Viking Brewing Big Swede

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

thanks cmubeerman. this was the clear pick in the viking horizontal we did. not much aroma, but it’s sweet. nice appearance with lasting head. very sweet and pretty chocolatey. really pretty good. balanced. some fruit.

Dry, roasty aroma - strong lactose character, with a pleasant woodiness and vanilla. The most striking character of the flavor is a strong smokiness and a wet musty wood. The body is pretty thin for an Imperial Stout - the alcohol content is closer to an IS, but the flavor and mouthfeel is more like a smaller stout.

Bottle from Ughsmash (thanks, Jason!) - dark brown, nearly black, with a small-ish tan head - aroma of plum, raisin, toffee - quite a bit of berry-like fruity esters in the flavor (blueberry mostly) - sweet, with a somewhat toasted aspect, like burnt/ carmelized sugar - bitter bakers chocolate and coffee grounds - notes of dried cherries and vinous hints in the finish - not sure what’s "swedish" about it, but it is pretty tasty.

Pours black with almost no head. Aroma is pretty nice. Molasses, butterscotch, cocoa. Tastes of bitter chocolates, smoke and burnt coffees. Mouthfeel is creamy and rich. I did not have high expectations for this because I have tried a few other Viking brews and did not like any of them very much. This however is quite nice.

Pours a very dark brown, not quite black but very close. A good two inches of thick brown foam top the beer for a minute, settling down to a thin film. Good lacing. Nice aroma of molasses, plum, and sweet chocolate syrup. Sweetness and roasted grain dominate the flavor, followed by a touch of bittersweet mocha. Although not cloying, this beer is definitely on the sweet side, right up until a lingering rum flavor in the aftertaste. Body is somewhere between medium and full, a little oily, and softly carbonated. Tasty, filling, and rich.

12oz bottle acquired in trades with The_Enemy and kramer17081 (thanks!). Poured a dark black with brown edges and a smaller sized off white head. Aromas of chocolate, coffee, smoke, vanilla, roast and light caramel. Tastes of roast, chocolate, caramel, and some dark fruits (raisins and plums). Definitely on the sweeter side.

Pours black and red, tan head fully diminishing. Lacing is thick but sporadic. Aroma is chocolate malt, roastiness, some spent grains, light smoke, coffee, dates and residual sugars. Smells rich but subdued, like a big easy sipper. Flavor is mellow but has nice components of roasted and chocolate malt, a touch of hops and powdered sugar, coffee straight from the filter, a little alcohol. Full bodied and very easygoing, more like a nice baltic porter than American imperial stouts en masse. Finishes medium dry with nice lingering roasted malt and bitter chocolate tones. Rich satisfying palate that doesn’t ever get overbearing. Nothing extraordinary about this beer, very nice and pleasurable though. The best I’ve had from Viking.

Pours with a black body topped by a thick, lasting, brown head with some lacing. It’s sweet and fruity with an underlying chocolate note and a slight roastiness. Full bodied, smooth and warming.