Smuttynose Imperial Stout

Brewed by Smuttynose Brewing Company
Style: Imperial Stout
Portsmouth, New Hampshire USA

22oz bomber from Spirits. Lets keep this short and sweet, good looking super roasty aroma and flavor. Hints of coffee and dark chocolate with a good dose of hops still present. Very good stuff despite all the tryptophan that knocked me out.

This was a 2-3 year old bomber bottle. Pours black with little or no head. Light carbonation. Sherried chocolate aroma. Thick and smooth palate, with notes of choocolate and vanilla. Some alcohol notes in the background.

A glass of black ink! Soft supple dark tan foam of a finger high is breathed upon the surface on a creamy north wind. Waves of lacing coat the glass in tiny branched streams. Aroma is quite dark, spicy, and definately wowful. Thick blackened molasses. Feveredly rich dark malts with a slimming coal-like roast, spritzed with dark orange and soaked in plummy juices. And some very nice spicyness of black licorice and anise that comes across quite peppery. Sappy, full, smoked, piney hops make for more unique bittering tinges and souring additions to the nose at in cinders in its well of smells. A never ending nose of dark, rich spices. Very reminiscent of Expedition, if not a mirror of it. Intense on the buds! A ride of thick, rich, flavors that doesn’t stop; it builds and grows and grows and impresses! Where to start? Complex for sure and much like the nose leads to, this has an immense dark malt profile. Hugely molasses and blackened in a pale, ghostly, charcoal smoke and tang with all sorts of wonderful and sturdy notes of deep pinewood hops, dark orange, plums and prunes, anise, pepper, black licorice, and a bittering, heavy, dark, Turkish espresso chocolate thats drying and lengthy. Wowza! So damn nice...I didn’t want it to end, and more or less, it didn’t. This stuff has some power and legs to it. You’ll taste it until the following day no doubt. This is a great beer! Lengthy chocolate tones surge well into the finish with all sorts of left over spice, smoke, and drying bittered piney orangey-like pithyness. Words here really can’t comprehend its complexitiy. Feel is thick, roasty, full, and drying; drying like forever, well beyond what you think is the finish. Finish? There isn’t one. It has an eternity. Holy sh*t, this stuff has some impressively long legs to it. That espresso chocolatey dryness is just that and more. Totally spiced, mega lengthy, and one very nice treat to behold! I’ve been a fan of the other Smutty brews I’ve had. Solid beers for sure. But this has got to be their best beer by far. At least from what I’ve had to date. Sure, I don’t get to have it around all the time like the lucky folks in (insert name of East coast distribution area here), but man, this is one very nice Impy Stout. World class in my book! I will need some more. Only thing slowing this down as far as draining the glass quicker is that it does have a thicker, super lengthier body and richness in flavor that goes dry and darkly bitter for a time and a half. !0% is no where to be found except in the head a while into it. It’ll soak and sooth in with that long finish. Nothing wrong with slowing down and taking this one in. Wonderful Stuff!

draft @ redlight redlight. Tar and tobacco strong on the nose, with sweet dark malts with strong hop presence. Pours black with a thin tan head. Super hoppy imperial stout, the columbus and centennial come through right away with tar and intense molasses flavors, roasted malts, with vanilla and coffee with strong bitter chocolate overtones. This is an intense imperial stout!

Bottle courtesy of Cletus. Very dark pour. Some sweet notes but mostly dried bitter. Upfront taste is bitter chocolate with a lot left to be desired. Solid, just thick.

Not quite as sweet as many examples. Very hefty on the hops, full throttle. It’s been growing on me as I drink it.

22oz 2006 bottle consumed on 4/25/06. Pours a black color with a tan/brown head. Nose is fresh juicy hops, some cocoa. Nice lacing throughout the glass. Palate is fairly thick with a stingy feel and a good bitterness in the finish. Flavors of juicy hops, cocoa, malted milk. Needs to be put down for a bit as it is still way too fresh.

22 oz bottle, 2006. Dark brown with a tan haze. Nose is coffee, molasses and dark chocolate. Medium body with light carb. Taste is coffee, prunes, chocolate, alcohol, lime juice and grapefruit. This has held up well after a year but could improve with a few more to soften.