t Smisje Catherine The Great Imperial Stout

Brewed by Brouwerij De Regenboog
Style: Imperial Stout
Assebroek-Brugge, Belgium

There are many very good RISs out there, this one found at State Line. A moderate one, and yes a foreign export stout, not very thick with chocolate and coffee and the like. In fact, little coffee. Quaffable, black with some head.

bottle. Pours beautifully, if not "Stout-ish". Dark amber color, huge 2" head the never really clears away, and tons of lacing. Aromas of raisins, plums, yeast, and booze. Flavor starts with a hefty healing of burnt malt notes. Some yeasty bite there, along with a lot of booze. Some smooth dark fruit flavors- raisins, figs, plums- but those fall in the background to the booze and roast notes. Palate is slick and boozy. Overall- a very interesting brew, but VERY LITTLE in terms of an "imperial stout". A "roasty quadruple" would be more apt. That being said- the beer itself is pretty good, style issues notwithstanding.

Bottle. Large thick creamy light brown lasting head with good lacing. Cloudy dark brown body. Aroma of toasted and roasted malt, coffee and grass and herbs. Heavy alcohol. Full body, sticky and alcoholic texture. Bitter finish. The beer is heavy sweet in the beginnig but heavy bitter in the finish.

Red brown very hazy body, lasting beige head; Very nice and different nose, sweet warm tobacco aromas mixed with sharp piney hop aromas; Quiet thin textured body with a huge carbonation, sharp harsh strangely salty bitter; Long finish with very little fill but lots of tobacco, sharp licorice and some burnt aromas. Very strange!

Pours deep mahogany-brown with a medium tan head. Pleasant aroma of chocolate, licorice, roasted malt, and wood. Solid amount of roasted malt, some smoke/peat flavors, caramel, licorice, spice, and the expected Belgian yeast. Not the most imperial of stouts, but a good beer.

dark red brown, with mahogany on the edges. Aromas of canilla, chocolate and licorice. Very sweet on the front. More carbonation than a typical US style stout. Hops cut thru the cocoa, coffee flavors. Clean finish. Good, but a bit pricey.

Bottled. Deep ambery brown colour (quite close to black). Aroma is spices, roasted malts, yeast and also some dry dark fruits. Flavour is spices, roasted malts, some wood, smoke and ashes. Very strange sweetish, but smoked and roasted brew. Still works quite well though.

Another Belgian with a black pour and HUGE cream head. Some roasted malt aromas, more fruity and sweet than a stout would have. Some roasted malt, molasses, dried fruits, slight nut. Could have been very intersting but again, to me the carbonation really confuses everything. A quad? Get them (Belgian stouts) their own category and stop insulting the poor RIS’s everywhere!