Viking Brewing Big Swede

Brewed by Viking Brewing Company
Style: Imperial Stout
Dallas, Wisconsin USA

big thanks to Dickinsonbeer for this one, he gave me a bottle at the great mall of america - i couldnt make rbsg so he was kind enough to share some of his bottle shop finds from the week prior. the beer pours a black body with an overflowing tall creamy & dimply dark tan/burnt umber colored head. aroma is dark roasted malt, some chocolate, dark fruits like prunes, and some blackstrap molasses. also licorice candy in the aroma. flavor is dark roasted malt, coffee, licorice, and italian anise candy (not the sweet kind). some sweet toffee malt in the middle. finish is dry and bitter, hoppy and more anise/licorice root powder. this is a bitter one!

I’ve only had a few of their other beers, but I have no idea how this is rated as well as it is, unless somehow they made a good beer. Let us see. 12oz bottle, no date. Black with some deep red edges and a quickly fading tan head. Aroma of roasted malts, lactose, oats, alcohol, raisins, and toffee? Pretty sweet. Flavor is alcoholic, roasty, a bit of plastic, toffee, raisins, and an ashy finish. Medium to full body with light carbonation. This was not a total letdown, but I’m still not sold on this brewery yet.

Poured black with huge brown head. Aroma of coffee and chocolate. Flavor was big on coffee to start followed by a roasty chocolate. Hints of hops and fruit present throughout.

Black, thin tan creamy head. Nose was nicely complex with notes of port, dark chocolate, maple covered back currants, and hints of french vanilla coffee. Sweet dark berry and chocolate flavors are balanced with a faint dry coffee hop bitterness. Light to medium bodied, soft carbonation, lightly bittersweet finish. Had half of it before I really warmed to it. Very different, very nice....

trade bonus from Stine. Pours black with a creamy light brown/tan head. Aroma is of chocolate, roast, hints of vanilla and some brown sugar. Taste is chocolate, roasty, overall pretty smooth. Medium bodied, with some burnt sugar/caramel and a roasty finish.

12 oz btl from Blue Max. Pours a dark almost black with little or no head an aroma of chocolate and light coffee. A flavor that is full of thick chocolate overtones and a nice fruit that almost reminds me of a BW but a BW couldn’t have this choco flavor. A very nice finishing bitter and an exceptional palate that is just hard for me to describe. A very good beer. Read the posts of other raters after writing this. I wish they could have gotten a bottle from the same sixer that I did. cheerstevo

12oz bottle from kramer17801 (thanks!). Pours black with a massive compact tan head. Nose is roasted grains and dark fruit. Taste is a little roasty, plum, licorice, chocolate. Body is medium. Carbaontion light/medium. This is quite tasty, easy to drink, not over the top. I will be brewing my first AG Imp Stout in the summer of 2007 and I hope it turns out very similar to this!

Thanks to Ughsmash for the bottle. Dark brown with medium head. Fair lacing. Aroma of cocoa and grass hops. Taste was hop heavy and bitter. Chalky finish.