Samuel Smiths Imperial Stout

Brewed by Samuel Smith
Style: Imperial Stout
Tadcaster, England

Awesome, what more can be said about it. Full bodied, nice sweet aroma. Rich and complex. The flavors are dark, roasted malt, nice hop blend. Warms you up as it goes down. Awesome beer.

Thick heavy roasted malt flavor. Nice sweet taste.

New Upgrade, 7/7. Damn, it just keeps growing on me. I was mighty tempted to give this a 9 on aroma, too, and put this way up there at the top among my favorite beers. As it is, it now takes sole posession of 2nd place at 4.7. My goodness, this is some good shite. Among Imperials, it’s more drinkable than the Kalamazoo Bell’s Expedition Stout, so that’s a plus. I can’t wait to try the other Imperials in the RateBeer Top 50, because this stuff is damn good!

Up-grade, 6/21. From 4.3 to 4.5. Gotta say, after a second try, I really love this. Competes with the very best that I’ve tried for top spot in my heart. Stouts usually don’t do it for me, but maybe the Imperials will. Original 4/26 comments below:

What a hearty beer. I can tell how this is a beer-lover’s beer. My first imperial stout, and I like it! Thick, dark. Almost pitch black. Mild aroma. Little head. Sweet, fruity, rich, smooth taste, thick & heavy mouthfeel. Goes down very smooth. I get hints of chocolate and coffee in the aroma and taste. The more chocolate in a dark beer, the better, I say. :-) Yeah, lots of complexity going on. An enriching, satisfying beer.

Full of taste and life. So many good things going on with this beer. Perfect amount of sweetness. Pretty brown head. Flavorfull to the last drop. I can only ask to get it in a bigger bottle!

That Sam Smith makes some of the best beer around. Better than the Oatmeal Stout, I wish it came in the large bottles too. A little light compared to the new breed of American imp Stouts, but you can taste the breeding in this refined beer. Never disappoints.

Beautiful opaque blackness, with a dull hint of maroon showing through if you hold it up to a bright light. Nice malty aroma. Superb body. Good but not overpowering hop presence. A definite hint of baker’s chocolate in the flavor. Bitter, but not too bitter; quite well balanced. Pleasant finish, though not as warm as I would like. A winner!

Drinkable velvet? Very smooth, great palate. I wish it didn't come in a clear bottle, though. Rerate, March 2004. I was surprised to find that A: Imperial Sout is my highest rated style, and B: This was my highest rated Imperial. So I drank one for the first time in a year or so and can say that it is a damn fine beer. Just not quite 4.7 fine, as I had originally rated it.

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.