Samuel Smiths Imperial Stout

Re-rate: 550 ml bottle from the Utah State Store. Pours a very dark brown color with a nice medium brown head. The initial flavor is heavy, bitter roasted malts. Later, it moves toward a milky chocolate flavor. Some Iron as well. Shares a lot of the characteristics of a Guinness FES. Bottle. Pours as close to black as it gets with a small head. The taste is first a bitter hop which goes down as you drink it. Also a nice malt with some sweetness and a great alcohol bite. Great.

Bottled imperial pint. Pours jet black with a thick creamy caramel head. The aroma is sweet and exudes smells of fruit, caramel, and chocolate. Definitely makes the mouth water. The taste is a bit thin for an imperial. You definitely get the hints of coffee, toffee and your standard stout flavors but this one feels a bit watered down. A good but not great imperial stout.

Bottled and enjoyed in the company of FatPhil. Raisins, smoke, figs on the nose. Black with a light-brown small, thick head. Taste tar, smoke, some ripe fruit. Fairly dry. Tar in the finish as well.

Dark and strong look with a nice head. Everything an imperial stout should be and more. Aromas of malt, coffee, chocalate, and prune. These add complexity to the taste and it finishes with some nice alcholic bitterness.

Bottle. Great smoky and chocolate aroma. Syrupy flavor and without being heavy. This brew does a fantastic job of concealing the alcohol. I am used to the American Imperial stouts, so it is interesting to try a British imperial stout. This is a classic brew.

What every imperial stout should be measured against. Smells of coffee, smoke, and chocolate. Very dark, but not completely opaque. It has a smoothness on palate and flavor that I have yet to find in an american stout. Heavily hopped to near perfection. It’s too bad a local bar doesnt have this on cask.

Bottle. Pours a deep dark brown not quite opaque with a thick falling head. Like a Guinness with bigger bubbles. The aroma contained brown sugar, raisins, vanilla, coffee and mocha. The taste was a bit metallic with a strong coffee overtone. It was a bit bitter to start but the bitterness waned as it warmed. Unfortunately the beer was a little bit thin.

22oz bomber. Pours a near opaque black with fluffy beige head. Nose of caramel, chocolate, East Kent Goldings(?) hops, oh so smooth mouthfeel accompanied by strong roasted smoky peatiness with touches of espresso, like a lactose sweetness followed up with solid hop bitters. A total delight, and a real classy take on the style.