McNeills Imperial Stout

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

Blackest stout I have ever had. A vigorous pour barely yielded a tiny brown head. Deep roasted grain flavors with coffee, spice, chocolate, in a complex medley of wonderfulness. Ray McNeill’s usual hop heaviness comes through it all. Finally, a stout that can somewhat excite a hophead! My absolute favorite local beer - if only MA distributors had this in bottles! But it’s absolutely worth the drive to Brattleboro.

Throw in from ChazyRPh in trade. Pours dark oily black with no head. Very unique hoppy licorice aroma. Flavor has some dark roasted malt but mostly coffee. Way too much coffee.

Thick as motor oil. Coates the glass with a dark syrupy sheen. Almost no head and low carbonation. Somewhat weak aroma. Basically bitter and burnt. Color is black as tar while the glass coating is a dark molasses brown. Flavor is thick with malts and a good helping of hops. Lots or roasted grains and a bit of coffee. Finish is bitter, dry and roasty. I have had better. Wow my 666 raring. What the hell kind of music was that. Horrible midi file.

On tap at McNeil’s pub. Pours a deep black color with brown highlights and a thin light brown head. Very strong aroma of green hops, chocolate and roasted malt. Amazing flavor of green hops, chocolate and roasted malt. Light to medium body, creamy and dry texture, soft carbonation. Excellent, Ray McNeil never ceases to amaze me.

Pours dark brown with a nice brown head. Smells slightly fruity with spicey undertones. Tastes nutty with hints of coffee, raisins, prunes, chocolate and a little rasberry. I wish I picked up more of these when at the brewpub in Brattleboro.

Bottle: Very nice aroma with the usual Imperial characteristics. Very malty and lots of black licorice, coffee, and hops. Pours a dark brown, virtually black, with tan ring around the edges for the head. Not a lot up front with tons of black coffee and hops in the finish. Not enough malt. Smells great, but too one-dimensional flavor-wise with only a strong black coffee finish. Another from Styles.

I know I got this in a trade, I think it was from Lumpy, If not please forgive. Poured black and thick. Little head, but what was there was dark brown and clung to the side of the glass. Roasted notes and chocolate nose. Taste is lighter the a would have thought, by that I mean watered down, just a bit in the mouth feel. There is the dark roasted flavor, with malts and chocolate as well as a nice hop finish. This is a very good hoppy stout. Nice! Sorry, I got this from Chazy!

Dark as night and with a thick dark brown head. Thick chocolate nose almost smells like a darker version of an Hersey Syrup with molasses notes and some burnt toast in the background. Rich flavor on the palate with a drying finish that leads to some burnt bitterness. Very rich chocolate flavors with some roasted malt leading to lightly burnt flavors, there is a light underlying sourness that never really makes it’s way through the crowd of malt. But I can see that it’s there. The light sweet lactose element does nice to balance out the richness. Not bad if not all that complex. Thanks Muzzlehatch!