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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?  
 DragonStout (1380), Pataskala, Ohio, USA
3.7 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/104/56/104/516/20
Dec 17, 2007  
Pours a nice gloomy black color.Some roastedness and chocolate on the nose.The roastedness came out in the flavor but there was a slight hoppiness to it.Finished slightly bitter


 JMFG (1514), Florida, USA
3.8 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/104/58/103/516/20
Dec 11, 2007  
Bottle from trade with MaxxDaddy. Black with a dark tan head. Moderate cocoa on the nose, minor contributions of dark chocolate, alcohol, and roast. Maybe licorice also. A lot of bitter roastiness up front with some heat following up. A nice brew, roasty and easy to drink, and not necessarily trying to hit the home run. Satisfying.


 jpm30 (1588), East Central, Georgia, USA
3.9 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/57/104/516/20
Dec 11, 2007  
22 oz. bomber bottle, "Bottle Conditioned in 2006," blurb along the left side of the label, sampled in a snifter. Poured a syrupy looking blackish brown with tight compact tan head of creamy foam, slowly dissipated into a thin sudsy lacing, minimal amount of laced sticking. Yep, it’s not hard to tell that this has been dry hopped with NW hops, quite floral, orange blossoms namely, and citric zest with oily grapefruit peels that softly dominate the aroma. A subtle berry vanilla goes along with the mildly roasted malts, cocoa and light coffee. This has a rich creamy full body that makes this RIS a bit to easy to drink, helps hide the 10% ABV. The malts have a sweet charred taste, cocoa beans, caramelized brown sugar and mild roasted coffee. Behind the malts is a berry fruitiness with a soft acidity. The hops are a bit more mellower than in the aroma, but you still get plenty of citric tastes, orange zest and grapefruit pulp. Soft hop spiciness comes out at the end, melding with roasted malt tastes. The alcohol is barely noticeable, just a low temperature fruity warmth in the mouth. I thought this was a pretty enjoyable RIS, glad I picked up a couple of bottles on a recent trip to Wisconsin, will definitely provide a nice soothing warmth on an cold winter night.


 elektronikfagteknikerlærling (892), kbh, Denmark
4.2 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/105/58/104/517/20
Dec 4, 2007  
bottle. it has a black color with a small head. the aroma is nice and roasty. the tastes is quite good with lots of roastyness.


 aubreya (676), Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
4.3 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/104/58/104/520/20
Nov 25, 2007  
The color was very dark chocolate. The head was creamy, laced, medium beige, and thin. The aroma was alcohol, molasses, chocolate, cheer-wine-esque, and sweet malt. The flavor was coffee, roasty, smokey, sweet malt, molasses, hops, and a waxyness. The palate was smooth. The finish was warm.


 emacgee (1859), Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/104/58/104/517/20
Nov 25, 2007  
Thanks bmartin. Pours a nice dark brew, some light comes through during the pour but it sits black in the glass. The aroma is interesting, thick, molasses, brown sugar, coffee, chocolate, a bit earthy. The flavor is very nice, noticeable alcohol upfront, some grapefruit waxy hops, molasses, rich, chocolate, coffee. Nice thick warm mouthfeel. Lasting roasted finish.


 pnista (1008), Bloomington, Indiana, USA
4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/58/104/516/20
Nov 23, 2007  
2007 bottle. Pours a rather dark brown to black with a decent enough tan head, diminishing relatively steadily. The nose is on the big side and a bit sweet. A good deal of roast a nice little bit of dark dark chocolate. The bitterness in the malt seems to be met with a strong floral hop presence and some definite bit of alcohol. There are some strong flavors coming into contact with each other here. There’s also an almost anise like sweetness beneath. The body is full and creamy, good substance, and reasonable carbonation. A bit viscous, nice. Big sweet bold flavors. Strong roast, fruity, a bit creamy, some alcohol. Anise, herbal to floral to piney hops. big roasty finish, alcohol, giving way to hops, giving way to bitter charcoal acidity. Long lingering alcohol warming and char. This is really a beauty of a value at 4 bucks a bottle... I need to keep an eye out for this next time I’m in New England!


 jsquire (2087), St. Marys, Ohio, USA
3.9 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/103/58/104/517/20
Nov 22, 2007  
Very dark beer out of the bomber, with a thin frothy brown head. Molasses sweetness with some burnt grains and chocolate in the nose. Lots of burnt grains, coffee, dark chocolate, with a nice dry hop finish. Really clean, dry impy stout.



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