t Smisje Great Reserva

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

Bottle at Hamilton’s. Brown leather appearance in the glass. Head thins quickly. Faint cognac nose. No malt or hops detected. A little let down by this beer. Reminds me of some rice ales I’ve had. I wanted more body but it’s very clean and crisp with some cognac flavor and alcohol heat. Barely any malt. May improve with about 9 months of aging.

Bottle @ Monk’s Cafe, Philadelphia (thanks to Tom for going in the basement and getting this out for me - much appreciated). Pours a reddish-brown with a thin white head - but then again the regular was sort of watery for an imperial stout. Aroma is heavy oak, cognac, and caramel on the aroma. Flavor is great - caramel malt, dark fruit (plum/fig), chocolate, and a wonderful wood finish with the warming characteristic you get in cognac. It was a bit slow to drink, and the alcohol is detectable, but wow is it a good beer.

bottle. Light fruity notes, vanilla, oak, grape juice, strawberries, with caramel notes on the nose, very wine-like aromas. Pours cloudy amber brown with a thin white head, looks light for an imp. stout? The flavor is very nice, caramelly malts, oaky, vanilla, very fruity, plums and dates with some green figs, lots of wood flavor with traces of chocolate, the cognac comes through with wine-like notes. The alcohol comes through quite a bit as well. Very interesting beer!

Bottle… Murky brown ale with a large, fluffy, khaki head. Terrific retention. Thick lace left behind once the head begins to recede. The aroma is a complex blend of freshly baked bread, Tootsie Rolls, pralines, dates and brown sugar. Medium-bodied and chewy with brisk carbonation. The moderately sweet, doughy flavor provides alcohol warmth, chocolate and dates. Dries out a touch at the very end. Nice Quad! Bottle courtesy of xmarcnolanx!

Bottle thanks to Rciesla for sharing. Brown pour with tan head. Aroma is boozy and is of dark fruits and brandy. Flavor follows but is all over the place. 10 percent is probably the most redeeming quality.

11.2 oz bottle from Oak Tree. Okay I won’t and can’t state this enough, how in the hell is this beer an Impy Stout?? It didn’t look like a stout, it didn’t smell like a stout, it didn’t have the mouthfeel of a stout and it sure as hell didn’t taste like a stout. Poured a clear deep reddish/brown with a cremy smoth light beige velvety head. Aroma was odd with notes of burnt oranges, chocolate, slight oak, grassy earthy hops and some muddy notes as well. Fuller dusty body that finished rather dry. Flavor was woody, alcohol, burnt malts, and some cognac notes. Wow was this a let down, first off all it’s no Impy stout...hell it’s no stout in my book by any means and on top of that it’s not even that good. This one is overdone and whatever the base beer is/was it has been washed away by the overaging in cognac barrels.

Bottle thanks to Dmac. It pours out a muddy reddish hued brown with a slightly off white lacing head that lasts throughout the beer. I had to do a double-take of the label....imperial stout????? Aroma is of some toffee, light bittersweet chocolate, some yeast, slight fruit and a slight alcohol note, 0 for 2 so far, neither the aroma or appearance tell of an imperial stout. Taste is of some light baker’s chocolate, a lingering nutty note, some yeast and a little bit of fruit, slight alcohol creeps in there on the finish. Nothing about this beer says imperial stout, I’m thinking more of a BSA.

Many thanks to Marc for the bottle!! Rating #3700. Like the Catherine, just about the lighted colored imperial stout I’ve ever seen.. medium reddish-brown (clear, at least initially), but this had an awesome head to it (sticky, creamy medium beige that left sticky lacing on the glass). The aroma opened with a lovely impression from the barrel treatment in the form of redder vinous notes and aged French oak.. sour and engaging.. the "stout" was deep down, with semi-sweet chocolate and nutty character.. vanilla and brown sugar sweets were interesting on the back. The flavor opened with tangy oak and rich cognac with a mild metallic hit (not necessarily a flaw.. more like part of the booze was aged in stainless).. aged caramel, nutty notes, and brown sugar rolled across the middle.. vinous notes were laced throughout, and play a great part on the finish. Medium-bodied and well-carbonated on the palate.. sweet overall, but it also had lots of tanginess from the barrel. The cognac for the most part took over the less-than-substantial stout, but I gotta say that it didn’t do so in a dissapointing way.