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Smuttynose Imperial Stout

Percentile
99
overall

bottled
common

on tap
common

Broad Distribution
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RatingsAverageScoreSeasonalABVStyle PctlServe in
6103.96/5.03.94/5.0Winter10.1%84.1Snifter
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?  
DuffLover (48), Hoboken, New Jersey, USA
3.7 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/104/57/104/515/20
Oct 25, 2006  
From 22oz. Aroma of coffee and chocolate. Flavor the same. Appearance is dark brown/black with thin tan head that dissipates quickly. Good thick palate with a little too much carbonation to make it really smooth. Overall pretty good, but Imperial Stouts is a hard category to compete in.


 xproudfoot (729), Paleolithic, Pennsylvania, USA
3.8 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/58/104/514/20
Oct 20, 2006  
Hoopy booze citrus roastz aroma. dark mahodony under short beige. hoppy strong coffee. full, thick, and alky.


 Marsiblursi (1634), Göteborg, Sweden
4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/58/104/516/20
Oct 19, 2006  
(Bottle) Pours dark, dark brown. allmost no head. Citric, pine, rasin, Centennial hop aroma with hints of liquorice. A bit burned. Salty, roasted, liquorice and bitter hops in flavour. Dry, big body. Very good.


 tsarman (794), Northern, New Jersey, USA
3.8 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/105/57/104/515/20
Oct 15, 2006  
A strong Imperial Stout that packs a punch. Little to no head, dark motor oil color. Not overly sweet and this is slightly stronger than I expected. Its been a while since I have had an impy, so it was a big beer to have. A solid impy stout, but I think this might need to be shared.


 kopher (297), New York, USA
4.3 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/58/105/518/20
Oct 10, 2006    Updated: May 31, 2009
Pours dark coffee-ish brown with thin brown head. Very stong strong green olive (?) nose with some burnt coffee and chocolate. Extremely thick and smooth. Wow. Flavor perfectly follows aroma of strong coffee, chocolate, and the green olives. Perfect sweet-bitter balance and light carbonation. Excellent.


 glkaiser (1163), Seattle, Washington, USA
3.8 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
6/104/58/103/517/20
Oct 9, 2006  
Bottle. Black with decent dark brown head. Aroma of bitter hops, light roasted malt, caramel and a little chocolate. Lots of hop taste for sure...very bitter finish. Thin. I just don’t get much out of this except the hops. I like hops, but for some reason don’t like them this dominating in a stout. Rated with the aid of Ms. Jeanne McCarthy.


 biz82 (1328), austin, Texas, USA
4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
9/103/58/104/516/20
Oct 9, 2006  
Black. Oily. Aromatic nose with leather, cocoa, licorice, vanilla, burnt notes. Thick and smooth on the palate. Full flavored with roasted, dark sweet toffee and hops in balance. Clean, smooth, pleasant bitter finish. hidden alcohol. Excellent beer.


 canary dog (441), Rutland, Vermont, USA
3.9 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/104/57/105/516/20
Oct 5, 2006  
Whoa, nelly. This stuff is strong. One of the stongest beers I’ve tasted, since I’m not a fan of big beers. I thought I’d give it a shot because I love most of the stuff from this brewery. Deep, dark, bitter roastyness. The notes get darker towards the finish: plum, licorice, coffee, Worchestershire sauce, etc. Excellent body as the beer warms to room temperature. The dark and roasted notes meld together beautifully. A really fine treat. I enjoyed it.



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