Smuttynose Imperial Stout

Dark brown pour, nearly black. Tan frothy head. Nice roasted sugary malts with vinous hops. I like the sweet roasty hop character in this… reminds me of some of my favorite imperial stouts (Expedition, Batch 7000), just a little lighter. Either way, I love the flavor.

(22 oz. bottle (2006) from <A HREF=http://www.ratebeer.com/Place/maine/portland/downeast-beverage-co/974.htm target=blank>Downeast Beverage Co., cellared for 6 mos. after purchase) Good but not great...Pours very, very dark brown, almost opaque with 1/4" of brown head that recedes to a thin layer that stays. Aroma is initially quite hoppy then there is some chocolate and roastiness, perhaps some plum. Mouthfeel smooth, fairly full but a touch thinner than I would expect. Nice light rings of webby lacing. Flavor is mostly semi-sweet chocolate along with the hops. Light roastiness. A hint of plum in the finish. Alcohol well-hidden. This actually seemed more like a regular stout in terms of flavor - imperial qualities were the higher ABV, appearance and maybe palate. The hop presence kind of threw me.

This thick dark brown stout is everything one expects from an Imperial. Smoky and roasty with hints of chocolate and coffee.

good nose, great mouth feel and just an all around fantastic imperial stout. Chewy, roasty, everything you’d want from an imperial stout

Dark, thick, and viscous. Has a light tan head that lasts nicely. Nose of dark fruit and very nice hops, lots of coffee bitterness. Flavor-wise, wonderfully bitter, great coffee and burnt charcoal roasts. Slightly sour and quite powerful, has a good burn to it. Rich and syrupy, really, really nice. I’m generally sick of imperial stouts, but this could restore my faith in the style.

Holy hops! Wow, they weren’t kidding when the brewmaster said to wait on aging this one. I swear this is as close to an Imperial IPA Stout as I’ll ever see. Huge nose on this one. You can definately smell the dryhopping that they used. Very aggressive hop profile on the tast as well. Like it dances up your nose and sucker-punches your senses. Full body, but no used motor oil viscosity and with this one it seems to work. Although, I’d prefer just a bit more as with the Storm King to help balance out the hops a bit. Also, definate fusel on the aroma and in the taste, but doesn’t detract too much from the overall enjoyment. The only thing I would do different is up the body a little, reduce the fusel oils a bit and decrease the amount of pellets used in favour of whole hops for a bit more aromatic, but less overall bitter profile. Outstanding Imperial stout, but NOT for those who fear aggressive hops!

22 oz bottle via kramer17801 (thanks!). Pours a pitch black with a small tan head. Mild nose with notes of vanilla and licorice. Taste starts out roasty chocolate and then the hops kick in. Wow this is a hoppy Imp Stout. Usually i do not kike a lot of hops in a Stout, but it works here. The roasted malts and hops actually compliment each other quite well. I think there may be a bit of oak undermeath it all as well. This is actually pretty complex. Easy to drink. Medium bodied, silky mouthfeel.

Bomber--thanks, 46er3498! Pours rich, black, inky. Solid tan head. Chocolate/coffee/hop nose. Moderately high density for the body, and moderately low carb--neither of these is all the way high or low. All of the elements from the nose persist to the palate, but the hop takes full form with the finish, gaining a more distinct piney note. This is a great beer, but not quite inspired or innovative. If it was available around here, I would drink it all the time.