Samuel Smiths Imperial Stout

Brewed by Samuel Smith
Style: Imperial Stout
Tadcaster, England

Pours black with creamy, dense brown head. The aroma is rich, earthy and full of roasted, chocolaty malts. Flavor is a rich, full rounded toasty malt character. Hints of dark chocolate, burnt raisins, woodiness. The alcohol content is perfect and well hidden with the perfect warming on the palate and the stomach. The background flavors in this imperial have so much complexity it’s hard to pinpoint them all. A perfectly balanced Imperial, with nothing overpowering. Finishes smooth with a lingering earthy smoky note.

Re-Rate 08/07/02: I guess many think this beer has slipped over the years, and that the clear bottle decreases its flavor. I have had this bottle since August of 2001 so its a year plus old. Color, is ’Black as The Mid-Pacific on a cloudy night’, the head is quite decent, light chocolate in color, the lace is thick sheets clinging to the glass. Nose ’Ah the Nose’, toasted grains, bitter-sweet chocolate, caramel, malt and one of the ’More Sniffable’ beers around. Front is sweet, creamy rich, the top is full, the finish has a nice crisp acidc bite, dry and a quite acceptable hop presence. Still one of the best ’Stouts’ on the ’Beer market’ today, yesterday and it will be tomorrow. This is one brewery that loves its beer and the drinkers who buy their products. Ranks #119 on my current 1000 beer list.

Well worth the price of admission. Smells like liquid Raisinettes. Smooth, toasty and rummy. Bitter roast and slight sulphur trailing. Beer done right. One of my special occasion beers.

Aroma of chewy chocolate, mocha, plums. Dark, thick black in both appearance and body. Taste is bready chocolate goodness, with a smooth, long lasting, long finish.

Beautiful stout, black as the night with a tall light brown head. Delicate sweet aroma of roasted malt, chocolate, smoke and liquorice. Flavor is bitter/sour with penetrating notes of malt, fruit, chocolate and coffee. Another excellent and very smooth stout from Samuel Smiths.

Almost black with a moderate but long-lasting head. The aroma was of roasted barley, dark chocolate and floral hops. The flavour had a pleasant ’rum and raisin’ edge to it, with more roasted barley. Smooth to drink - the alcohol was warming without being harsh.

Dark black color with a frothy light brown head. Malty and chocolate aroma. Chocolate flavor with notes of smoke flavor.

[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.