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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?  
 MrBunn (1520), Western, Pennsylvania, USA
4.1 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
9/104/58/104/516/20
Aug 22, 2009  
Muchas gracias, Cletus! Bomber releases a dark brown, viscous pour with lots of head (especially for the styel) and aromas that have a TON of hops in them. Pine covers up chocolate and alcohol. Flavor is heavy pine up front and then transitions to pine and chocolate milk on the backside. Variation from sip to sip seems to be pretty large, with some focusing more on cocoa and some more on the pine with the ever-present alcohol warmth and flavor coming through.


 slang (392), Columbia, South Carolina, USA
4.2 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/105/58/104/518/20
Aug 10, 2009  
~’09~ 22oz. Big black stout! It’s got a roasty aroma but not in the typical coffee sense. While it may have a slicker mouthfeel than other more-chewy Impies; there’s still a lot going on! Choc.y malts w/ various nutty flavors and the hops are ever present. It’s a very solid stout.


 fiulijn (7150), Como; Lausanne (CH); Malmö (SWE), Italy
4.2 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/105/58/104/517/20
Aug 8, 2009  
Bottle at Akkurat, Stockholm; vintage 2007, 2 years old
Black oil color; big creamy head. It has a strong aroma of good coffee, chocolate, roasted malts, cheese, paper. Good body strength, not thick; there is chocolate flavor first, followed by rhubarb candies, more roasted malt and coffee in the end; some milky impression too; it’s very pleasant how the flavors follow each other. Quite strong bitterness. Interesting and well brewed.


 williamherbert (461), Syracuse, New York, USA
4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/105/58/104/515/20
Aug 6, 2009  
Pitch black like a pot of coffee. Large cardboard brown head. The head becomes a chunky film that sits atop. Looks like chocolate milk from above. Pure motor oil. Ok the smell: 1) Alcohol blast; 2) Thick and ballsy quasi-barleywine aroma; 3) Burnt malts; 4) A slight citrusy hop. A huge, intense aroma. Half-amazing, half-intimidating. The taste is a big blast of alcohol. A seriously burnt malt, like charred cookies. Mild sweet raisin. Strong and brutal. As it warms, some citrusy hops, but completely overwhelmed by charred malt. The feel is chewy, creamy and a little oily. Maybe the most burnt beer I’ve ever had in my life. Pitch black. One and done for me. Tastes quite good, but in an extreme way. Best from a snifter.


 beerandIT (177), Richmond, Virginia, USA
4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/105/58/104/515/20
Jul 28, 2009  
Pours a very dark almost black with a small amount of head that leaves the scene rather quickly. Full bodied beer. On the nose I get chocolate mixed with coffee almost like a fifty fifty combination. Also some caramel and toffee in there along with subtle roasted malts. The aroma is very telling of what you are finding on the palate almost deadly accurate. I get chocolate with traces of the coffee in there as well. They are intermingled very well in the palate. I also get sweet roasted malts in there, nuances of toffee and a slight alcohol burn. I think the fact I can taste the alcohol is because this is a fresh vintage. Definitely recommend this one as the price is under 7 dollars here.


 Madsnp (607), Odense C, Denmark
4.2 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/105/58/104/517/20
Jul 23, 2009  
Bottle. Pours pitch black with a dense and creamy cappuccino coloured head. Fruity aromas with notes of spruce, roasted malt and licorice. Smooth texture. Flavours of licorice, chocolate, coffee and a hoppy finish. Super delicious. Very drinkable.


 smcolw (314), Wayland, Massachusetts, USA
3.6 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/103/58/102/515/20
Jul 18, 2009  
Generous lace after each sip. Tan head that settles a little flat. Near black color where no line shines through. Chocolate malt aromas with a generous level of hop for the style. Vanilla and cream notes. Notable high-alcohol feel to this in the initial sip. This is quickly overwhelmed by a bitterness from burnt malt and a strong hop finish. Thin body for the style and the carbonation is slightly high.


 sinkr (212), Lusby, Maryland, USA
4.6 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
9/105/59/104/519/20
Jul 17, 2009  
Bomber->snifter: Pours an average, rocky, brown head that exhibits spare lacing atop a black body. Aroma of perfume and herbs. The body is medium with soft carbonation, finishing astringently. The flavor’s duration is average, being moderately sweet and bitter. I really enjoyed this beer--I like the high ABV and the aroma and taste profile.



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