Founders Imperial Stout

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

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.

Bottle from Eithcubes - Thanks! Pours a rich black color with a small brown head. Nose is abundant with roast, chocolate, and coffee. The flavor is a sweeter coffee with mocha and bittersweet notes. Light roasted malt too. Smooth and creamy.

On tap at Founders. Pours black with thick head. Rich aroma of coffee and malts. Taste much the same with hint of chocolate. A great Imperial Stout and another great beer from Founders.