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Smuttynose Imperial Stout

Percentile
99
overall

bottled
common

on tap
common

Broad Distribution
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RatingsAverageScoreSeasonalABVStyle PctlServe in
6103.96/5.03.94/5.0Winter10.1%84.1Snifter
Commercial Description:
After a one year hiatus the Imperial Stout is back in action. We figured that after catching a bit of flack for its absence we’d have it return with a bang. We bumped up the starting gravity from 20° P to 24° P. This allowed the beer to finish just over 10% ABV. Like this year’s Barleywine, we’ve decided to play with the hop character, specifically the dry hop presence. Trying to avoid the fiasco of my previous attempt at adding pellets to the fermentor, I did what any good manager would do: I made Charlie add them. He had the advantage of being able to add the hops directly through a top manway and so his besting me in this challenge is not necessarily a sign of his superior brewing skills but more a reflection of my adventurous, try anything spirit (or at least that’s the story I’m stickin’ to). The Charles added 44 lbs of Cascade, split evenly between two batches, or about half a pound per barrel. We then transferred the beer onto seventy-eight pounds of an even mixture of Centennial and Columbus whole flowers, about one pound per barrel. The beer is a little top heavy in terms of the hopping but it seems to be smoothing out a bit as it’s aging. I’d give it six months or so, if you can wait that long. If not, hey, enjoy it anyway.
 Most Recent Top Raters Highest Ratings Who's Rated This?  
 badbeer (433), Iowa, USA
3.8 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
9/104/57/104/514/20
Jul 5, 2008    Updated: Oct 27, 2008
Note: Need to re-rate this for the 2008 version which is incredible. 2006: Pours out black, with a tan head, leaving some lacing, but the head remains throughout the glass. Smells is full of piney hops, some maltiness, but hops seem to be at the forefront. Taste had a little bit of a vegetable taste at first, but I’m glad it’s short lived. From there, the taste has a nice pineyness to it, and then shifts more towards the roasty and chocolate tastes. Little more than medium bodied, medium carbonation. Pretty good, I don’t know that I’d buy this often though. Worthy of a try


 blipp (1638), Newark, New Jersey, USA
4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/105/58/104/516/20
Jun 28, 2008  
Bottle (2007). Pours almost black with abrown head. Roasted malt aroma with coffe, fruit, dark chocolate and a hint of alcohol. Full body. Flavor is very strongly roasted, but with nice notes of smoke and coffee. Like all of these Smutty beer’s. very nice, and very affordable.


 fishingnet (1045), Brandon, Florida, USA
4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/58/104/516/20
Jun 24, 2008    Updated: Jun 25, 2008
Bottle courtesy tpd975. Pours black with a one finger mostly lasting tan head that leaves good lacing. Aroma of chocolate, dark fruit, coffee, and sweet caramel. Taste is the same as aroma. Medium mouthfeel with a moderate amount of bitterness and smooth alcohol. Very good.


 KieferUGA (461), Atlanta, Georgia, USA
3.9 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/103/58/103/517/20
Jun 22, 2008  
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.


Jschecter (13), USA
4.4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/105/59/104/518/20
Jun 22, 2008  
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.


hoooraybeer (48), Cranford, New Jersey, USA
4.2 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/105/57/105/517/20
Jun 21, 2008  
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.


 Alldaydrinker (558), Norwood, Massachusetts, USA
4.2 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
9/104/58/104/517/20
Jun 20, 2008  
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.


 Drink4Satan (585), Bristol, Rhode Island, USA
4.1 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/59/103/517/20
Jun 20, 2008  
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.



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