Natty Greenes Black Powder Imperial Stout

Brewed by Natty Greenes Pub & Brewing Company
Style: Imperial Stout
Greensboro, North Carolina USA

A deep dark black beer, topped by better than an inch of light brown foam. Good head retention, great lacing. Count those rings. Nicely roasted malt aroma with a little bit of coffee. Full flavored with lots of roasted malt, coffee, and some chocolate. A little brown sugar sweetness balanced out the more bitter elements of the malt. A hint of fruit character in the finish and aftertaste. Full bodied, very smooth. Super easy to drink.

[GABF, Denver Co - 2006] Dark black in color with the faint head but this beer has it all. Great flavor, aroma and finish. Loved the creaminess this gave off and the beer would be perfect with ice cream. A great chocolate, coffee and a hint of spices this was a great drinking stout.

draught during my NC brew tour. Pours ebony with a very intense, thick brown head which lasts for the entire drinking session. Actually, the head is so thick, it almost looks like a wax model of a beer. The aroma is comprised of thick espresso, mocha with piney hop highlights. The carbonation is very low and the density is quite high, giving this stout a super viscous quality. Bittersweet, semi-earthy coffee notes make up the flavor with some burned brownies in the finish and a hint of pine nuts. The alcohol sometimes stings my palate, sometimes not at all. The doesn’t have any extra aggressive flavors. You know the problem? It was served just a bit too cold for a stout of this magnitude. No fault here, I just wrapped my hands around the glass for maybe 10 minutes while I chatted. That really did the trick. The beer came together in a much more harmonious ensemble and new flavors tantalized my tastebuds. I picked up some slight meaty flavors and strong wooden flavors like hickory. The espresso notes came out more and the hops took a back seat, only to poke out now and then. The alcohol now was only noticed as a warmth in my throat. I really, really enjoyed this imperial stout especially given the intense windchill which was about to pummel me.

12 oz bottle: Pours a very rich brown with a creamy tan head. Nice lace that sticks around as you drink. Aroma of slight sweetness, molasses, caramel, malt, and coffee/espresso. Very nice flavor of coffee, malt, brown sugar, and bittersweet finish. Goes down very smooth with a hint of alcohol warming at the end. I highly recommend this to any dark beer lover.

From notes 2/6/06: Pours a tremendously opaque blackness. An absolutely gorgeous dollop of cream vigorously forms a tan head that gives a smooth milky moustache with each and every sip. Retention is excellent. Patchy web pattern of wet lace clings to the glass. Aromas of some roasted barley, mild coffee bean, and some cocoa. A twinge of berry in the scent. Flavors give a smack of roasty maltiness. Hints of currant and black raspberry linger in the background. Wine-like at times; burnt coffee-like at others. Raw brown sugar tones. Vinous and fruity and roasty and delicious. Nitro-like creaminess via a regular tap line. Full and creamy texture. Velvety soft. Rich texture in the tactile sense, but my only gripe is that it’s a tad thin in the body. Alcohol is AWOL as this beer doesn’t warm the cheeks, it doesn’t cloud the mind, it insidiously lingers in the background. Dangerously drinkable.

12 oz bottle. Very dark brown pour, almost black, with a small light brown head. A good bit of yeast sediment in the bottle. Heavy roast, cola, and lots of burnt caramel stick out on the nose. Lighter licorice, alcohol, and chalk as well. Roast and licorice dominates with a sweet burnt caramel middle. Finishes more burnt and chalky than it starts out. Very minimal alcohol presence. Mouthfeel is full and almost oily in texture with nice fine bubbled soft carbonation. This was a pretty darn good surprise, much better than I expected.

Bottle back from GSO a while back. This one has been sitting in the back of my fridge for a while since I have been on a big IPA kick these days what with the summer and all. Coming back to the Impy Stout style though is kind of nice and I’m glad I did it with this one. This is a very nicely balanced but kicked up enough to be substantial kind of drink. Roasted malt aromas and flavors dominate. There is a distinct chocolate flavor and a nice bitterness from the hops that give this a more well rounded feel. Getting some vanilla as well in the aroma. Vanilla and a nice oakiness come through in the flavor too. Sure this isn’t barrel aged guys? Either way, incredibly drinkable and incredibly well done.

Thanks to AtlBeerDog for this one! Rich black pour with thick tan head a decent lace. Creamy mouth-feel. Chocolate, caramel, caramelized sugar, and coffee. Very solid for a style i have seemed to out grow