Triumph Imperial Stout

Brewed by Triumph Brewing Company
Style: Imperial Stout
Princeton, New Jersey USA

[At GABF, 2004] A pitch black beer with a small disappearing brown head. The aroma is sweet roasty with slight coffee notes. The flavor is sweet and roasted with weak notes of chocolate and coffee as well as hints of alcohol, but the alcohol burns slightly in the finish. Too sweet and too simple for me.

Date: 10/11/2007
Mode: Draft
Source: Brewfest, GABF
Words: New Hope PA

black, fine tan head, lightly sweet dark chocolate and roasted aroma, rich dry dark chocolate flavor, bitterness from the dark chocolate, light roast for balancing bitterness,

Aroma: 6/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 13/20
Rating: 3.3/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: **+/4

From the Jug at the GABF, Colorado Convention Center 11/10/2007 Fruit and coffee aromas. Small beige head. Black rich on the palate and strong in alcohol with a bitter lasting full coffee roast finish.

On tap at Triumph in New Hope. Poured a dark black with an averaged sized tan head. Chocolate with light coffee aromas and tastes. Creamy body. Alcohol makes itself known in the taste. Light bitter finish.

on tap-pours a rich, lasting light brown head that laces. Black in color. Aroma is malt, chocolate, alcohol, licorice. Taste is malt, coffee, licorice. Full bodied. Nice, not my taste.

Black, not completely opaque. Fully laced medium-brown head lasts eternally, leaving sheets of foam upon the glass. Strong roastiness takes the role of a foundation whereas brown sugar and licorice replace the usual chocolate and coffee for this afternoon’s performance. It is therefore still richly malty, but appears extremely sweet, floury and anisey to no end, the flavours are thick and sticky and can count on nothing, but raw, brutal roastiness to balance it out, the execution is deemed not to be very motherly. Slight soy sauce and beany, vegetal influence obviously don’t help the cause. Too sweet and not in a vinous/fruity way, I can’t help, but disagree with most previous raters which is too bad as I have lots of respect for some of triumph’s stuff, smoked beers and pale lagers most notably. Don’t get me wrong, but my impression is that we may collectively be overrating imperial stouts a bit!

GABF 2004: Nearly opaque, thick dark brown with a light tan head. Aroma is full and sweet with a touch of toffee, caramel malt, and dark chocolate. Starts with a hint of lactose sweetness and sticky caramel. FInishes sweet and milk chocolatey. Nicely balanced and pretty complex, an enjoyable imperial stout.

On tap at the New Hope location:

The Lure:
Soy sweetness and roasted malt shyness slowly rise from the bed of dates and raisins they were bathing in. Black beans are evoked strangely, and overall this isn’t appealing enough for the style.

The Festivities:
Coffee beans and dark chocolate evolve into a strong back bitterness which diversifies the forceful sweetness. Flavors appear muddled for now, maybe this is a little too young for my tastes in the style. Not a top notch example imho, but a big and fun hunk of malt sweetness for those who like that.

Transcendence:
I never could eat all my candy at Halloween.