Great Lakes Blackout Stout

Brewed by Great Lakes Brewing Company
Style: Imperial Stout
Cleveland, Ohio USA

A clear dark brown stout with a thick moka head. A lightly chocolaty aroma. In mouth, a quite nice IS with lots of burned chocolate, notes of wood, a bit of coffee grinds. Very rich and enticing. Flour City brewfest, August 15 2008.

Bottle@Home. Peat, vanilla, licorice wood and chocolate aroma. Black coloured, light brown beautiful head, very nice lace. Sweet, very bitter, lots of hops, coffee, chocolate. Powerful and flavourful. Yummy.

In short: A big fruity and moderately roasted imperial stout. Above average.
How: Bottle 12oz, about 6 months old
The look: Black body topped by a very small tan head
In long: The first thing that stroke me about that Impy Stout is how juicy and fruity it was. Dark grapes, figs, dates, and more lying on top of graham cookies. Full body and rather smooth carbonation. Medium roastiness level for the style. Some floury cacao and very distant coffee beans. Almost no alcohol presence. This brutal stout is easier to drink than it should be, too easy to drink really for such a big bad boy, after six of them the its name took all its meaning.

Bottle. Poured a deep black with a two finger brown, creamy head. Aroma of chocolate, molasses, a hint of coffee and roasted malt. Flavor was chocolate, roasted malt and a bit of caramel. The finish was dry and a bit hoppy. Full bodied with soft carbonation and a creamy mouthfeel.

This stout poured a creamy black colour with a nice big, creamy tan coloured head. To the nose there are scents of roasted grain, dark chocolate, a little paint and molassass. First taste was smooth and silky with a thick mouthfeel and very roasted flavour. Tastes of caramel, cocoa, hopps and sugar. Finish was slightly sweet with a hopp bitterness to the palate with more caramel.

Bottle: Dark brown pour with a finger of creamy tan head. Light weblike lacing. Heavy roast and bittersweet cocoa aroma. Just a little coffee in there. Flavor is rich with roasted maltiness, light coffee, and a mellow bittersweet cocoa. Some lingering bitters balanced out with a smooth roasty toffee finish. Delightful. Thanks monger!

12oz bottle, Feb 2008 vintage. Aroma is super malty, with a strong alcohol presence and some dark fruit and a teeny bit of chocolate. Flavor is alcohol and dark fruit up front, with a nice coffee finish that is just a tad bit on the hoppy/bitter side. Hop presence seems to be stronger when fresh, so this beer will be even better in a few months. Maybe I should have cracked open my 2007 bottle and rated it. Still afine beer. Additional note: As with most impy stouts, chocolate flavor intensifies as it warms. Update: I did get a hold of a bottle of ’07, as predicted, the too much hop factor is gone. I overrated the flavor and overall before, so keeping those where they’re at as a balance of the two versions. Upping the aroma to 8.

Aromas are malty with a good deal of vinous dark fruit, chocolate, and roast. Pours pretty black with almost no head. The flavor is initially mildly sweet with chocolate, dark fruit, and roast. Some sweet salty soy as well. Earthy and dry finish from the hops. Smooth with a bit of booze. Pretty decent.