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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?  
 lb4lb (2011), Austin, Texas, USA
3.9 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/104/58/104/516/20
Mar 4, 2008  
Pours black with a very light bubbly sparse soapy tan head. Nose is definitely hoppy and roasty. Flavors of dark rich malty and dark chocolately bitter brownies and a very lightly bubbly but creamy flavor. Dry and cocoa like presence as well. Pretty highly hopped for an imperial stout, but still maintains the feel of the style from the massive rich dark malty flavors behind it. One of my favorites from a night of over 20 beers.


 slimchill (773), Austin, Texas, USA
4.1 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/105/58/104/517/20
Mar 4, 2008  
Bottle. Nose is big caramel and alcohol but very nice. Thick black pour with a swirly patch of a head. Huge sweetness into chocolate into coffee with a light alcohol burn in the finish. Good smooth palate with a dry finish.


jwardell (23), Newton, Massachusetts, USA
3.1 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
3/104/56/103/515/20
Mar 3, 2008  
On Tap. Just a very slight brown-ale aroma. Very dark brown appearance. Very smooth easy-drinking palate. Excellent flavor that is well balanced so as not to be too much in any direction, but dark and butter, yet almost completely masks the high alcohol.


 oreogobbler (217), Austin, Texas, USA
4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/105/57/104/517/20
Mar 3, 2008  
Pours a jet black with a creamy thin milk chocolate head. Chocolate molasses and smoke aroma. Wonderful balance of dry dark fruit flavor, dark chocolate, and smoked malts. Palate is thick and smooth and interesting. Wonderful beer.


 Svesse (2597), Hässelby, Sweden
4.3 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
9/104/59/104/517/20
Feb 26, 2008  
(Draught at Oliver Twist, Stockholm, 25 Feb 2008) Black colour with brief, brown head. Roasted, hoppy, citrussy notes with coffee, chocolate muffins, liquorice, pine needles and loads of piney, citrussy hops. Roasted, hoppy taste with notes of citrus, pine needles, resin, heavily roasted coffee, soy sauce, liquorice and serious amounts of citrussy hops in the finish. Slightly vinous with alcohol shining through towards the end. Lovely hop monster with the hops almost overshadowing the chocolate and coffe notes. Absolutely brilliant beer!


 alafito (334), tijuana, Mexico
4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
9/104/57/104/516/20
Feb 5, 2008  
Nice and smooth for an Impierial. Very little alcohol burn and lots of hops for the style. Chocolaty and Smokey with a strong bitter twinge in the finish. A bit of a Vanilla and coffee background to it. Thick and dark molases pour, with almost no head.


 Goodgrief (1144), Middletown, Delaware, USA
3.6 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/57/103/514/20
Feb 3, 2008  
July 4, 2006 - Could have been named Smuttynose Russian Imperial Pine Milk Stout. Lots of chocolate and roast and coffee flavor…but the memorable aspect was the strong pine hop presence and the lactic flavor. I’m not sure if I was crazy about this, but it was memorable.


 RblWthACoz (963), Brooklyn, New York, USA
4.7 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/105/510/105/519/20
Feb 2, 2008  
Sampled on-tap. Pours pitch black with a lasting dark tan head. Rich malts on the nose. Flavor is extremely robust with heavy malts. Thick coffee grinds there as well. The aftertaste really lasts on this one. Feel is thick on the liquid and good with the carbonation. I seem to recall Kai at the Wine Gallery in Boston telling me I really needed to try this on tap. Well thank you Kai. This beer is tasty!



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