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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?  
 bigrond (1044), factoryville, Pennsylvania, USA
4.1 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/57/104/518/20
Jun 3, 2009  
dark chocolate brown almost black. deep caramel head that hangs around for quite some time. Aroma is deep roasted coffee, chocolate - very promising. Smooth thick mouthfeel, very drinkable. Delicous. Heavy roasted roasted malt/coffee aftertaste. Over 10% abv! Great brew.


 vtafro (469), , New Jersey, USA
3.9 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/57/105/515/20
Jun 2, 2009  
On tap. Did not really enjoy this beer until it warmed up. Chocolate, and roasted coffee flavors decent aroma. Hoppy finish does not take over.


 jmm635 (254), Havertown, Pennsylvania, USA
4.3 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
9/105/58/104/517/20
Jun 1, 2009  
Pours nearly black, oily, with a creamy brown head. Aroma is loaded with hops! Underneath there is a little roasted malts, chocolate and coffee. Flavor is, again, strong on the hops. More hops than I’ve ever experienced in a stout. Little bit of bitter chocolate in there as well. Nice dry, hoppy finish. Extremely enjoyable for a hop lover!


 Rciesla (3580), Exit 15W, New Jersey, USA
3.9 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/105/57/104/515/20
Jun 1, 2009  
Draft. Pours a black body with a tan coffee head. Nice hoppy vine y aroma with a light chocolate malt character and a light sweetness. Chewy creamy chocolate body with a nice hoppy floral green vine character. Very nice!


 NaturalIce (115), originally from Michigan, New York, USA
4.2 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/59/104/517/20
May 27, 2009  
22oz bottle; Aged 6 months... almost... and it was tough to wait! Pours out, not surprisingly, oily black with a nice creamy mocha head. Aroma of roasted hops with a little bit of a citrus presence. This beer first tastes like your traditional stout - chocolate/coffee - but then it hits you with the delicious hoppy sweet finish. Great beer!


 DrDavid (957), Johnson, Vermont, USA
4.1 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/105/58/104/517/20
May 23, 2009  
Bottle. Roasty aroma with some sweet fruitiness and some hoppy citrus. Black body, large thick creamy brown head. Flavor is heavy with ripe fruit and roasted malt, along with a dose of chocolatey sweetness and undergirding citrus. A bit of bitterness in the finish. Overall, I find this brew quite similar to Old Rasputin (and that is certainly a very good thing), but with much more citrus in the profile. Delicious.


 tgncc (809), Bellmore, New York, USA
3.4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
6/104/57/104/513/20
May 19, 2009  
This guy is strange. The first thing that hits the nose is hops, lots and lots of hops. Grassy, earthy, spicy hops. Unusual for this style, notable for aromas of roasted coffee and chocolate. The appearance is true to the style, dark brown, opaque, small tan head. The flavor is very hoppy as well. The flavor is spicy hops, some roated coffee. Very bitter tasting. This reminds me more of an "India Brown Ale" than a stout. The finish is astringent, lingering bitter hops, grass. The mouthfeel is very good, thick and creamy. Decent stout overall, not my favorite. I think perhaps this beer needs aging before consuming.


 jkaiser (219), Orlando, Florida, USA
3.9 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/104/57/104/517/20
May 17, 2009  
This was one of the many beers I tried at Beerfest. I remember little, but this was one of the good beers. Better than Graviitation.



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