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Smuttynose Imperial Stout

Percentile
99
overall

bottled
common

on tap
common

Broad Distribution
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RatingsAverageScoreSeasonalABVStyle PctlServe in
6133.96/5.03.94/5.0Winter10.1%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?  
 badlizard (2345), Berkeley, California, USA
4.6 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
9/105/59/104/519/20
Sep 6, 2007  
650 ml bottle from archer liquors. Black with a creamy brown head. Rich sweet chocolate and satisfying earthy ground coffee aroma. Medium bodied, velvet, slightly sticky palate. Initial sweetness transitions to a bitter dark chocolate taste which gives way to a satin caramel flavor and a distinctive nuttiness and finally finishing with a long dry roasty espresso flavor. Give your snifter a swirl as the beer warms up. It takes on a really interesting walnut and black currant aroma. This quite an excellent and under appreciated beer.


 mesperon (138), Jersey City, New Jersey, USA
4.6 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
9/105/59/105/518/20
May 5, 2009  
Dark as night, thick as oil, with a thick dark brown head. Heavy on dark chocolate and dark roasted malt in the aroma. Heavy mouthfeel, Opens bitter, follows with a little sweetness of dark chocolate, bitter bite on the finish. Great beer, couldn’t get enough, but hard to take more than one.


 zizzybalubba (369), Elizabeth City, North Carolina, USA
4.5 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
9/105/59/105/517/20
Apr 11, 2009    Updated: Jul 9, 2009
22 oz. bottle from Grape & Gourmet. Pours black like you would expect from an Imperial Stout. Aroma is much hoppier than any Imperial Stout I have ever encountered. The hops are certainly present in the taste. Comes across not even like an IPA. This is certainly one of the more complex beers I have ever tasted. I’m glad I bought 2 bottles so that I can see how this one ages. Well done at the early stages of this beer but if you are buying throw your expectations out the window as to how you perceive an Imperial Stout...07/09/2009 3 months after my original review I am revisiting this beer. This is almost completely different than my original review but some of the same things are still true. Some hops are still present but no where near as detectable as they were 3 months ago. I am able to detect more smoke from the malt than when this was fresh. This is still a very interesting beer that doesn’t really seem like an Imperial Stout. I like it enough, and the price was right, that I picked up an extra bottle. I can’t wait to see what this is like at 6 or 9 months. An outstanding beer.


 buckybeer (666), Eau Claire, Wisconsin, USA
4.5 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
9/104/59/104/519/20
Oct 26, 2006    Updated: Mar 27, 2007
This one has been sitting in my cellar for months now. Always had my doubts about this one. After all, how good could this beer be at only $3.99 for a 22oz. bottle?? (thats dirt cheap around here). Pours a deep black with a small tan head. Decent sticky lacing. When I popped the cap I thought I was smelling an IPA. Aroma was very hoppy. Can’t figure that one out. The flavor sure couldn’t be the same way could it?? Holy crap! Am I drinking an Imperial Stout or and Imperial IPA? Talk about the best of both worlds! This should be renamed as an IMSTIPA. It is starting to warm a bit now and is getting even better. WTF???? This is sooooo close to being perfect. If you could just add a slight Belgian taste it would be perfect. I think this is the longest description I have ever written.


 StompBrockmore (300), Toronto, Ontario, Canada
4.5 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
9/105/59/104/518/20
Nov 1, 2007  
650ml bomber - Pours blaaaaaack with a big, dark mocha head on top. Left a tonne of beautiful lacing all over the glass. Appearance is totally flawless. Aroma is big and strong, full of powerful espresso, chocolate, huge roasted malts, some licorice. Flavour is quite hoppy right off the bat, which then subsides to allow for the cascade of massive chocolate and coffee flavours that follow. Hardly a trace of alcohol at all. Medium bitterness in the finish, getting a little more intense at the very end. A hop forward and powerful Imperial stout. Loved this one. Like drinking dessert for sure. Awesome.


 arrogantb (701), Denver, Colorado, USA
4.5 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
9/105/59/104/518/20
Oct 17, 2008  
This was a dark black beer with a short brown head. It looked delicious in the glass. The smell was faint but nice and enticing. The taste was a little coffee and a little chocolate. I didn’t really taste the alcohol at all.The drinkability on this one was awesome and I wished I had another glass. It would be nice to buy this locally but oh well. Serving type: bottle Reviewed on: 02-16-2007 01:28:09


KLandon (6), St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada
does not count click to see why this rating of Smuttynose Imperial Stout does not count
4.5 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/510/105/518/20
Nov 13, 2006  
This thick dark brown stout is everything one expects from an Imperial. Smoky and roasty with hints of chocolate and coffee.


 gwpom (250), Akron, New York, USA
4.5 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
9/105/59/104/518/20
May 17, 2008  
22 oz bottle. Powerful aroma hitting the nose from across the room. The head took it’s time appearing, came on a nice chocolate brown, then faded away to allow the black gold to be tasted. The flavor is as powerful as the aroma, sliding down the palate saying, ’Oh, you’re gonna like me.’ I best quit typing now... this one is going to kick my ass.



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