Lagunitas Imperial Stout

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

Aroma:chocolat,torefaction and coffee... Appearance:dark,small brown head... Flavor:Chocolat,cofee,vanilla and rosted malt...

(22 oz bottle: $2.80 at Safeway in Petaluma, CA) A mildly disappointing Imperial Stout that is milder in flavor and lighter in body than other Imperial Stouts, so I’d consider it a decent entry level Imperial Stout. The mildly sweet flavor is joined by light roast, moderate chocolate, and moderate bitterness, with a mild sourness that gains prominence toward the finish. The body is still "medium plus", but certainly lighter than just about every other Imperial Stout I’ve tried. Chocolate has it’s greatest contribution in the nose, along with a mild roastiness and some gentle sweetness. Dark brown and opaque except at the edges. Small, tan head is quite bubbly and dies down rapidly, leaving only a thin layer that resembles "bubble wrap". Sporadic lacing is minimal enough to not really even deserve a mention, but I try to be thorough. After contemplating and analyzing this beer some, I might even suggest that they just stop the charade and drop the word "Imperial" from the name. Still a decent beer, enjoyable and flavorful, but really just a stout, or a robust porter.

Fast-fading light tan head and a translucent ruby body. Dark chocolate aroma and flavor with not much depth. Moderate sweetness. This beer pales post-Dark Lord. Another starkly average Lagunitas beer.

bottle-pours a deep brown hue with a small off-white head. This looks very similar to the full sail from a few hours ago. chocolate, some roast, vegtal notes in the aroma and flavors. the vegtal notes come more present in the flavors making this beer very unpleasant. not enough body and too off flavors for this style. i pass.

Not a bad drink in general, but not one of the better imperial stouts I’ve had. Mouthfeel is a little thin, slight taste of roasted coffee but nothing particularly strong. Decent but nothing exceptional.

Dark brown body with an average beige head. Rich chocolate malt, lightly roast aroma. Somewhat disappointing flavor that includes light roast, chocolate, mild sourness and yet slightly sugary followed by a quality roasted malt aftertaste. In general a pretty thin brew to be called an imerial stout.

a nice plain stout. small brown head and has aroma of coffee and caramel. full bodied, flavor of mixed chocolate and malt.

Call this a stout and I’ll be happy. It’s not imperial.