Nils Oscar Imperial Stout

Brewed by Nils Oscar
Style: Foreign Stout
Nyköping, Sweden

Intensley black oily pour with thick brown head. The nose is roasty and charred grains, chocolate and licorice. Flavors follow suit with the added notes of vanilla and slight lactic tartness. The palate is very thin and seemed a bit watery.

Maybe the "Imperial Stout" in the name is throwing me off because this isn’t working as well as i’d hoped. Aroma is pretty good- smoky alcohol with a little chocolate sweetness. It appears to be a little thin, especially the head, kind of like a flat Coca-Cola. Flavor is just not all that special- dark malts, coffee, molasses, maybe some brown sugar sweetness- the smoke and graininess are working to make this stand out but it just falls short of my expectations. The palate is decent but there is some thinness or something lacking. I shouldn’t be dogging this so much, it’s a solid beer, just not for $5.79. I should also note that i’ve been sick so maybe that is influencing my judgment. This beer probably deserves another chance but i doubt i’ll take it when i could have pretty much anything else for less $$$.

Bottle supplied by LagunitasFan at the J&J Friday the 13th Tasting at WeeHeavySD’s place. Nice to sample another Swedish brew since I have not had many. This one is tricky! One of few beers I’ve had where the aroma is completely different than the flavor. Pours black with a light beige ring. Aroma is smokehouse barbecue with notes of chocolate and vanilla. Flavor, however, is just the opposite. Sharp, dry tartness with some acetic acid with not nearly the amount of complexity as the flavor. Thin bodied with minimal lingering on the finish.

Shared at J&J’s tasting Fri. the 13th. Color is dark brown with red highlights, and tan lace. Nose is chocolate, toffee, creamy, but with a sharpness. Vanilla. Taste is not nearly as good as the nose. Grass, light sourness of vinegar in the taste that is not in the nosae. Not the big mouthfull of a good stout, unfortunately. Coffee leftovers. This one was a letdown for me.

bottle from LagunitasFan tasted at J&J’s Friday the 13th tasting. Black dryish. Easy to drink. Roastiness is low.

(Draught at St. Urho’s Pub Porter Days ’09) Black. Medium sized tan coloured head. Liquorice and coffee in aroma. Full bodied and dry palate. Coffee, liquorice, roastedness, bitterness and sweetness in taste. Liquorice and bitterness in aftertaste.

Well, well I would have expected a more heavy impression from this Stout. The color is true black with a little brown lasting head. The aroma is light with roasted notes. The roasted tasted notes are also found in the flavor, however the palette is disappointing thin for such a beer.

bottle, pours balck with a nice little head on top. Grain,liquorize and roast malts in the nose, some dark fruit in the back. Flavor is very elegant grainy again but soft, only little sweet liquorize, dark chocolate, maybe some coffee and notes of prunes. The palate is excellent, perfectly balanced, it glides over the tongue, not at all offensive, short lasting aftertaste with a mineralic finish. I enjoy it a lot !