San Diego Red Star Imperial Stout

Brewed by San Diego Brewing Company
Style: Imperial Stout
San Diego, California USA

Name: Ax-Pickin Stout
Date: 12/03/2005
Mode: Draft
Source: Brewfest, Strong Ale Fest

Appearance: muddy brown with ruby edges, thin tan head,
Aroma: rich roasted malt aroma,
Body: thin body,
Flavor: light roasted flavor,

Aroma: 5/10; Appearance: 4/10; Flavor: 4/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 5/20
Rating: 1.9/5.0
Drinkability: 5/10
Score: 4
-------- /> Date: 12/02/2006
Mode: Draft
Source: Brewfest, Strong Ale Fest

Appearance: black with ruby edges, huge creamy tan head
Aroma: slightly tart roasted malt aroma
Body: creamy body
Flavor: light roasted malt flavor, a touch of tartness, big bitter finish, a bit too much astrengent malt bitterness

Aroma: 6/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 5/10; Palate: 7/10; Overall: 12/20
Rating: 3.1/5.0
Drinkability: 6/10
Score: *4

On tap @ the San Diego Strong Ale Fest. After all the IIPAs, I decided to switch it up and order an Imperial Stout. Poured a dark black with a large brown head. Nice looking. Reading DarkElf’s review, I have something similar in my notes. I wrote down ’smells kinda skunky’. Definitely tastes better than it smells. Smooth body with a light bitter finish.

On tap at the 10th Annual San Diego Strong Ale Festival: Pours a mostly opaque with dark brown edges and a dense, frothy dark tan head. Aroma of roasty caramel and black patent malts with a touch of plum fruitiness. Body starts lightly sweet and roasty drying toward a semi-tart, warming finish.

Draft: Dark brown, nose of fruity light roast and subtle coffee and chocolate. The flavor is more of a baltic porter with almost no astringency or high end hops, just intense chocolate cocoay notes. The finish is good and medium bodied. yum. Mellow, light, balanced.

Pizza Port Strong Ale Fest 05: Murky brown color with a thin off-white head. Aroma of coffee and roasted sweet malt. Notes of prunes and light chocolate. Roasted coffe flavor with a tart and tangy finish. Semi-dry finish. 7/3/5/3/13

10th Annual SD Strong Ale Fest: Very dark brown almost opaque with a medium tan head. roasty malt aroma with notes of chocolate, dark sweet fruit and candy. Roasty flavor was less complex than the aroma. Estery finish. Nice warmth. Semi-dry bitter finish.

Cask. Very sweet and too malty. Nice color and head for cask. Also tried it at Strong Ale and it was better there.

(Draft: 2004 Strong Ale Festival, Pizza Port in Carlsbad, CA. Day 2, Beer 6) WHO FARTED?!! Okay, I usually really like the specialty beers this place brews, and I am a big advocate of theirs, but this beer has some problems. Oh my God, this beer just flat out smells horrible. I swear, it smells like nasty beer farts. And it’s definitely the beer, not the slob standing next to me. There’s also a decent roasty aroma in there, but it’s hard to get past the farts. Aside from the aroma, the rest of the beer is okay, but still not as good as their other specialty brews. This tastes quite roasty, mildly sweet, and moderately bitter, so all the components are there, but overall, it’s pretty weak for an Imperial Stout. Fairly dry palate. Dark, dark brown in color, almost opaque at the edges. Pours a big tan head and shows excellent retention. Large patches of lace are deposited on the glass. I just might have to see if this is available at the brewery and I sure hope it smells better!

Dark Brown, with large lasting tan head.Malt aroma with a toffee hint. Swet malt flavor lightly roasted but lacking in body.