jjuf1853 (467), Land O Lakes, Florida, USA Apr 22, 2009 Draft at Brass Tap (Wesley Chapel, FL). Pours a dark brown, near black color with a tan head. Rich chocolate, licorice, and tobacco aromas and flavors. Nice kick from the hops. The high alcohol stands out somewhat. maugus4ever (121), Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA Apr 22, 2009 Pours black with a large dark tan head. Aroma is of roasted malts, alcohol, and molasses. Very hoppy for an Imperial Stout, but it is to be expected from Smuttynose. Great sweet flavor up front with a dry hop kick and alcohol at the finish. This is different from most Imperials I have had, but I think they are on to something. Definitely worth trying. darn1207 (528), Tallahassee, Florida, USA Apr 20, 2009 bomber. black pour with thick foamy tan head and heavy lacing. woah - aroma is like rubbing alcohol or vodka. there’ s more to it than that (pine hops, soy, light citrus) - but it’s overpowering. taste is a mint hop bitterness that drowns out the typical chocolate and coffee stout tastes. finishes warm. thin to medium texture. hard to rate - original, but doesn’t have stout qualities I typically like.
might improve with age. jvmiller (532), Bel Air, Maryland, USA Apr 18, 2009 Hoppy, alcoholic nose. Dark fruits, molasses, and more alcohol. Viscosity, darkness is a little low, it looks more like a very dark caramel. Head is frothy, deep brown color. This is a pretty standout beer, in that it stands out from the usual imperial stouts. Flavor is bitey-sweet malts, roasted chocolate coffee, and a good bout of hops as well. What struck me was a mocha character, and sort of a vinuous bitey character from the alcohol, although I wouldn’t have guessed 10%. I really like this because the flavor is powerfull, but the body is fairly thin and not syrupy, making it deliciously drinkable. It is also not terribly sweet, and lies along the bitter/dry side, although it is definitely still an imperial. I would definitely recommend! redlight (1445), Winter Park, Florida, USA Apr 17, 2009 draft @ redlight redlight. Tar and tobacco strong on the nose, with sweet dark malts with strong hop presence. Pours black with a thin tan head. Super hoppy imperial stout, the columbus and centennial come through right away with tar and intense molasses flavors, roasted malts, with vanilla and coffee with strong bitter chocolate overtones. This is an intense imperial stout! kiefdog (1534), Tampa, Florida, USA Apr 17, 2009 On tap at the Brass Tap (Tampa, FL). Pours a murky dark brown to black color with a slightly foamy tannish head. Aroma is roasted and malty with notes of floral hops, ripe dark fruit, chocolate, tobacco, hints of coffee and vanilla. Flavor is also roasted and malty with even more of a hop presence and notes of chocolate, dark fruits, caramel, toffee, some hints of brown sugar. Generally medium to full body with a floral hop finish. Pretty good but a tad too much hops for this style. zizzybalubba (335), Elizabeth City, North Carolina, USA Apr 11, 2009 Updated: Jul 9, 200922 oz. bottle from Grape & Gourmet. Pours black like you would expect from an Imperial Stout. Aroma is much hoppier than any Imperial Stout I have ever encountered. The hops are certainly present in the taste. Comes across not even like an IPA. This is certainly one of the more complex beers I have ever tasted. I’m glad I bought 2 bottles so that I can see how this one ages. Well done at the early stages of this beer but if you are buying throw your expectations out the window as to how you perceive an Imperial Stout...07/09/2009 3 months after my original review I am revisiting this beer. This is almost completely different than my original review but some of the same things are still true. Some hops are still present but no where near as detectable as they were 3 months ago. I am able to detect more smoke from the malt than when this was fresh. This is still a very interesting beer that doesn’t really seem like an Imperial Stout. I like it enough, and the price was right, that I picked up an extra bottle. I can’t wait to see what this is like at 6 or 9 months. An outstanding beer. darkguardian (506), Florida, USA Apr 10, 2009 22oz bottle. Pours black with a big tan head. Nose is completely wrong for the style with tons of citrus fruit, a slight roastiness and pine. Flavor up front is chocolate roast and then a completely overbearing hop profile that only serves to illustrate just how overly obsessed americans are with hops even when its not appropriate for the style. This beer seems more like a double IPA than anything else. The flavors are fine but its completely the wrong beer.
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