Two Brothers Northwind Imperial Stout

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

Tap at Strong Ale 2008. Pours black with a tan head. Nose is sweet, rich and malty. Taste is sweet and malty, light, just ok.

Pours jet black with a thick creamy light brown head that stays frothy and leaves a nice lacing. Very sweet chocolate and molasses with some distinct woody and oak characters. Small hints of dark fruit and raisin. Flavor starts very sweet and milk chocolaty but gets hit a quick shot of cocoa bitterness. Some vanilla notes become present before a molasses and woody finish. Medium-full body and moderate carbonation. Nice Imperial stout that seems well balanced and not overly complex.

DArk pour. Aroma was decent with coffee and cocco roast flavor - mouthfeel was weak and lacked carbonation - felt and tasted milky and reminded me more of a strong porter than an Imperial Stout. Not impressed. There are too many really good balanced IPs so I wont reach for this one again.

On tap at release party at 2 Bros. Black/brown in color with a medium, tan head. Aroma of coffee,cocoa, currant, with a little peat & woodiness detected. Roasted & dark fruit notes followed to flavor with a discernible dryness. Not as full bodied as expected, but respectable.

Pours black with a tan head. Aroma is of chocolate, toasty malts, and dark fruits. Taste was severely lacking in said aroma flavors. Very light and sticky mouthfeel, with moderate carbonation. Mild chocolate taste, with malty undertones. Has a strange sweetness that seems out of place. Overall, very dissapointing.

Bottle. Pour rich black, just a bit of head. Candy-like sweet. Some cinnamon flavors. Not a whole lot of other flavors. Palate very thin and sticky. Nothing special but OK.

Poured a dark black with a tan colored head; it even had a bit of a reverse cascade to it. Smell was of cocoa, chocolate, earthy hops and roasted coffee. Taste was much of the same, but this beer felt a little green to me, and the others who tried it. It had a very nice finish to it, and we seemed to agree that with a bit more age on it, this would be a much better beer than it already is. Higher side of medium bodied and lower carbonation. This was pretty nice, and I am going to pick up a couple bombers to age next time. I think this one gets much better with time.

Thanks to Ezra and fam for this yummy brew!--Poured a dark brown with a fading white head;n Toffee grainy head with a little coffee and sour earthy bite. More sour than I thought it would. I could see this beer pairing great with a bitter dark chocolate sample. Mmmm. Not a shitload of depth but very interesting. Citrus, bitter, sour tang in the finish. Oi!