Top of the Hill Lewis Black Imperial Stout

Nitro at the brewpub on 2/2/08: Pours an oily opaque with a thick creamy spotty-lacing tan nitro head. Aroma is mild dark caramely sweet with some dark chocolate notes. Body starts fairly full with some dark caramel and chocolate sweetness toward a slightly dryer bittersweet lightly roasted finish with some coffee notes. A little light for the style, but a good stout.

On tap at the brewpub (quite awhile ago but I’m looking back here through my notes). Pours a deep brown with ruby highlights and a decent tan head reminiscent of a Guinness nitro cap. Weak aroma of roasted malt, molasses, cheap coffee, raw cocoa. Taste is a bit watery and thin but there is definitely dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee grinds, and a nice alcohol bite as if this was already spiked with some Jameson and Bailey’s. Clean finish. Creamy overall on the palate. Medium bodied but light bodied for a RIS. Not bad for a stout but a poor showing for an imperial.

Sampled at the WBF. Pours a dark black that allows much more light than I likes. Has some ruby highlights if thats an indication. Thick creamy cascading head, looks like its a nitro beer. The nose is sweet, some chocolate, molasses, subdued nose. The flavor was sweet, lightly roasty, bitter chocolate, waxy. Very creamy mouthfeel with some warmth.

Sampled at the brewpub. Pours a nice dark brown w/ crimson edges and a medium sized tan head that sticks. Nose of the usual suspects: dark fruits, licorice, coffee, and cocoa. Flavor is a little boozy (even at 7.6%) and tasted a lot like bailey’s irish cream infused with a little bit of chocolate. I actually think Bailey’s made a drink like that. palate is pretty clean and suggests that this beer was nitro. Didn’t ask, but as I can see from KP’s rating it probably was. Happy to see TopO trying new styles...they’re getting there.

pint at brewpub. Good aroma, bitter sweet, malted chocolate, roasted grains, little honey sweetness. Black color, good head & lacing. Bitter roasty flavor. Medium body, smooth creamy mouthfeel, bitter dry finish. Good brew, might of fooled me if I had it blind, as it seemed a tad thin for an imperial stout. Still tasty though.

Date: 02/02/2008
Mode: Draft, Nitro
Source: Brewpub

Appearance: black, thick creamy tan head, waves of lace,
Aroma: dark chocolate aroma with lots of dry roasted character,
Flavor: sweet chocolate flavor, touch of roasted for balance, nice fruity character rises out of the sweetness, touch of butterscotch in the sweetness but it goes ok with the chocolate,

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 8/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 7/10; Overall: 14/20
Rating: 3.6/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: **4

On tap at the brewpub. Pretty good one here. Roasty, rich and chocolately. Black as heck with a light browinsh head that hung around. Thumbs up.

Appearance: Onyx black body with a full, lush, creamy beige head. Smell: Black malts and roasted barley with notes of unsweetened chocolate and aniseed. Taste: Sweet flavors of dark chocolate and dark caramel with a touch of anise and roastiness. Light, earthy bitterness. A bit of earth, a bit of roast, and more dark chocolate for the finish. Mouthfeel: Medium-full body. Mild carbonation. Smooth, silky mouthfeel. Drinkability: It’s delish! Like melted chocolate ice cream.