Two Brothers Northwind Imperial Stout

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

thanks to captaincougar for this bottle, pours a deep brown with very little head..that little bit rings the inside edge of the glass with a tan ring. aroma is malty with hints of smokiness and chocolates. soft coffee flavors in the roasted malts with a chocolate tail and very little bitterness. very nice balance in the flavor and a medium thickness give this a very nice mouthfeel. at the very end, there is kind of a bittersweet mouthfeel, but that is really the only negative i find. i would have liked a little more body, but i can live without it due to the quality of the flavor.

At the very first whiff, roasted malts jump out of the glass. There are some cocoa and coffee accents which leave an impression that hints toward a smoked stout. Color is a deep brown, near black, and the pour looks thinner than expected. The head consists of a tan ring that traces the edges of the inner glass. Flavor is rich and bitter. Profound coffee complexity. Dry, and hints at being smoked again. Malts seem to drown out all 45 IBUs, and the smaller-than-usual 7.5% ABV doesn’t provide that craved kick that I look for in an imperial stout. Finish is dry and coffee-laden; thin. The beer seems to be losing carbonation by the second. This is more of a dry stout in my opinion - not enough alcohol, accentuated hops and proper viscosity to play with the big boys.

Pours a very cloudy dark brown..almost black with a small creamy head. Aroma reveals a light roasty malts, maybe some light choco-coffeeish smells. The flavor follows lock step with the smell. A little mocha coffee, adequate bitterness. Too thin in the mouthfeel for me. Not bad, but considering the bruisers that live in this weight class this little guy just doesn’t measure up.

Bottle. Dark brown with a very thin and quickly diminishing head. No lacing. Smells of coffee and chocolate. Not very carbonated. Dry mouthfeel. Mediocre.

Bottle. Murky brown in colour, sort of looks like cold coffee. Aroma was slightly roasty, a bit chalky with some chocolate. Flavour was of chocolate, coffee, light roast and slightly sweet. Heavy mouthfeel, medium body, medium carbonation. Finishes medium length, slightly dry.

Murky dark chocolate mil appearance...yes milk, not beer. It had a light chocolate aroma and then again in the flavour, right through the sweet finish. Flavours of coffee did make their appearance too in this thick, mouth-coating brew. Not sure if we had it the way it was intended, but it was OK.

Bottle from NPDEMPSE. Black color with a touch of haze perhaps. Sparse tan head fades out quickly and leaves no lacing. The aroma is pleasant enough with deeply roasted grains and coffee being the predominant snout sensations to me. Body is medium, slightly coating. Perhaps a bit thin in mouthfeel. Roasted grains, chocolate and coffee all present in taste, decent hopping provides a nice bitter finish. A touch of sourness in the middle. Decent.

Thin head from a vigorous pour. Light brown and pretty frothy for a stout. Dry roasted aroma with coffee and dark chocolate. A bit of smoke too. Color is pretty much black. Smokey roasted grain flavor. Palate a little thin. Clean and smooth. Flat taste with very little going for it. Some coffee and carbon in there also. Very little alcohol presence. Finish is pretty clean and a little weak. Not much aftertaste or hops presence. A below average impy stout. Thanks to Drnk_McDermott for this one.