Two Brothers Northwind Imperial Stout

Brewed by Two Brothers Brewing Company
Style: Imperial Stout
Warrenville, Illinois USA

Poured a very dark brown with a ridiculous, foaming tan head. Lots of carbonation here. The aroma is chocolate initially, giving way to roasted, almost burnt malt. Some coffee as well. The flavor was thin chocolate, burnt malt and coffee and some light citrusy, fruity notes as well. Overly carbonated mouthfeel. Thin to medium body. Too many better things out there for me to buy this again.

notes are typical for style including chocolate and purely the roast of the malt...however the chocolate is so articulated that it reminds me very very much of chocolate milk. not nesquik or crap like that but some kind of real delicious chocolate milk. mouthfeel is purely silky as it should be. two brothers seems to have trouble conquering certain styles. in those instances they fall just barely short of being stellar and only being great....this is closer to stellar. i actually bought this on accident trying to grab another philosophers stone, but this is a very plesant surprise. update for 2008 batch, at tapping party at brewpub: astringent fusel flavors dominate the nose even at only 9%, some cocoa but still a bit heavy on the booze. this went from average last year to slightly below

Pours jet black with a minimal tan head. Smell is sweet, with coffee, chocolate and malt. Taste is roasted malt, light coffee, a bit of chocolate, some dark fruit with an odd sour aftertaste. It is not very complex. The body is light for an Imperial stout and the carbonation is kind of high for the style. It’s pretty easy to drink, but not what I was expecting from an imperial.

22 oz bottle via xnohatex (thanks!). Aroma is lots of malted grains and toffee. Taste starts with caramel, then lightly roasted grains, light coffee, chocolate, figs. Body is light/medium. Carbonation is moderate. THis is an easy drinking Stout.tweener...

black small brown head, thick clings to glass. taste like soy sauce,olives burnt toast and bitter coffee,very malty with bittering hops

Black with not much head. Looks a bit still. Burnt tart oily aroma with heavy fruit. Very sweet and quite tart. Little hop flavor or bitterness. Has some old coffee and burnt grain flavor. Good body but not enough CO2. Overall lacking in flavors and too sour.

Pours a thick black (with an amber hue), with a thick head, and thick lacing (notice a trend?). All this thickness and its watery and thin on the palate. Alcohol is strong, but not overpowering. Brew itself is thin but chewey, not as roasty as it should be. Licorice comes through in the aroma, and stronger in the flavor. Also hints of chocolate and malt. Some notes of coffee, but mostly on the back end. Some complexity is going on in the background. Pretty much what I think a "Stout" should be, but not an Impy.

Poured from a 22oz bomber and served in a snifter. This beer poured an extremely dark brown with a quickly fading head of tan foam. Not much lace. The aroma of the beer was made up of sweet, rich chocolate, strong espresso and coffee, and burnt malt. The flavor included roasted malt with some light notes of coffee and chocolate. Pretty one dimensional. No real character or depth. The mouthfeel was full-bodied with minimal carbonation. This beer started out on the right track with a nice pour and aroma, but the flavor was a big letdown.