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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?  
 mj (4971), Colorado, USA
4.2 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
9/104/58/104/517/20
May 8, 2007    Updated: May 9, 2007
2007 bottle, somewhat fresh, found at Astor Liquor. Deep brown body with a semi-dark tan and brown head, filmy really, not tall or building, but also not invisible. Oily, viscous brown resin coats the glass. Nose of robust dark, bitter bakers chocolate, smoked cream, smoky, charred toast and charred/burnt milk. Hints of vanilla cream, some floral lactic scents as well, some lighter peppery, vegetal notes, with the creamy yeast being most evident. Exceptionally deep nose, yet completely focused on the chocolate and charred malts, not really any dark fruit or sugar presence. Moderate thickness, doesn’t devour the palate, rather it’s lightly syrupy, oily, with a medium to light dried vanilla and malted milk ball flavor wrapped up in a heap of bitter dark chocolate and charred cereal grains. It leaves on the tongue a very slight pastiness. Rich toffee and vanilla flavors show up in a lingering, resiny, chocolately finish. Very good all around, I like the medium thickness opposed to a more viscous texture. Well-made and fresh and moderately malt-forward.


 RCL (1443), Waltham, Massachusetts, USA
3.6 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/105/56/104/514/20
May 7, 2007  
Not quite as sweet as many examples. Very hefty on the hops, full throttle. It’s been growing on me as I drink it.


 Boliv (188), New York, USA
4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/104/58/104/517/20
May 6, 2007  
22 oz. bottle. Poured syrupy, almost black with a small creamy brown head, good retention. Aroma of espresso, chocolate, caramel, and alcohol. Rich flavor immediately consumed the tastebuds, with notes of coffee, chocolate, alcohol, and a malty sweetness that finished with a nice bitter hoppy/alcoholic bite. A great nightcap.


 Juelze (889), Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA
4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/104/59/104/516/20
May 6, 2007  
Pours a deep dark brown color with brown head that fades quickly. Aroma of light chocolate, copious amounts of citrus and pine flavors, and roasted malt. Taste is coffee, light chocolate, roasted malt, citrus hops, alcohol. I’m a hop addict but I’m not use to the amount of hops in this impy stout. Great beer but it would benefit from some aging.


 anders37 (4516), Malmö, Sweden
4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/58/104/516/20
May 3, 2007  
Bottle. Thanks alot Jason (Kramer17801) for this one. Pours a black color with a tan head. Sweet malty slightly roasted aroma with hoppy hints. There are also some hints of chocolate in the aroma. Sweet malty roasted flavor with hints of hops, chocolate and coffee. Swet malty finish with a hoppy bitter aftertaste.


 SynergyXJ (506), Blacksburg, Virginia, USA
4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/104/58/104/517/20
Apr 18, 2007  
Bottle Almost black pour with thin tan head. Roasted malt aroma with a bit of hops behind. Flavor is more dominated with hops. Interesting mix of roasted malts and citrus hops. Good brew, maybe should have aged it though.


 Crosling (1854), Loveland, Colorado, USA
4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/104/58/105/516/20
Apr 15, 2007  
22 ounce bomber. High quality, a top notch beer. This is a very nice looking beer. It pours dark brown from the bottle and appears black in the glass. The head is dark, like any good Imperial stout should be. However, any beer that doesn’t pour like pure black oil from the bottle cannot get top marks in the appearence score from me. I want every Imperial Stout to be pitch black, no matter what, sorry. Aroma indicates that this is a fresher bottle, it has some nice malt elements (chocolate, roast), but it is mainly dominated by huge, citrusy hops. Flavor is very expressive and concentrated. It is massively flavorful in both malts and hops. The malt shows hints of chocolate, coffee and roast, while the massive hops add hints of citrus and pine. A very fresh, hoppy Imperial Stout. This is a tasty beer, but not sublime fresh. I could see this aging really well.


 jmikolich (405), Athens, Ohio, USA
3.7 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/104/57/104/515/20
Apr 13, 2007  
22oz bottle, shared with ebbies7, not sure of the age of the bottle as there was very minor hop presence almost as if aged. nice and thick, a good brew.



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