Samuel Smiths Imperial Stout

Brewed by Samuel Smith
Style: Imperial Stout
Tadcaster, England

Bottle: Strong chocolate and black licorice aromas. Light coffee and light alcohol in the nose as well. Pours a dark brown, virtually black, but looks a little thinner coming out of the bottle than you’d expect from an imperial. Nice big tan head with good retention. Great lacing. Coffee, licorice, and raisin in the taste the front. Chocolate really seems to come more in the finish which diminishes the black coffee bitterness. Alcohol is virtually covered up 100%. Flavors are nice but not as strong as most imperials.

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.

$2.29 12 oz. (355 ml) single at Total Wine & More in Kennesaw, Georgia. Appearance: Pours a decidedly black body with an expansive, light khaki-colored head. Smell: Lightly chocolaty, roasted malt nose with notes of soy sauce, aged, though basic port wine, apples, and black licorice. Taste: Roasted barley grains with touches of unsweetened chocolate and caramel with an earthy, soy sauce-esque taste running through the flavor. Hint of licorice and ripe red apples. Bits of sweetness pick up here and there. Splash of spiced prune juice. Very, very distant buttery hint. Small hints of yeast and alcohol. Finishes fruity, with a very slight metallic hint creeping into the aftertaste. Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Medium carbonation. Slight, oat-esque creaminess to the mouthfeel. Drinkability: Still a fine, decent RIS, even with those dirty nickels. But, if I had my druthers, I’d reach for a Taddy Porter instead.

Thanks Chuck! This beer has a rocky cream of chocolate wheat looking head that laces excellently atop an ultra dark brown body. The aroma is roasted barley, burnt malts, raisins, and dates. The flavor is complex. Rich roasted malts and lactose dominate the flavor. (Yes, I realize its not a sweet stout). Raisins lurk at the finish along with bitter chocolate. The palate is full bodied and well carbonated. 8-4-8-4-17 = 4.1 >>>> resampled a bottle of this from Matt that was an unknown vintage. the aroma was lactose and weird hops. Almost comes off as sour but isn’t. The flavor is chocolatey and charcoally. Light strange hops. The beer has a deep roasted malt backend. The palate is coating and roasty. The appearance was a cola body with a thin fizzy head. 7-3-5-3-12=3.0

Some coffee. Deep, dark malts with a hint of smoke. Bitter acidic hops aroma. Dark fruit and red wine. Black beer with brownish head. Silky medium carb and medium oily body. Alcohol burn, dark fruit and malty flavors. Coffee and chocolate and bits of acidity. Bitterness, vapory, oak. A little sourness. Really nice stout. Had some characteristics of DFHWWS, though much less sweet and thick.

Wow, just great through and through, from the full tan head and sweet smell to its smooth ending (could have a slightly more flavorful/lasting finish). Truly an excellent beer. Drank slightly chilled, mostly warm.

Sour milk smells, dark black (+red) color, low leggy tan head. Chocolate and buttery tnes. Creamy mouth and a full body.

355 ml bottle. Fermented silage mild roast and alohol for aroma. Black body with tan head that went flat. Body had a medium body texture with sweet roasted grain and alcohol flavors. Middle of the road for this style imo, but what do I know. Thought it lacked a dominant flavor like most others of this style have.