Samuel Smiths Imperial Stout

Not by any means a bad beer, but disappointing for an Imperial Stout. Pours a heavy black oil with an audible fizz like pop. Aroma is of vinegar and berries, coffee. Flavor is of tar, coffee, motor oil, and cigar butts, all of which can be a good thing in a RIS, but this one has no sweet flavors to counterpoint or synergize with. This is a huge drawback in my personal opinion. I don’t want it to be a candy bar, that’s not what I’m saying at all. It just could employ some of the flavors that do the modern RIS greats like toffee, caramel, brown sugar, whiskey/liqueur, etc. To be honest, it’s hard to take a RIS seriously that is only 7% anyhow. Decent overall, but highly overrated.

Smells of sweet alcoholic coffee. Pours deep black with a huge, thick, foamy brown head. WOW, lots of dark fruitiness for a stout, not just a toasted pitch black beer. Along with a sweet caramel and a bit of chocolate, each sip is a blast of prune, dark grape, plum. All malt. Thick, creamy mouthfeel. Superb, I’ll be drinking this again- love the fruity notes in here. The only thing bad I have to say is that it could have used a higher ABV.

I would like to think that my love affair with Samuel Smith beers is but a one-sided love. My forlorn and smitten amore would like to believe that as much as I love Samuel Smith Brewing and their beers, they love me just as much back, if not more. I’ve enjoyed their Taddy Porter, Pure Brewed Lager, India Pale Ale, Organic Lager, and Nut Brown Ale. Today I finally get to surrender myself to the velvety black depths of her Imperial Stout of which I have only heard blessings and praise.
She poured an oil-black into my Samuel Smith glass. A huge head of rich cappuccino tinged foam at least three fingers thick tops of my glass, fading slowly into a nicely soft and poufy layer on top of her black brew. Thick brussels lace adorns the glass with a couple swirls while her rich roasted malts reach for my nose. Sweet, almost overly toasted dark malts replete with licorice, dark prunes, caramelized pralines, and a tinge of freshly drawn espresso in the background. My first quaff is a veritable explosion of rich, creamy chocolates with a one-two punch of espresso and sweet roasted nuts. I got pralines in the nose, though almost any crunchy bitter yet sweet nut could fit the profile. Amazing. A nice dry finish after the quaff brings to mind lemon zest. A touch of soft oats in the mouthfeel, kind of like oatmeal, though the Samuel Smith Imperial Stout is most definitely not an oatmeal stout. Each quaff leaves lingering brussels laces. As she warms the chocolate notes intermingle between sweet milk and dark chocolate with licorice and coffee notes. A pleasant and mild-aftertaste that leaves my palate dry with lemons and sweet caramelized nuts.
An impressive Imperial Stout, Samuel Smith once again does not disappoint me and proves that our love is not a one-sided affair. She loves me as much as I love her. A well balanced Imperial Stout and a good starter stout for someone wanting to explore the darker and richer side of beer.

Cockney Pub, Aarhus, DK. Bottled. Black with brown head. Aroma of roasted barley, Flavor is balanced sweet of caramel and chocolate. Some yeast and a hint of alcohol.

Bottle... Poured oil black with a light brown head. Aroma of cereal-like barley grains and a caramel sweetness. Went down very smooth and very robust on the tongue. Delicious flavors of chocolate, malt, and a mild yeasty-ness that went toward some alcohol. Left a resonating cocoa finish. Very delicious.