Viking Brewing Big Swede

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

Pours black with a small tan head. Nice aroma with chocolate, raisins, vanilla, and some alcohol. Nice sweet flavor, some roastiness comes through as well.

At first whiff I didn’t detect a huge aroma normally found in imperial stouts. But I did detect raisin and vanilla notes. A very small ring of lace above a dark black body. Taste is heavy on the coffee and some chocolate and vanilla present as well. Improves vastly as the temperature increases. DO NOT DRINK THIS AT TOO COLD OF A TEMPERATURE! You’ll be missing out on the experience if you do.

12 oz bottle


I decided cautiously to give Viking another chance after the drain pour that was Hot Chocolate. It turns out they can make some good beer when they are not trying to experiment. It is hard to say what consitutes a ’Swedish imperial stout’ but this is certainly pretty good. It does not stack up well against some of the bigger ones but is far easier to drink - no small sips with this one.

Aroma / Appearance - Velvet cake, hot chocolate (Swiss Miss), expresso and hazelnut complement the other flavors in this one well. Those others are plums, cherries, bananas and the base maltiness. It is strange to get so much fruity aroma out of an imperial stout but it is fun to experience something outside the norm. The body is a standard imperial stout in appearance - deep black and fluid. My only complaint is it seems a bit watery for something that claims to be 8%.

Flavor / Palate - I was not impressed with the first sip which reminded me of flat Coke. Soon however things changed and I found the enjoyable side of this beer. Vanilla, cocoa, raisins, bananas, cherries and malts all form a nice mouthfeel. While not superdense, it is hardly watery. Still, more body would improve this one. There is a weak expresso finish that fades quickly. Overall this is much easier to drink (as opposed to sip) than most imperial stouts. On the other hand, sipping Expedition or Old Rasputin is one of the better ways to spend an evening. This one does a decent job of hitting the right buttons but falls just short. I would buy it again though if I ever found bombers for $2.99.

Bottle poured black with a smallish head. Aroma is alcohol, roasty malt and chocolate same as the flavor. Smooth, silky rather thin body.

Bottle. Aroma was sweet with alcohol and wet wood present. Black body with no head to speak of, just a film on top of body. Flavor had a good medium sweet caramel and roast to it. Also had a silky film texture to the flavor. Roasty barrel wood aftertaste on palate.

Much thanks to hopdog for this... Appears a dense black with a frothy, 2 finger tan head that slowly fades into a film and collar. Plenty of beautiful lacing is left all around the glass. Smell is of black currants, fudgey chocolate, toasted nuts, and a touch of citrusy orange infused with blackstrap molasses. Taste is of the lovely aromas with a well blended taste and perhaps a hint of anise in the background. Well done. Mouthfeel is full bodied, chewy, sweet of raisins and molasses, and a roastyness that seems to be the right amount to make this enjoyable. I’m not sure if I was just in a good mood, or what but I really enjoyed drinking this one. I liked the flavors and everything came together nicely for me. I wish I had more. Thanks again, Steve! I’ve been wanting to try this one for a few years.

Dark semi viscous beer with a thin head of beige that doesn’t stay. Nose of mostly roasted/burnt chocolate and sweetness. The taste is more of the burnt chocolate like taste with some dark roasted coffee hints. There is a certian soy like element that I felt was somewhat overpowering at first sip, but it subsides and actually melds into the beer and actually adds a layer of complexity. There’s a bit of a bitter - no, more of a sour note to it. It’s a bit thinner than some of the big IIS’s out there, but still maakes good on its namesake.

Bottled. Thick black pour with a short-lived cap of yellowy-beige head. Nose was of rich, roasted dark chocolate, dark fruits, and hints of soy. Thick mouthfeel provided a fairly nice blend of roasted chocolate, coffee, licorice, and again hints of soy. Sticky, yet smooth on the palate with a soft feel to it. Carbonation was light. Finish was of the aforementioned roasted dark malts and was quite dry. I really enjoyed this one.