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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?  
 sstackho (249), Toronto, Ontario, Canada
4.3 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
9/104/59/104/517/20
May 16, 2008  
22oz bottle purchased from Bauer Wines in Boston. Pours black with a light brown head. The aroma is unexpected - very hoppy. Oh, now this is nice - if you like the hops. Hop dominated flavour up front, hops linger in the taste and then chocolate notes appear in the aftertaste. Definitely the hoppiest "imperial stout" I’ve had. More IPA than stout in many ways. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. Me likey!


 jimbowood (947), Athens, Georgia, USA
4.3 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
10/104/57/104/518/20
May 15, 2008  
bottle. Wow, huge piney hop nose reminiscent of fresh alpha klaus. This is a very good imp stout. Malty flavor with huge hop nose. Very good.


 BOLTZ7555 (1053), Phoenix, Arizona, USA
3.7 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/103/58/103/516/20
May 14, 2008  
Bottle acquired from both Tweety & jjpm74...not upset I have a second!!! A very tasty brew that begins mahogany/black with a milk chocolate head that grows after an aggressive pour. Aroma of roasted coffee and freshly baked brownie, with an obvious hop presence. Not sure I enjoyed it but it definitely adds to the beer’s uniqueness. 10.1% is nearly invisible...liked it!!!


 Vas19 (293), Maryland, USA
4.1 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/58/104/517/20
May 12, 2008  
2008 Bottle. Pours black with minimal tan head. Strong citrus hop aroma with only the slightest hint of roastedness; I have never smelled an imperial stout like this. Beautiful initial sweet hoppiness that moves to a dry roasted coffee finish. Very unlike any other imperial stout I have had, it has the hoppiness level of an IPA. Somehow this works however. Delicious beer.


 DocHop (278), Baltimore, Maryland, USA
4.3 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
9/103/59/104/518/20
May 12, 2008  
2008 bottle: Pours a dark, syrupy, fudge brown with almost no light brown head. Unbelievably hoppy aroma that nearly completely masks the roasted coffee and chocolate smells. Wow, what a unique imperial stout! The taste is a sweet, malty coffee and chocolate at first with some great piney notes. Then a great hop finish that draws out some overripe dark fruits and a slightly dry bitterness. The overall body is very palatable.


 Skeegle (476), Maryland, USA
4.6 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
10/105/59/105/517/20
May 10, 2008  
This beer met and exceeded my expectations. It poured a thick oily black of the likes of world class brews such as Ten Fidy and Expedition, and while the beer had a full body and complex flavours, it had better drinkability than the big stouts I have tried. I am suprised this is not world class rated. Chunks of brown goo float around the bottle and the beer stains your glass dark brown after every sip you take. This was one heck of a pleasant surprise, and that’s coming in with super high expectations.


 pantanap (1323), Chicago, Illinois, USA
3.9 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/58/104/515/20
May 10, 2008  
22oz bottle given to me by BrianK at DLD08. thank you sir..... pours pretty much how an imperial stout should. black or very clost to it with a moderate tan head that seemed to leave a little too soon.... nose of chocolate and roasty malts. nothing too suprising in this regard..... flavor was very smooth with evenness spread out between the chocolate, roast, coggee, and even some hops. carbonation level wasn’t too high, just about right. good mouthfeel. warming.....this def. holds up to some of the higher profile impy stouts. solid all-around.


lightning9191 (82), Christiansburg, Virginia, USA
4.4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/105/59/104/518/20
Apr 30, 2008  
This beer pours syrupy with about a quarter inch of head that quickly disappears. The aroma of this is surprisingly very hoppy. I didn’t read the bottle other then the name so this was a good surprise. The aroma is Cascade with some malt in the background. The flavor is similar to this. The first flavors you get are the Cascade hops and then the beer charges into your typical imperial stout flavors (chocolate, coffee, syrupy, delicious). The beer has a heavy body with low carbonation, which is perfect. I really enjoy this beer and will have to move it into my rotation more often.



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