Sweetwater Tavern High Desert Imperial Stout

Growler courtesy of wj94 shared at the Brick Store. Pours dark, dark brown that looks black in a glass with hints of mahogany around the edges. The head is small, dense and lingers for a while before leaving a collar and minimal lacing. Smell is big on dark chocolate and roasted malts. Dark fruit and alcohol are present as well. The taste also has some dark chocolate and roasted coffee on top of a big sweet malt base. The finish has a big toasted malt taste that lingers in the aftertaste with a definite alcohol burn. The mouthfeel is medium bodied and smooth with minimal carbonation. I enjoyed this beer and it is a pretty drinkable impy stout despite the big roasty profile. Recommended.

Richmond Gathering. Growler shared by maniac. Black with no head. Big coffee and wood smoke nose. Fleshy fruit and grape flavors under coffee and woody smoke flavors. Nice!

Tried from bottle with Atlanta ratebeer crew at 5 Seasons North tasting. Very luck to try a sample from this hand bottle. Really strong (in a good way). Lots of malty aromatics. Some mouth burn. Black. Sweet. Low carbonation.

Name: High Desert IS
Date: 05/22/2008
Mode: Hand Bottled
Source: Tasting

Appearance: black, scant beige head,
Aroma: sweet dark chocolate aroma with a fruity winey character,
Body: creamy body,
Flavor: rich dark chocolate flavor with a nice roastedness for balance, milky sweetness from a dark caramel character, light bitterness,

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 7/10; Overall: 15/20
Rating: 3.7/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: ***/4
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I would like to rerate this beer.

Pours a deep dark brown color with a thin brown head. Aroma is malty, roast, and milk chocolate. Flavor is malty, milk chocolate, roast, and a bitter cocoa finish.