Smuttynose Imperial Stout

bottle: pours black with thin tan head. weak arouma of coffe and alcohol defintely present in the nose. Taste is way more powerful than the nose hints at. Very hoppy, chocolate and coffee. Soapy mouth feel and licorice. Beautifully dark and full of flavor. Thick body with light carbonation. I regret not letting this age a bit, but still a kick-in-the-pants brew. Delicious but dangerous. update: this is proving to be a bit too hoppy for me.

Bottle, fresh. Pours inky black with a thick tan head. Aroma of choclate, roast, coffee, caramel. Flavor is chocolate, coffee, dark fruit, molasses. Palate is full bodied, medium to mild carbonation, finished bitter. Awesome beer, there needs to be more love for this one!!

Bottle from SuIIy, thanks Mike! glad i finally got to try this one. pours a deep brown with a small tan head. wow. very smooth. tasty. chocolate. cream. some booze.

Original review date 3/12/2008... 2-finger, milk-chocolate, epsresso-style head with moderate lacing. Pours like viscous motor oil, which is what we’re shootin’ for. Soapy hops with a little licorice and maybe rosemary (?), lemon-grass and even some Granny Smith apple. In a word: Stewy. Tight slate taste at first, with ample cinnamon sugar. Alcohol is well-accompanied with sweetness as this warms. Alcohol and stewed fruit are prominent in mouthfeel with slate, coffee and chicory. This is a pleasure to sip slowly - more accessible than would be expected from the style. Nice stuff.

This is 2008. Fair impression of what I think Yeti must be like with no oak - brash dry hoppiness, fat coffee-like roast-y rich malts, nice tones of dry ripe dark fruits like raisins and prunes. Drinking this cellar cool the alcohol is impressively warming but not harsh. Cooling it knits the flavors a little. Hops seem a bit tannic though, like chewing a green stem, per American tendency. Mostly succeeds by it’s excess.

Bottle... Poured black with a brown head. Buttery sweet boozy aroma with a pleasant nutty, grain character. A nice, alcohol flavor with a coffee/chocolate, roasted malt character. A nice conflicting, but also balancing bitter/sweet thing going on with this beer. I’d compare it to Lost Abbey Serpents Stout, which is a great beer to be among and cost more the half the price of a Serpents Stout.

From the Jug at the GABF, Colorado Convention Center 11/10/2007 Coffee roast aroma. Small beige head. Black strong in alcohol and fruity with a crisp and bitter chocolate roast finish.

Bottle thanks to... one of my training buddies... dchmela? cletus? Maybe rallison. Dang, I forgot. Anyhow, thanks. 2008 vintage, so somewhere between 6-18 months old. I’m guessing closer to the former as this still has some hop presence. Pours nice and black with one-finger light tan head. Nose is roasty malt--chocolate, some nuts, soy, anise, fruit notes, and definite hops. Lovely. Similar taste, with added creaminess. Palate is relatively light and slick given the abv. The anise/licorice is perhaps the most distinctive aspect of this beer. Tasty. Extra point for being in the $5-6 range. Is this the best 22 oz Imperial Stout for the money? Probably so.