Samuel Smiths Imperial Stout

Brewed by Samuel Smith
Style: Imperial Stout
Tadcaster, England

550 ml bottle from LCBO, served at cellar temperature in a tulip glass.

App.: Deep brown-black with a nice mocha head. Aroma: Lots of dark dried fruits, molasses, nutty, rum, sweet, black licorice and its associated mintiness, some black coffee and dark chocolate, some bubblegum and banana esters, Palate: Medium+ body and almost no carbonation, slightly astringent. Flav.: Lots of molasses and some black licorice, less fruity that the nose, still a touch nutty, more wood, a slightly briny, savoury quality with a touch of soy sauce; slightly sweet but also a little bright and has some bitterness, with black coffee and licorice to finish.

A bit out of the ordinary for this style, but still a fairly substantial and tasty beer.

Bottle and one of the first stouts to have ever touched my tongue and so i have a lot of love for this brew. A black body with a tan head. Chewy chocolate light licorice, hints of roasted malt and a light bitterness. Full bodied with a slight mineral finish. Nice brew.

[2048-20090320] 550mL bottle. Mild peppermint aroma with mild fruit malt and figs. Black brown body with a big medium-lasting foamy tan head. Sweet malt flavour has more roasted malt as it progresses. Full body. Average.

aged about 6 months in bottle dark brown opaque pour. rich chocolate and date smell. nice roast and complexity. roasty chocolate in the mouth, a little think mouthfeel. very smooth though, alcohol, although relatively low for the style, is unnoticeable. decent, but id like too see a little more boldness. Not especially memorable

Bottle. Pretty big and thick malt aroma. A good amount of roasted dark malts come through with dark, nutty, caramel chocolate bar, dark cookie grains, some earth and firewood, and minor licorice. Poured with a thick, dark cream head, good retention. Not overly thick appearing for an imperial stout, but I guess it is only 7% abv, and night sky black in color. A decent feeling beer as I don’t mind the lighter feel for this strong stout, though the light carbonated cola aspect of it leaves a little to be desired as this seems to hamper the beers ability to project it’s flavors. Again, a bunch of dark roasted malted malts in the flavor here that are well balanced with some unassuming earthy, woody hops in the background. Sadly, to me the malt flavors sort of jumble together into a roasted, nutty dark malted glob with end product not exactly being my cup of tea with this kind of beer. Still, though some aspects of this one leave a little to be desired, its still a fairly decent selection overall, just not for the style.

Pours an almost pitch black with a slight fizzy brown creamy head. Aromas of roasted malt, caramel, licorice, and chocolate. Flavor is a little rich with a nice roasted malt that stays with a some wood tones, caramel and a little chocolate. A little sour with a bitter end. I really enjoyed this stout!

Not as thick and milkshakey as other imperials I’ve had, but good nonetheless. Nice rich chocolatey brown color. Malty coffee taste with some nuts and cocoa.

Watery, black pour. Thin, off-white head. Flatter and thinner texture than expected from the opaque coloring. Smells of chocolate. Initially resembles an oatmeal stout. Becomes more complex, with soy sauce and metal infused with sweet notes of dark chocolate. Slight hints of anise.