Lagunitas Black Rain Imperial Stout

Brewed by Lagunitas Brewing Company
Style: Imperial Stout
Petaluma, California USA

22oz, no date from IrishBoy--thanks! Deep clear brown with a small beige head, fading to a ring. Oxidized aroma with a little bit of cherry. There is also some milk chocolate and roast also present. Flavor is much the same, moderate sweetness until the ashy burnt finish. Medium full body with low to moderate carbonation. Not a so good.

Bottle shared by alexsdad06. Poured clear dark brown color with an average frothy brown head that mostly lasted with good lacing. Moderate licorice and roasted chocolate malt aroma. Medium body with a thick smooth texture and flat carbonation. Medium licorice roasted sweet flavor with a medium bittersweet finish of moderate duration. Interesting complex beer.

A deep dark stout with a thin lacing moka head. In aroma, cocoa malt with sweet fruity esters, meaty notes and lots of C-hops. In mouth, a sweet fruity chocolate, with light lingering bitterness, molasses, a bit short in mouth, but good. Simpled and clean. Bomber shared with probstk and Michael, Oct. 7 2009. Bought at Sam’s Wine and Spirits, Chicago, May 16 2009.

Bomber shared by Lubiere (merci!), served cool in a goblet. OC 07/09.

App.: Deep black, remnants of a tan head with yellow-green hues. Aroma: Lots of dark and milk chocolate, huge, thick rich, inky, meaty malts, tons of dark dried fruit, minty licorice and black strap molasses. Palate: Medium-full body, fairly soft effervescence. Flav.: Huge rum-soaked dry fruits, plenty of licorice and molasses, some dark chocolate and coffee (not much), oily thick, resinous; sweet with almost enough bitterness, some warming alcohol, light wood and thick oily malts that stick around, though there is a slight void in the mouth that I can’t describe.

Pretty darn good. Doesn’t seem to warrant the low ratings...

Pours a murky dark brown with no head whatsoever. Looks very unattractive, frankly. Aroma is of prune juice, sweet malt aromas, pleasant but vague. Flavor is of sweetened ice tea at first, then roasted malt and coffee finally comes through at the end. Decent flavor, but another second-class citizen in the world of impys by Lagunitas. God damn it, why can’t Lagunitas make a decent Imperial Stout?!? This is the 3rd or 4th attempt at an Imperial Stout by them that I’ve had, and none of them have been more than just decent. And people wonder why I always crack on Lagunitas; Just make one killer stout, and you’ll have all my love Lagunitas! Medium viscosity, lifeless/limp mouthfeel. Overall, fair to good. Why won’t you let me love you Lagunitas?

22oz bottle from holdenn. pours dark brown with beige head. nose of chocolate, dark fruit. flavor is sweet, lots of dark fruit and chocolate. not very roasty or full bodied.

Picked up, apparently, from Sams. Pours a dark brown with a head that doesn’t last too long. Chocolate, roasted malt aroma is faint but definitely sweet with some nuts. Chocolate, nuts, sweet fruit and soy flavors. Initially ok, but it fades to fruit. Ok.

Dark brown color with a somewhat fizzy, taller tan head. In a blind sniff, I would guess molasses or sorghum. After is settles I do catch a bit of roasted malt, but still a sweet scent. Fairly thick and slightly oily. Light grain and a bit of sweet alcohol in the front. Sweet dark stewed fruit, bits of roasted malt and some nutty flavors Finish is slightly acidic, with some dark grain flavors and hints of chocolate booze. I find this better than what I remember form the Lagunitas IS, but that is not necessarily saying much.