Sonoran Inebriator Stout

Brewed by Sonoran Brewing Company
Style: Imperial Stout
Phoenix, Arizona USA

This stout is silky smooth, rich, and deceiving. You can’t tell how strong it is until you feel it. A truly great imperial stout.

I was given this growler from Scott Yarosh, the brewmaster and basically the only dude at Sonoran. PRECURSE: There are to brew houses, Sonora, and Sonoran, this is Sonoran. Sonora only recently actually obtained a brewery. Both their’s Papago’s, Pinnacle Peak’s and of course Sonoran’s are all made by Scott. Thanks for the beer Scott. That being said... Pours black as tar, with a surprisingly lighter tan head. This bad boy is 9 malts and all 9 of them are fighting to take the nose. It’s all dark fruits, brandy, plum currents, sweet dark chocolate, bitter coffee, toffee, molassis, and peanut brittle. The taste is remarkably smooth. this is so developed and balanced. It’s absofuckinlutely intense. The alcohol is so stealthy it’s ridiculous. It breaks my heart that this is in Phoenix, and not here. The only reason that this beer isnt perfect is because the alcohol makes it slightly less than quafible. They serve this at Pinnacle Peak in Scottsdale. Go there just for the beer, and stay for a steak, I guess. I think that this beer is best when poured by the brewmaster himself.

Wow. I wasn’t expecting this. One of the best stouts I’ve ever had. Pours an opaque black with a medium-sized brown head. Aroma is decidely sweet, like a heavily sugared dark roasted coffee. The taste is surprisingly sweet as well, but pleasantly so. Nice rich flavor of chocolate, coffee and malt. Complex but perfectly balanced. Incredibly smooth and drinkable. I can’t say enough good things about this beer. I wish I could get it in Alabama.

(Bottle) As the beer sets in my “Chalice”, the only true home of a top-notch stout, of course that’s in my humble opinion, the color piceous or black as tar if you prefer, the head modest in size, the consistency frothy, the color chocolate brown, and as it transmogrifyes a thick-bodied and glutinous lace clings mightily to the glass. The aroma of roasted grains, bittersweet chocolate, sweet and quite pleasant, start is malt-laden, the top full-bodied, fudge like in its thickness and feel to the palate. Finish is mildly acidic, the hops potent in their spiciness, but not in an overpowering way, quite dry and bittersweet aftertaste lingers on the palate. The 9.1% ABV provides a nice “tummy warming” sensation, bought 24 bottles for aging, should lay down nicely if I can keep myself under control.

(Draught) The beer is as dark as they come “Ebony” best describes it, the head is modest in size, frothy in texture, chocolate brown in color and the resultant lace a thick and clinging sheet to conceal the glass. Nose has all the stout attributes I like, coffee, roasted grains, bittersweet, fresh and pleasant to the senses. Start is big time malt and sweet, top thick and chewy like chocolate fudge, finish is spunky in its acidity, the hops bountiful and spicy, quite dry aftertaste that lingers on. Quite a nice stout at 9% a bit of a “Belly Warmer” to boot.

This beer was a nice surprise. I found it at Trader Joe's in Riverside, CA. Espresso, malt and Smokey aroma that poured out thick and dark with a small brown head. Flavor was opulent bitter chocolate and coffee. Creamy mouth feel that was very pleasing to the palate. Strong alcohol presence.

Thanks to my future sister-in-law for this bottle. Thanks also to USAir for breaking two bottles of this fantasic beer. Great roasty smell and taste to it. Oil black with a small tan head. Was a tad thin for me flavorwise but I’m not complaining. Alcohol was hidden very well.

Bottle. Black beer with little head, but a nice aroma. Easy to drink despite the alcohol, with a complex fruity/roasty flavors that leads to the alcoholic warming. Very good.

Pours a thick black color with a creamy chocolate malt colored head, which dissipates quickly but leaves heavy lacing on the glass. Aromas are chocolate, malt, cherries, vanilla and coffee Mouth feel is soft and rounded Dark fruits and roasted coffee dominate the palate, with a hint of bittersweet chocolate. A very tasty stout