

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

Thanks, bro! Poured cold. Pours an oil-slick black with a thin mocha head that fades quickly. As I warm and swirl it in my hands the head gets thicker and creamier. Aroma is smoky, dark roasts, coffee, chocolate, maple syrup, vanilla, wood, and dark fruit. Taste very much consists of bitter roastiness, some alcohol warmth, and finishes dry.

Bottle. Pours motor oil black with a thin beige head. Aroma is smoky malt with a bit of coffee. Flavor is much of what is in the nose with a bit of molasses sweetness and an underlying bitterness. Sticky mouthfeel, definitely a thick one. Very nice, like a meal.

12 oz bottle. Black pour with dark brown and ruby accents around the edges. A small light brown head arose and disappated, but left a ring around the glass. Real thick with nice sticky lacing on the glass. Founders does an excellent job with obtaining that small sized carbonation that leads to smooth creamy mouthfeel. Smells of roast/burnt malt, coffee and chocolate. Taste is full of nearly burnt tones accented by chocolates and some dark fruits/port. I detect/wonder if they use some oats in this one? Finishes clean but a little warming. No real alcohol presence anywhere in this one other than the slight warming quality. Had this after an Oskar Blues Ten Fidy. Real similar, but what seperated this was the carbonation and had a little more roasting/burnt malt and coffee. Deserving of a top ten stardard imperial. Overshadowed by Founder’s breakfast stouts in aclaim, but this is very worthy.

12oz shared by Crosling. Pours black with a dark brown head, small yet well retained. Aromas of coffee, chocolate, toffee, and of course roasted malts. Flavors the same with a fairly hoppy finish. Overall a very nice impy.

First time I tried this, I wasn’t that impressed. Glad I got a 4 pack. Second time around I found it delicious. May have been tto warm the first try. Third time confirmed that this is a great, roasty, mocha RIS.

Quite black and oily, medium dark brown head with good lacing on the glass. Great coffee aroma with hints of chocolate and toffee. Taste is very pronounced, lots of roasted coffee and malt...not much in the way of hop flavor. Very bitter finish, no doubt owing to the large amount of roasted malt and bittering hops. Great mouthfeel...very creamy and smooth. Alcohol presence mildly detectable.

Pours black into a snifter. Mocha head with medium retention recedes to hug rim. Pit fruit, bitter chocolate and espresso aromas. Smooth and creamy with upfront pit fruit quickly turning to a lasting bittersweet chocolate finish. Yowza.

Style and Glass: Imperial Stout; Snifter ABV, Volume & Calories: 10.5% in 12 fl oz. estimated at 200 C Purchased at: Joe Canal’s Lawrenceville, NJ for $2.75 Aroma: roasted malts, coffee, sugar, syrup, carbon, toast, winter evenings, fireplace Visuals: beautiful, exquisite packaging like all Founders brews, dark as midnight, absolutely black, light does not escape, starts with thick tan head, which dissipates over time but does not disappear, lace stays for a while. Taste: delicious balance, syrupy but not cloying malt flavor, deep and acrid hop flavor afterwards. Palate: Smooth, silky velvet feel. lingers upon the tongue and in the mouth. Coating, sticky, and delicious. Overall: What an amazing brew. I’ll have it again, at least 3 times, though I’d love to have it at least once a week. originally posted at: <a href="http://beercritic.wordpress.com/"&