Pumphouse Backdraft Oak-Aged Imperial Stout

Brewed by Pumphouse Brewery and Restaurant
Style: Imperial Stout
Longmont, Colorado USA

Poured from the jug at the Pumphouse Brewery & Restaurant, Longmont 10/10/2007 Tan head. Cherry fruit and roast aromas. Black strong in alcohol and smooth on the palate with a fruity cherry flavour. Crisp strong and warming coffee and whisky finish.

Draft: Penetrable ebony. Thin yet creamy caramel head. Earthy, claylike oakiness with notes of black cherry, dark chocolate, toffee, port and brown sugar. Softly carbonated. Slick body. Tangy and viscously layered with black licorice and sweet plums. Borderline flabby despite the forceful roast and nutty oak. Dabs of molasses and chocolate fudge pillar the core as they saturate the palate. Brisk, salty tannins steadily gain intensity and neutralize the pungent malt aspects and chewy residual sweetness as the beer reaches room temperature. Closes with a flash of nougat, vanilla and pleasingly soft oak while the tongue-coating molasses, soy sauce and port-steeped plum medley lingers on the palate. Surprisingly good.

Draught at the Pumphouse Strong Ale Festival. Perfect appearence, black with a dark head. Fairly nice fudge and roast aroma. Flavor is heavy hops, some roast and very light oak flavors.

Thin gray head, body is opaque. Light chocolate aroma. Taste is big roasted malt and chocolate. Solid hops thoughout, bitter. Med oaky flavors, nice balance against the bitterness. Fruitiness in the finish. Solid.

Draught at 4th Annual Wildland Firefighters Benefit & Festival at the Pumphouse in Longmont CO. Pours opaque with a small tan frothy and patchy head. Aroma is dark roasted chocolate malt (meal) and alcohol with trace yeast. Dark caramel and chocolate, toffee malt, bitter hops (grapefruit rind) that is drying, meal, straw, fiant oak flavors. Dark bodied, fizzy and dry palate.

Sampled at the 5th Annual Wildland Firefighters Benefit & Festival. Beer is nearly opaque dark brown with a small, tan, creamy, mostly and quickly diminishing head.<P>The aroma is moderately malty with notes of roasted grain, coffee, light-to-moderate chocolate, caramel and cookie, light note of molasses; Lightly-to-moderately hoppy with a note of resin/pine, trace floral; Yeasty with traces of bread dough; Light notes of vanilla and alcohol, moderate notes of oak and burbon, trace of stone fruit.<P>The flavor is heavily sweet, moderately bitter, lightly acidic with a long, warm finish. Big roasty rets.<P>The body full, the texture is velvety and the carbonation is average-to-lively.<P> Big, complex, engaging.

Draught. Head is fully lasting. Body is dark brown to black. Aroma is moderately malty (roasted grain, caramel, chocolate), lightly hoppy (apricot), with notes of vanilla and alcohol. Flavor is heavily sweet, lightly acidic, lightly bitter. Finish is moderately sweet, lightly acidic, moderately bitter. Medium to full body, velvety/creamy texture, lively carbonation, moderately alcoholic. A little vanilla-heavy at first (no complaints here, as I love that smell), but really rich and nicely improved (richer, smoother, softer) from the regular Backdraft. Yummy.