Samuel Smiths Imperial Stout

Brewed by Samuel Smith
Style: Imperial Stout
Tadcaster, England

There's a little deception with the bottle with the gold foil over the top so you're tricked into thinking you have a dark brown bottle, but as you pour it the bottle empties and it becomes a clear bottle. It pours out blubbing from its longer, thinner neck to a super thick dark brown used motor oil color, much like that of what it looks like in the bottle, a finger high head of cocoa brown, very dense whipped cream froth appears with a momentary rocky top then settles slowly down to a thin haze and the lace is in thick sticky sheets with some moth holes in it. Smell has a bunch of licorice and a touch of cherry with notes of sweet chocolate, dark toffee, and french silk pie, sweet tangy roastyness is there but modestly soft. Taste is a mild mellow mix of sweet chocolate, soft tangy roasted malts, and some fruit cake or breads, cherry mostly with some raisin and fig notions. Smooth and lasting medium body feel with some light coffeeish like drying and muffled, dulled fruity roasted tangyness in the finish which lingers for a shortened minute. Goes down easy with some carbonation that lends a somewhat flat soda pop. I just wonder if the light getting through the clear bottle is doing something to it? A solid well balanced Imperial Stout but not all that intriguing or complex really. The nose got a bit more lively as it warmed which was nice, as for the taste the warmth only brought out a flatter roastyness and lost the fruity notions that I did like at first. A great start for any would-be beer lover that wishes to aspire to better beer.

Crazy aroma of muscat, sultanas and rum. Definitely seems like they’re using a LOT of cane sugar in there. Some smoke and dark chocolate in the background. Lots going on aroma-wise but I’m not sure I really like it. Very nice malty flavour, not particularly bitter, but smooth with a salted licorice finish. Great appearance, thick head, thick body. Fascinating drinking certainly, but it smells way too much like muscat and I really don’t like muscat.
RR: the more I drink of this the more I love it. It has an amazing creamy body (moreso than their Oatmeal Stout), with loads of sultana flavours and aromas and heaps of burnt, smoky, ashy stuff. Yum. Bumping this up several points.
RR: I’ve finally finished off my stash of this beer and even four months after its BB date this is great. The sultana and sherry is still there but has subsided a little as more malt comes through. Quite smoky too. Looks fricken awesome in a brandy snifter. And to think I didn’t like this beer initially!

Black with ruby highlights and a medium tan head. Aroma of bittersweet chocolate, roast, coffee and a hint of fruit. Slightly metallic, seems to be common for the Sam Smiths I have had. Medium thick creamy body with low carbonation. A great semi-sweet flavor with notes of dark chocolate, coffee, and roast, with hints of molassess, plum, and blackberry. Excellent.

Pours black with a small brown head. Aromas of alcohol, malt, and roasted barley. Flavor is sweetly bitter then chocolate. Palate is full-bodied.

I can't imagine a more perfect sight than having SS Imperial Stout served in a SS pint. Beautiful black stout with a tan head. The nose is full of roasted grain and bitter chocolate. Some coffee is also present. The body is rich and complex. Surprisingly, the alcohol seems to play a dominate role the overall flavor. Sweet as can be with a very complex flavor. One of the easiest drinking Imp. stouts around. One word....yummie

bottle pours pitch black into a mug... black coffee, chocolate, and a slightly fruity alcohol flavor dominate. This is the imperial that I comepare others to. This is the best sam smith IMO.

Wow what a Stout!!!!!!! Molassas, figs, raisins, chocolate flavors fill your mouth with taste. Deep black color with thick head. Great nose and smooth long lasting finish. A winner!!!!!

Pours a wonderful black with just a line of brown at the edges of the glass. Thicker rocky head, mocha. nose is of sweet malts with hints of banana. Thick slightly tart syrupy body which doesnt hang around long. dry hop finish head settles to medium ring of steady carb. A fine pint of what stout should strive to be.