Founders Imperial Stout

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

12oz bottle, 2005 vintage. i rarely drink beer before noon but my apartment is cold and on this saturday morning i’m craving some chocolate. it is almost noon anyways. i don’t plan on following this up with another beer however. this ones for holdenn who claims stouts are great with breakfast. first off, i’ve had this beer several times and was surprised i never rated this. pours black with small soapy tan head. the nose has soy sauce and dark chocolate notes. as it warms up the nose becomes more salty and nutty. flavor has some nutty dark chocolate and slightly bitter coffee notes but those flatten out a bit on the palate evolving into more bready and soy sauce notes. this thing has really mellowed out, too much, as it seems aging for 2 years is pushing this thing causing more soy notes. it has a flat, dry, and watery finish. the alcohol is hardly noticible and the hops have faded out. i was never blown away by this beer but i’ll have to rate a fresh bottle soon..3.1......................................... 2006 vintage, cellared a bit over a year. pours jet black with basically no head. nose of soy, espresso, chocolate, and some smoke. flavor is more robust than the 05, chocolate syrup, espresso, hints of soy, dark fruits, pretty sweet stuff. thick and slick mouth feel. alcohol is well hidden. this beer just doesn’t do much for me, sure it is really chocolatey but this needs hops, roast, and a body that isn’t so slick...3.4

Poured black with a tan creamy head. Aroma of coffee and chocolate. Great smeller. Coffee and chocolate flavors mixed well together with a roasted feel in the finish. Thanks Matt for this!

Bottle courtesy after4ever. Pours opaque black with a thin brown head. Sweet and full aroma of chocolate and vanilla. Sweet and full body. The taste is marvelous, loaded with chocolate, vanilla, roasted hazelnuts. Soft espresso finish.

12-oz. Thanks, MrFacto! Pours black with a thin, burnt tan head that falls away almost immediately. Big soy and pruney nose, but this falls away as it warms to reveal a lovely soft thick bittersweet chocolate note. Big thick velvety body--attack rolls bold right from the first drop. Riot of smoke, soy, prune, bittersweet chocolate all over the mid-palate. Sticky, slightly bittersweet finish, hops well hidden.

This was a good stout. Taste of many malts, not too mention chocolate and coffee notes. I don’t know what else to say except this was a damn good stout.

A small brown head slowly recedes into a black abyss, totally opaque and dense enough to appear heavy. The aroma is semi-sweet and utterly complex. Notes of chocolate, roasted grains, sticky caramel, vanilla, sweet smoke, mild bitter coffee, raw anise, minor tarry scents and light but raw ethanol. The flavor is focused while still retaining a mild tendency, a blend of ingredients subdued into a blanket, no sharp edges cutting away. Light bitterness is pleasing. Sweetness is medium and neither understated nor overdone, no sign of cloying. Acidity and astringency are nearly undetectable and further lend to an exciting multi-faceted malt progression where subtleties are easily defined amongst each other. Coffee notes slowly encompass chocolate, tarry sensations ascend up the ladder of intensity. More acidity is presented in the lightly bitter and slowly drying finish, a fading chocolate-coffee milkshake with light fruit notes lingering(black cherry). Alcohol is a non-factor throughout. The palate is full bodied and very slick, smooth and spurred with flavor full offshoots of mellow dark fruit acidity that only tingle the far recesses of the mouth. Carbonation is low and velvety, the entire mouthfeel akin to a creamy chocolate syrup thinned by additions of acids. A wonderful sipper, elegant and softly embracing.

Date: September 03, 2005
Mode: Bottle
Source: Trade
Appearance: black, black, solid black, whispy tan head
Aroma: sweet roasted malt aroma
Body: creamy body
Flavor: lots of roasted malt flavor, some lactose sweetness, great balance between the rich roasted malts and the creamy sweetness
Overall: very good mild session imperial if there is such a thing

Date: May 18, 2006
Mode: bottle
Source: cellar temp
Appearance: the dark brown head is easily stirred up to create a bit of lace that slides back down the glass
Aroma: the roasted aroma is quite mild
Flavor: some alcohol showing up in the flavor early, very creamy, nice chocolate hiding behind the roasted

Date: February 24, 2009
Mode: bottle
Words: brusin ales
rich sweet chocolate showing up in both the aroma and flavor,

Aroma: 6/10; Appearance: 8/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 10/10; Overall: 15/20
Rating: 3.7/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: **4

Wow what a nice pour. Black as night with no light coming through.Virtually no head on this bre. Aroma of chocolate , coffee and and some burnt malt. Flavor was warming with hints of coffee and chocolate. the finish had some bitterness to it.