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Smuttynose Imperial Stout

Smuttynose Imperial Stout - Imperial Stout

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 Percentile 
99
overall
Brewed by Smuttynose Brewing Company
Style: Imperial Stout

Portsmouth, New Hampshire USA

bottled
common

on tap
common

Broad Distribution
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 Ratings  Average  Score  Seasonal  ABV  Style Pctl  Serve in 
6073.96/5.03.94/5.0Winter10.1%84.2Snifter
View Statistics  P 

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?  
 PhillyHomeBrew (176), Forest Hills, New York, USA
3.7 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/103/57/104/516/20
Jun 11, 2008  
this beer is very dark brown with a bit of a tan cloudy head. There is a bit of the coffee aroma, but more chocolate. It I’d a creamy beer with tons of the coffee bitterness.


 zathrus13 (1288), Mount Laurel, New Jersey, USA
4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/58/104/516/20
Jun 5, 2008  
Pours dark brown, with a light brown head. Aroma is roasted malt, hops, chocolate, and coffee. Flavor is chocolate, roasted malt, hops, and coffee. Nice, but a bit too hoppy.


 ironchefscott (341), portland, Oregon, USA
4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/58/104/516/20
Jun 2, 2008  
wow I was really suprised by this beer really nice nose of coffee and chocolate malts...a little carbonated just missing a little complexity that would carry this over to greatness 08 vintage


 pforei (338), USA
3.8 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/105/58/104/514/20
May 29, 2008  
Black color with small dark head. Lovely C hop heavy citrus and perfume aroma with strong roasted malt and coffee with some licorice. Taste is similar, but with more licorice tartness, which turns into alcohol at the finish. Full bodied. I enjoy the brashness of this beer, but would also like to try it a year from now.


 MaltOMeal (642), Land of Sugar, Texas, USA
3.9 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/105/57/104/516/20
May 24, 2008  
22oz bomber thanks to Sparky27. Pours dark brown into black with beautiful brown head. Smell is of chocolate, alcohol and some hops and chemical I can’t name. Taste is of cocoa powder. Mouthfeel is medium-to-thick and dry with some hop bitterness.


 tylerss20 (101), New Hampshire, USA
3.3 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/104/56/104/512/20
May 22, 2008  
Hmm...I am a big fan of the big beer series. This brew...perhaps I just mishit this one, but I was not wowed. Excellent pour, dark as night without much crown. Chocolate and coffee are present in aroma, but are strong-armed by piney hops. Taste reflects smell. It’s good, but for me the balance was way off. The thick malt character was bullied too much by the hop presence. Very full, rich, and potent brew. But not my favorite.


 JB175 (1654), Bucks County, Pennsylvania, USA
4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/58/104/516/20
May 19, 2008  
2006 bottle. Blackish color with a powerfully bitter chocolate/coffee/roasty/aggressively hopped aroma. Flavor dominated by coffee and chocolate with lots of strong hop bitterness. Strong mouthfeel - very aggressive stuff. A bit more "smoothness" and some time could put this one into the top 10-15 impy stouts, but not as well put together as the best. Still damn tasty.


 gwpom (246), Akron, New York, USA
4.5 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
9/105/59/104/518/20
May 17, 2008  
22 oz bottle. Powerful aroma hitting the nose from across the room. The head took it’s time appearing, came on a nice chocolate brown, then faded away to allow the black gold to be tasted. The flavor is as powerful as the aroma, sliding down the palate saying, ’Oh, you’re gonna like me.’ I best quit typing now... this one is going to kick my ass.



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