Founders Imperial Stout

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

beer oozes a thick, impenetrable black with a thick, slow developing dark brown head that retains well and leaves good lace. chocolate rumball nose redolent of dark, bitter chocolate and carmelized figs, with other deep fruity notes rumbling beneath. initial malt sweetness well balanced by a complex roasty bite, with dark cocoa notes some hop bitternes cuts through at the end, along with just a bit of solventy alcohol. big, thick, deep, rich stout really brings the noise. quite the nice sipper - becomes even richer as it warms.

Bottle. Opaque body with a thin dark beige ring of bubbles. Smells like bakers chocolate, cookies, butter, and cream. Excellent nose! Taste-sharp CO2, low sweetness which is very nice for an impy, grape, alcohol on the back end, burnt raisin, bread, and toffee. Big grape aftertaste. An excellent creamy mouthfeel that reminds me of milk. Near perfect medium bitterness, roastiness, and sweetness. An excellent combination, very well done and excellently constructed.

Wow. I am really impressed with this stout. The pour is black with a very nice tan head that has good retention. The smell is very nice--a warm chocolate and coffee aroma--you can tell this is something big. The mouthfeel is very thick and full--perfect for a stout. Flavors are awesome--sweet chocolate and coffee in perfect balance. This beer reminds me a great deal of Speedway, and I think it’s almost that good.

A slow drinker! Abit up front on the alcohol, but still nice. Coffee, burnt chocolate dominate, bitterness on the aftertaste. Good,warming brew!

Pours completely opaque with a very dark brown head that lasts with some lovely lacing. The aroma is not burnt; rather more dark fruit-like with a nice ruminess and chocolate character. Body is sticky and milkshake thick. The flavors are silky smooth with lots of nutty caramel toffeeness and a lovely milk-chocolate character. Bitterness is there, but never dominates the malt beauty of the beer. This is the very essence of smooth in this style of intensity. Nothing intense here, just a lovely reminder of why I love this style soo much.

via trade with hippie4beer - Pours black with a tan head that faded quickly. Very light spotty lacing. Has light a chocolate, coffee aroma. Flavor has lots of chocolate and coffee to it. Has a good bit of bitterness to back the malt. Smooth and full bodied. A very nice sipping beer. Thanks Seth.

Thanks go out to Walt for this beer. Poured thick and black with a large fluffy brown head. Aroma of cherries, roasty bittersweet chocolate, with some piney hops. Flavor is big, sweet and roasty, with some coffee grounds, bittersweet chocolate, with a lot of dry alcohol flavor, although not a lot of alcohol heat. Finishes very peppery and bitter., almost like the finish of mouthwash, without retaining much actual stout flavor. My score would’ve been higher if the finish hadn’t been so alcoholic. But still all-in-all a good stout.

Bottle courtesy of Footbalm. Sharp alcohol and chocolate spicy bitterness w/ biscuity/toasted malt undertones. A very good beer.