Samuel Smiths Imperial Stout

Brewed by Samuel Smith
Style: Imperial Stout
Tadcaster, England

Poured black. Aroma was tangy and sweet. Reminded me of a sweaty foot or sock. Roasted malt flavor was also tangy with a bitter finish. Medium bodied with an alcoholic taste on finish.

Poured a deep brown, almost black with a great looking 1/4" caramel colored head. The pour wasn’t as thick as your typical impy, but it certainly wasn’t weak. Aroma contained some deep burnt malt, chocolate, and some indistinguishable dark fruit. Aroma doesn’t surface until the brew warms up a bit. Medium mouth-feel with little carbonation... very smooth. Flavor picks up the roasted malts, chocolate, licorice, and some caramel. Alcohol is present, but non-invasive. As with the oatmeal stout, I wonder what this beer could do if it was unpasteurized and unfiltered...

Glad to have shared it as I couldn't get through the pint. Beautiful dark colour and barley wine taste. Chicory roasted and not too coffee was a plus. Creamy and bit chewy-was that supposed to be? Nice carbonation. Judging by the label, its been brewed for over 100 years so it was nice to participate in a tradition. Not the best Samuel Smith.

Bottle (550ml). Had been put away for about 7 months. I admit up front, I love the Sam Smith beers (not the Organic), but this is the best - I dream of having it on cask! Wonderfully dark, nicely active, very strong flavours of apple, licorice, plums/prunes, chocolate, deeply roasted malts - the list goes on. Poured it half-cold, sipped it slowly, room temperature at the end --- bloody lovely, almost want to change my rating to 19/20

Bottle 550 ml, Appearance: dark brown, almost black. Large espresso tanned, creamy head, with loose froth in the centre. Brisk, sparkly with fragmental lacing. 5- Aroma: dried prunes, plum with sweet fruity side on dark roast field, toasted barley, hint of mocha with cream, slight vanilla. 8- Flavour/Palate: full bodied. Heavy filling with creamy texture. Mild roast bitterness, black malts with slight brown malty feel on side. Alcohol well hidden. Great chocolate mocha finish. Alcohol lighter than younger brothers. Complex, very satisfying imperial stout.

Jan 2006 Bottle, approximately two years old. Black body, big creamy beige head. Boozey, anise and amaretto, mild roast malt and bits of licorice in the aroma. Mild roast flavour with prominent alcohol over raisins, notes of boozey licorice. Medium palate. Alcohol is a bit harsh actually, much more so than when it was fresh. 4/7/7/4/14<P> April 2004 Bottle. Black body with a light beige head. Nice sweet malty flavour with a touch of dark cocoa roasty bitterness in the finish. Slightest hint of dark fruits at times. Leaves behind a nice film on the glass. 8/4/8/4/16

Eclipse Black color. Nice big frothing foamy head. Its alive..Its alive..Its alive... Aroma is chocolate and plums. A full-bodied stout. Deeply roasted chocolate malts. Deep and rich chocolate flavor. Very flavorful and complex. Chocolate, coffee, caramel and fruit. Some hop bite. Nice beer. Worth trying. Mouthfeel is full and round. Finish is clean and dry. Aftertaste is slightly bitter.

This brew poured asmall head of fie to large sized mostly diminishing brown colored bubbles that left behind a fair lacing and an opaque black body with no visible carbonation. It had a strong dark malt aroma that reminded us of sweaty gym socks and a hint of ammonia. The mouthfeel was smooth and tingly with a lingering tingly finish. It also had a very nice dark malt and mild coffee flavor with a very well hidden mild alcohol content.