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Home > Brewers > New Hampshire > Smuttynose Brewing Company >

Smuttynose Imperial Stout

Smuttynose Imperial Stout

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 Percentile 
99
overall
An Imperial Stout brewed by
Smuttynose Brewing Company

Portsmouth, New Hampshire USA

bottled
common

on tap
available

Regional Distribution
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 Ratings  Average  Score  Seasonal  ABV  Style Pctl  Serve in  Advanced 
4723.97/5.03.97/5.0Winter10.1%81.3Snifter P  Stats

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 RecentTop RatersHighest Ratings Who's Rated This?
 Alldaydrinker (461), Norwood, Massachusetts, USA
4.2 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
9/104/58/104/517/20

Jun 20, 2008  
Courtesy of drink4satan, thanks mike. Pours a opaque dark brown color witha small brown head. Nose of fresh hops that appetize the nose to learn more, cocoa, coffee and hint dark fruits. Initial taste of beautiful mix of hops that coat the palate with cocoa and coffee. Mid palate displays some of the dark fruits. Finishing continuely hoppy and cocoa. Mild chalky finish. Palate duration is excellent. Mouthfeel is light to medium which makes the beer extremely drinkable while it suprisingly maintained it’s complexity and flavor very well. Good head retention and some spot lacing of the glass. The abv is masked very well with only little warmth occuring in the finish. Very delicous.

 dpjuart (572), Indiana, Pennsylvania, USA
4.3 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/59/104/518/20
Oct 1, 2008  
9/13/08 - Bottle, courtesy of Nate, shared with Nate and Naka. Pours black with chocolate head, small and rimming. Nose is hops, raisin, chocolate and slight coffee roastiness. Taste is a roasty, fruity collaboration overtaken by a fruity hop flavor that intertwines with the roast and dark fruit to create a bitter, fruit salad latte. Bitter and roast last well into the after with alcohol heat. Very, very good.


 jake65 (1273), Meridian, Idaho, USA
4.2 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/59/104/517/20
Oct 1, 2008  
Bottle: Near black pour with a finger of creamy brown head. Nose is simple and intense with roastiness, chocolate, and an overal sweetness. Tastes rich in roast, coffee, and chocolate. A faint bit of smoke with bitters in the trailer. Smooth, balanced, and rich in flavor. Huge. Thanks to my secret santa from last year!


 Naka (423), Indiana, Pennsylvania, USA
3.9 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/104/58/104/516/20
Sep 14, 2008  
Courtesy of Nate. Pours dark black color with a 1 finger dark beige head. Lasts only a few seconds. Aroma is sweet with a carbonic bite and a very noticeable hop character. A deep burnt caramel and coffee flavor. A little plum and bitter chocolate as well. The bitterness in the flavor is huge, like really dark roasted black coffee. The body is rich and creamy. Leaves a very dry bitterness on the tongue.


 Nate (2253), Indiana, Pennsylvania, USA
4.2 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
9/104/58/104/517/20
Sep 14, 2008  
From bomber. Has a quite hoppy nose with some grapefruit. Chocolate and mild coffee. Licoric and alcohol, oak, and vanilla. Nice aroma. Bit of carbonic gaseousness. One of the hoppiest impys I’ve had. Dark, dark brown-black with cocoa tan lacing head. Heavy oily body with medium carbonation. Nice alcoholic warming. Starts heavy and sweet with chocolate and caramel. Light licorice, alcohol. This is really a great impy stout. A bit hot, vinuous and sweet. Medium bitter finish and warming after. Well done.


 mgumby10 (1648), West Palm Beach, Florida, USA
4.1 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/58/104/517/20
Sep 13, 2008  
Pours black, with a thick, creamy light brown head. Smells pretty rich and roasty, good bit of chocolate, touches of dark fruit, and oak are also present. The flavor is also on the roastier side, with lots of chocolate malt and coffee making their presence known. Just a big, rich imperial stout just the way I like them. The alcohol was noticeable, but not over the top, and the flavor on this one was quite delicious. I enjoyed it very much.




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