 ross (1562), charlotte, North Carolina, USA
Jul 23, 2004
boo on the snifter for tonight, i want my imperial stout in a shaker. (dont hate me). pours out dark with the orange tan colored head ive come to expect from imperials. the head is sorta like guiness, it just sits there and doesnt think about going away. has a smell of hops, and plenty of malts. coffee and toffee hints too. now to taste it......wow, bold, hoppy and a slight woody note make this a very good very drinkable imperial stout. goes down smooth, mouthfeel is thick rich and creamy. aftertaste is a nice lingering bitterness. this is a truly amazing imperial, and with any luck this will hit top 50 before too much longer. thanks like a MF brian!
FatPhil (2367), Espoo, Finland
Oct 12, 2008 355ml bottle (Cracked Kettle, Amsterdam)
Black, brief tan head. Sweet, almost-chocolatey roasted malt aroma; some touch of hops just breaks through. Smooth palate, gentle carbonation. Quite a punch of burntness, quite charcoaly, and almost astringently bitter. The hops balance that interestingly with an almost sherbetty and bitter orange-zest zing. Becomes a bit sludgier and slimier in the mouth as it warms, makes me wonder if I’ll need a spoon by the time I get to the bottom. Rather lacking in subtlety, but it obviously wasn’t designed for subtlety (I don’t honestly think most of the Colorado brewers can do subtle, even if they tried). Finish is burnt, piney, and a touch metallic. And sticky. Pretty OK sipper, but not one I’d want any volume of. Alcohol quite bold, but surrounded by malts and hops it doesn’t jump out as being excessively boozy, just very big. Oak age it for the win.
HopsWhisperer (9), , North Carolina, USA
does not count  Oct 10, 2008 I tried this during a RIS sampling evening at my house. My overall impression was that this was terribly over-hopped to the point that it tasted more like an IPA than an impy stout. Reminiscent of Stone’s 11th Anniversary Ale. And compared to the other RIS’s we tasted, this was my least favorite.
A: very dark, decent head and lacing
S: quite hoppy, some roasted and smoky overtones
t: much too hoppy for my tastes. while I expect there to be some roasted and hop bitterness, this was just not balanced well enough for my tastes.
M: Thick, but too much lingering hop bitterness
D: With so many other RIS choices, I wouldn’t spend the $$ on this again.
Ramenen (351), San Salvador, El Salvador
Oct 8, 2008 Thanks to my Sarita who brought it all the way down from NYC. I am a HUGE fan of the Oak Aged Yeti, so I was a bit nervous about trying the regular version. However, I was no disappointed, pours a ptich black color with a nice tan head. Lots of smokiness and some sweetness of coffee and chocolate. Nice bitter finish.
rocbyter (670), Waterbury, Connecticut, USA
Oct 7, 2008 Spicy malt aroma with hints of roasted. Black in color with a small brown head. Lightly sweet robust malt flavor getting moderately bitter in the finish. Very creamy.
blutt59 (798), Dallas, Texas, USA
Oct 5, 2008 bottle, dark almost black color, head is frothy medium brown, nose is fruity hops, flavors of hoppy sweet stewed fruits, light cocoa and pine, finish is hoppy dark fruit
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