Red Star Derailed Imperial Stout

Date: 07/24/2007
Mode: Draft
Source: Brewpub

black, fine brown head, lots of patterened lace, faint dry roasted malt aroma, big thick body, rich dark chocolate and roasted malt aroma, just enough sweetness to balance the dark malts, nice long bitter finish,

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 8/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 7/10; Overall: 13/20
Rating: 3.5/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: **+/4

Of all the beers I’ve tasted at Red Star, this is definitely the most offensive. IMHO Red Star is usually known for their gentle and impressive lager variations. IF you like imp stout you otta get a growler of this stuff. I’m not an imp stout lover so ignore my numbers and just read the text if you are a liker of that style. Imperial stout aroma and appearance. Barely any head but lots of cool looking lacing. Very little if any carbonation greets the palate. Oppressive bitterness on the initial slug that is so common with many imp stouts. Bitter back of throat impression like somebody made me eat a piece of meat that was cooked way to long and charred on the grill. Oh yes, imp stout style to the max. Such a contrast to the rest of the beers I’ve had at Red Star! Overall, imp stouts are just a little too much for my girlie taste buds. Not quite as good as Old Heathen but I liked Old Heathen because it is a bit milder than most imp stouts.

Sampled on draft at the brewery this beer poured pitch black with a large dark brown head that lingered. The aroma was fairly strong roasty malts, coffee and floral hops. The flavor was dry, very roasty and had elements of bitter coffee, toffee and floral hops. There was a long bitter roasty finish. The beer had a fairly thick mouthfeel.