Middle Ages Dragonslayer Imperial Stout

Brewed by Middle Ages Brewing
Style: Imperial Stout
Syracuse, New York USA

Bomber. Great aroma. Got better every time I sniffed. Brought almost a floral aroma with sweet hop smell. Dark with thin head. Very first bitter taste that fades away as it warms. Served cold - very chocolatey with strong hop taste. Served room temp- Very well balanced with a great taste and palate, less chocolatey and the hops mellow out creating a really good stout. Not as thick as I hoped and defeniatly not a russian imperial as i would have though. Good brew. Cheers!

Bottle from Sean (illinismitty) Thanks! Pours out a dark black color with a dark tan head on it. Smell is dark fruits, chocolate, coffee, hops, and red wine. Taste is similar, very rich, and very unique. The wine like taste comes out very nicely, and throws a twist on an imperial stout. This is nothing like a standard imp stout that everyone is used to drinking. It has a good sweet quality to it that makes this one almost like a dark barley wine. The double IPA from this brewery was a very unique beer and this one follows in the footsteps of that. A different imperial stout that is highly drinkable and that I would have no problem getting anoter bottle. I am curious to see how this one would age out, as maybe some of the hop profile would die down, but this is one hell of an imperial stout.

bottle. Well, Middle Ages has really been erratic with the offerings I’ve sampled thus far. I’m really hoping with a name like Dragon Slayer that this stuff will deliver. Well, it’s coming out of the bottle in a very promising fashion. It fills the goblet with a thick, ebony body and a tall, brown head. There’s just a bit of ruby detectable when placed in direct light. [beer sits for 10 minutes to come up closer to appropriate serving temp] I return to find the brown head still sitting atop my brew. The aroma is packed with bittersweet espresso, sticky caramel. The hops are noticed, I believe they give the nose a hickory character. Lacing is firm after a swirl or two. This is much drier in the mouth than I was expecting. It coats much like an actual shot of espresso and parches the palate in a similar way. Some mild plum and fig notes are under the dense coffee and peanut-skin notes. The finish is particularly smoky and hints at a far away pine forest. Any chocolate flavor that may be here is very subdued and really only is expressed when I take a few sips close together. The only thing I don’t like is a hidden buttery note that I can detect only occassionally. It’s not a beast of an impy but it is definitely robust enough to sate my craving for one and even a little unique. Well, I believe I’ve found another winner from Middle Ages. I was starting to lose faith after the Wailing Wench fiasco. . .

I was very unimpressed by this beer. I was expecting much more richness. This does boast quite a bit of hops as well as a very dark roast on the malts, but the parts never quite seem to harmonize.

Pours a thick blank with a medium dark head.. Alcohol aroma. Flavor is strong, I like it. Doesn’t go down as heavy as it looks, a little more drinkable than some other imperials. Pleasantly surprised by this one.

Bottle: Shared by Styles. Aromas of chocolate, caramel, vanilla, alcohol, and light roast. Pours a dark brown with no transparency and small tan head. Quick chocolate presence is somewhat sugary and is quickly overtaken by lots of roasted coffee. Finishes with lots of roasted coffee, burnt flavors, and piney bitterness. Light alcohol presence in the finish as well.

Black w/ frothy brown foam. Roasty aroma of chocolate, coffee, licorice, molasses, grapefruit & hazelnuts. Thick, sticky feel. Rich, roasty, malty flavour w/ an underlying earthy, coffee-like bitterness.

This bottled brew sampled at a rating party in Indianapolis poured a medium sized head of mostly lasting foamy finely sized dark brown colored bubbles that left behind a dark brown colored opaque body with no visible carbonation. The aroma was of dark malts. The mouth feel initially malty with a biting malt finish. The flavor was a mix of malts and hops.