McNeills Imperial Stout

Formerly brewed at McNeills Brewery
Style: Imperial Stout
Brattleboro, Vermont USA

Bottle. Deep black in colour, lasting tan head, lingering lace. The aroma was quite roasty, lots of dark malts, chocolate, coffee, cream and dark fruits. The flavour was of bittersweet bakers chocolate, cocoa, espresso. Creamy mouthfeel, large body, high carbonation. Lingering bitterness in the finish, rather dry. Very nice stuff, I wish I had more.

Intensely powerful aroma--strong tannic notes are cut by red wine and touches of chocolate and roasted malt, with a bit of alcohol. Nearly opaque black, with a small, rather dark tan head. Quite a tart flavor, to go along with that tannic nose, which is slightly off-putting--not enough sweetness to balance this out. Otherwise the flavor is intensely bitter, with some dark chocolate notes and hints of red wine.

22 oz. bottle into tulip glass, The Friday imperial stout tasting (beer #34). At this point in the tasting, we started pulling out the big dogs because we knew the night was winding down. This came right after Santa’s Little Helper and right before Peche Mortel, and it stood up. Awesome beer. Aroma of port fruits and lots of liquid chocolate was potent and wonderful. Very full bodied with a sweet acidity that was unique, a great blend of those two characteristics. Flavor was silky smooth chocolate with dates and prunes. Full mouthfeel and smooth delivery were perfect.

Couleur foncée allant vers le noire, quelques grosses bulles savonneuses. Poudre de cacao, lait au chocolat, grains de café, quelques vapeurs d’alcool, amertume semblant tranchante et très verte déjà en arôme. Flaveurs de noisettes grillées, poudre de chocolat, houblon vert et amérisant. Présence huileuse en bouche, corps d’une épaisseur moyenne à pleine. Une grande bière à découvrir davantage!

bottle. dark black with a short lasting mocha head. aroma consists of roasted malt, some sweetness, raisins, and licorice. this is a bit sweeter than I had expected! roast malt and a generous hop character. medium body.

(22 oz bottle: Obtained in trade with Eyedrinkale, thanks Mike!) This is a very bitter Imperial Stout, strongly roasty and burnt, very dry, actually very much like an ashtry, with a strong smokiness in the finish which only reinforces the ashtray. Long, bitter finish, and wow, that roast is pretty intense. Malty, fairly pungent and earthy nose, with a fair amount of roastiness as well. Medium to full bodied, probably about average for the style, not viscous or heavy. Dark brown in color, translucent except through the thick middle of the beer, with a small tan head that quickly dissipates to nothing. I like this beer, but I don’t love it because I’m not a big fan of dry, roasty stouts, and this one is very dry.

Pours with a black body topped by athin to medium thick head with some lacing. The aroma is slightly sweet and slightly bitter with a slight roasted coffee note and a touch of licorice. The flavor is bitter with a slight sweetness, lots of roastiness and some licorice notes. Full bodied and smooth.

Poursa deep brown hue with a light tan head with wonderful lacing. Aromas of chocolate, coffee, fruity loops, and a little soy. Flavors of coffee, espresso, soy, a light bitterness an almost milky finish. Alcohol is barely noticable.