Smuttynose Imperial Stout

22 oz. bottle. 2008 vintage. Pours a dark brown with thin, tan head. Big hoppy aroma, some dark chocolate. Flavor is big and bold. Roasted malts, bittering chocolate, and some piney hops. Finish is smooth and slightly bitter.

I had this at a small bar up in Salem Mass, but can’t seem to find it at many places back in NYC. From what I remember, it was a clean drinking, very fresh tasting beer.

Head is coffee tan creamy but disapated quickly. Aroma is raisins and coffee. Mouthfeel is creamy. Flavor is dark fruit: cherries, raisins, currants. You get a creamy choclolate and smokey wood quickly followed up with the fruits and then back to an espresso and smoked oak. Alcohol flavor is present but balances well with the creamy cocoa. The raisin, espresso stays around for a while. It’s got a lot of barleywine character and that makes it different from some of the really good Imp. Stouts. It’s very good.

Courtesy of drink4satan, thanks mike. Pours a opaque dark brown color witha small brown head. Nose of fresh hops that appetize the nose to learn more, cocoa, coffee and hint dark fruits. Initial taste of beautiful mix of hops that coat the palate with cocoa and coffee. Mid palate displays some of the dark fruits. Finishing continuely hoppy and cocoa. Mild chalky finish. Palate duration is excellent. Mouthfeel is light to medium which makes the beer extremely drinkable while it suprisingly maintained it’s complexity and flavor very well. Good head retention and some spot lacing of the glass. The abv is masked very well with only little warmth occuring in the finish. Very delicous.

The pour produces a pitch black colour with a small, sturdy, tan head that leaves spotty lacing. The nose has a heavier emphasis on hops than it does malts, yet as it warms, it balances out more. Notes of pine, citrus, espresso, black cherry and cocoa. The hops really do smell ’fresh.’ The flavour is similar, no surprises. Roasted malts, coffee, loads of dried fruits, smoke, chocolate and minimal booze. The palate is a bit chalky, medium-bodied and finishing very dry. The finish is long and leaves notes of dried fruit and smokey malts.

Glass: snifter Purchased at: Towne Wine and Liquor, Princeton, NJ Price: $5.49 Size: 22 fl oz ABV: 10.1% IBU: n/a Estimated Calories: 400 C RateBeer Rating: 99 Aural: quiet opening, quiet carbonation, uneventful pour Aroma 10 out of 10 Intensity: strong Balance: sweet Impression: nice Malt Aroma: barley, Italian bread, white refined sugar, dark roast coffee Hops Aroma: citrus, burning Other Aroma: hamburger, steak, lamb Notes: a very meaty finish. Appearance 4 out of 5 Color: black Clarity: opaque Head Retention: poor Lace: poor Notes: While the head is missing, the presence is amazing. Deep, dark, permeating. Flavor 10 out of 10 Intensity: strong Balance: bitter Impression: nice Malt Flavor: nut caramel coffee Hops Flavor: earth floral resin citrus Other: fruit Notes: An amazingly deep flavor with fruit, hops, and depth. Palate 5 out of 5 Mouthfeel Sensation: drying warming Body: full Carbonation: average Finish Length: long Intensity: strong Balance: bitter Notes: A beautful finish to a great beginning. General Impression: 19 out of 20 Craftmanship: excellent Freshness: fresh Personal Taste: loved Notes: A great mouthfeel and finish.

22oz bottle-pours a rich brown milkshake head and oil black color. Aroma is sweet dark malt-licorice, secondary hops. Taste is sweet dark malt-licorice/anise/tar, wood, secondary hops-sharp bite/citrus, dark fruit. Good carbonation. Nice. Not usually my taste.

This pours a black as night with a small tan foamy head with lots of malts and chocolate flavors,abv shows up as it warms and coffee flavors stand out witha a bitter finish 22oz bottle i had in cellar and i am cleaning it out to make my move south and this was one of my gems overall a very good beer.CHEERS!