Stoudts Fat Dog Stout (Vintages 2004 and later)

Brewed by Stoudts Brewing Co.
Style: Imperial Stout
Adamstown, Pennsylvania USA

12-oz. Pours a deep ebony to black with a big thick moussy tan head. Plenty of clingy lace sagging down along as the head falls. Big sweet nose, maybe too much on the sugary side, even: licorice and chocolate and some of that oatmealy cookie dough business. Boldish attack; body on the high side of medium with active carb and forward flavors of chocolate, coffee, roast, anise, and maybe a little toast in there. Too sweet for my liking, but not cloying or sickeningly so, just a little over that arbitrary line between good and great.

2005 bottle. Beer is very dark brown, nearly opaque. Head is initially small, beige, frothy. Almost totally diminishes.<P> The aroma is malty with light notes of roasted grain, chocolate, molasses, caramel; Hoppy with a trace note of resin/pine; Yeasty with a light note of cellar; Miscellaneous note of moderately weighty dried current, underripe banana, bourbon-like booziness, trace cinnamon.<P> The flavor is heavily sweet, moderately bitter with a long, lightly acidic, moderately sweet, lightly bitter finish. Warm.<P> The body is full, the texture is syrupy and the carbonation is soft.

First time having this in the form of imperial stout. And man - do they ever get it. Big but smooth with a nice mellow chocolate roast aroma and flavor, with a bit of smooth coffee. A hint of spicy hops, but this is clearly where it should be: a showcase of dark malts. Full chewy palate without being cloying or overwhelming. Blackish with a full head.

Bottle from trade with OhioDad. Thanks Scott! Pours a rich black color with a decent tan head. Leaves a nice lacing on the glass. Aroma of roasted malts, coffee and spices. Taste is malt, fermented fruit, coffee and molasses. Has a nice mouthfeel and is very well balanced. Finishes slightly dry with a nice warming character.

Bottle from Total Wine, date on bottle says brewed on 5/18/06. Pours a very dark brown with a very thin tan head. Minimal aroma of coffee and chocolate, with a taste of chocolate, coffee and a tinge of oatmeal. The alcohol content is masked in this beer really well, drinks smooth with just a small amount of aftertaste on the tongue. A good beer.

(Bottle 35,5 cl) Pours a clear and almost opaque black with a vague tint of red. Small, bubbly light brown head. Fat vinous aroma with loads of dried fruit - raisins in particular. Solid - but not overly so - with a lot of malt, dried fruit and then a discreet, metallic edge - probably derivinig from the oats. A lightly burned bitterness in the finish that also contains some licorice. Courtesy of xproudfoot. 191206

Bottle. Dark reddish brown colour with a little light brown head. Nice fine aroma of roastedness, coffee and chocolate. Nice flavour of roastedness, coffee and ends up with a fine alcoholic finish. Very nice endeed.

Sampled on 11/29/2006 at the November meeting of the Junedale Beer Klub. Brought by Loonie... Tasting notes: Tan-colored head. Dark chocolate aroma and flavor with a bit of fruit, yeast, and nuts in it. Dry finish. Has a bit of an alcohol bite. Smooth and creamy on the palate. Rating: 7 4 8 4 15 = 3.8 -- I have another bottle of this in the cellar that I hope to drink soon. I expect it to be better and will update this review then...
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Vintage 2006 (Bottled on 5/18/06)

4/13/2008: Stoudts Fat Dog Stout pours an opaque, near-black color with a tan had that quickly receeds but leaves some foam around the edges. The aroma boasts semi-sweet chocolate, heavy caramelized malt, vanilla, and something sweet resembling chocolate chip cookie dough (with both milk and semi-sweet chocolate pieces!). The flavor has a nice balance of sweet maltiness (lots of chewy caramel and heavily roasted malt) and sublte bittnerness (more like dark, high-cacao chocolate and some deeply integrated bittering hops). This beer finishes very roasty with a hint of sweetness like dark chocolate dipped into espresso. It is very good overall and has a medium-full body that is smooth and slightly creamy. I think the oatmeal does a really nice job of smoothing this beer out, adding some body, and helping to meld all of the flavors together in a nice, cohesive, and tasty package. I almost regret opening this bottle now. I think it would have kept for a couple more years and been even better!

12 fl. oz (355 mL) bottle. Rating: 8 3 8 4 16 = 3.9