Saint Arnold Divine Reserve #5

Formerly brewed at Saint Arnold Brewing Company
Style: Imperial Stout
Houston, Texas USA

Flat and oily dark brown appearance. Chocolate and burnt plum aroma, with light molasses overtones. Chewy palate, rather burnt-tasting with molasses and dark fruits. Slightly sticky, slightly hot finish.

rich malty, hints of coffee and chocolate. nice frothy head. has a sweet taste and nice finish. This one works well with red meat. I had a few with a nice ribeye. My wife even liked this one

A vigorous pour yields an almost three-finger thick, light-cocoa brown colored head. The beer is a pitch black color and quite opaque. The aroma is quite fruity with a substantial burnt prune note to it. Aromas of blackened molasses, a touch of licorice, and a mix of sweetened coffee & chocolate liquors. Toasted malt & toasted bread notes add another layer underneath the straight up roasted aromas. A burnt, almost broccoli-like, vegetal note is here in the aroma, though it is not entirely surprising as I have been finding this more and more in Imperial Stouts recently, it is a bit off-putting; this note really seems to dominate the aroma after a short bit of exploring the nose.

Slightly viscous, with a velvety texture that coats the mouth. The beer is sweet up front, but is substantially dried out by an ample, burnt, roast grain character that is in the finish. This roast grain character contributes to a solid bitterness that is also contributed by a nice hop bite. The hop bitterness is a bit more forward in the flavor profile though, with the burnt bitter notes lingering on in a very long finish. Concentrated flavors of black coffee, sharp espresso and burnt prunes / burnt raisins are all quite noticeable. The burnt-vegetal note of the aroma is here in the taste, in fact it is quite noticeable during each and every sip. Luckily, after 45 minutes from popping the cap, the beer seems to be losing that burnt-rancid-vegetal note some; it is still here, but plays a much less significant role.

This is a very roast dominated brew, even by Imperial Stout standards, though I would not quite call it over the top in that regard. It has just enough body and malt richness to hold the burnt notes from becoming over-bearing. Unfortunately there is the burnt, green-vegetal note that is both in the aroma and in the flavor, otherwise this would be a really good beer. With this off note the beer is still drinkable and even mostly enjoyable, just not the beer that it could be. If you have the patience you might want to let this breath for an hour or so before drinking and this seems to lessen the impact of the off-character.

Word to Rollinhard for sending this one. Big prune aroma with some licorice in there. Very reminiscient of a barley wine. Flavor of roasted coffee malt. A surprisingly light body with a fade into a bit of a sweetness at the end. Some bitter hop flavor lasts a while too. Sort of like a cocoa chocolate texture to it. Pretty good if you ask me.

bottle courtesy of The Beer Cellar. pours a deep black with a very small tan head. strong roasted malty aroma, lots of chocolate and some alcohol peeking through. wonderful palate... full of chocolate, coffee and alcohol that evenly flows throughout the mouth... nice strong finish, although a bit thin. I’m really glad I was able to have one of these...

thick anise and cocoas, toffee wonderful texture, sweet without being cloying, evident alcohol, evident hops may dampen your divine ice cream float experiment. very groovy. sparkles in the glass. THANKS FLY!

Poured into a snifter. Body is completely black, more satanic than divine. Head is mocha-brown and thick. Lots of lacing. Aroma is quite fruity with some raisin and dark berry. Bitter chocolate and a sugary sweetness, maybe vanilla? Nice balance of chocolate and dark fruit in the flavor, with alcohol appearing underneath the latter with a peppery quality. Some roastiness in the finish. Mouthfeel is full and sumptuous. Booze is subdued, finish is pretty dry.

Bottle shared by jsquire at jsquire’s. Small tan head that mostly diminished, virtually no lacing, opaque, no visible carbonation, and a near black hue. Nose was malty, roasty, coffee, chocolate, and hops. Ditto for the flavor along with some richness, a dry finish and the ABV was not overly done. Mouthfeel was smooth and dry. Medium in body. A very quaffable beer, a delight to drink, would definitely drink this one again if it came my way, and most definitely worthy of a try.