Viking Brewing Big Swede

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

22oz bomber: Belated thanks to slikwily who sent me this brew. This one pours a bit "thick". It is a syrupy dark brown color. There was a firm, tan head on it. It drops away leaving some nice lacing. The aroma is quite nice. Major doses of sweetness and chocolate. Maybe some fruits also. The taste is very chocolatey. A faint hit of bitterness in the aftertatse. A very silky mouthfeel. Nice.

Bottle - many thanks to Badgerben for the trade. Pours dark brown and opaque with some chestnut highlights around the edges of the glass, small beigey-tan head diminishes to the faintest ring of bubbles rimming the glass. Aroma is yummy, reminds me of chocolate cookie dough, sweet with some yeast, milk chocolate and floral hops. Flavor is nice, sweet and chocolatey, dark fruits, coffee and some hoppiness to keep it bitter and interesting. Full body, smooth mouthfeel and almost no carbonation. Definitely a nice imperial stout from lil ol’ Dallas, WI.

22 oz bottle, at least 6 months old (2004 version, I believe): burnt, golden garnets with a wonderfully fluffy light brown head that settles into a thin off white edge, a bronze film coats the glass…gooey malted plum aromatics, vinous and creamy with sugary dark chocolate, vanilla beans and hints of alcohol. Soft milk chocolate coats the palate in front of a creamy, yogurt-like pudding, some lactic acidity follows, but it is just enough to even out the sweetness. A roasted nut bitterness attempts a visit to the stage, but is quickly ushered off by the vinous sweet fruits and chocolate fudge. A very solid imperial stout, well done.

Bottle. A dark brown color with a deep brown head. Grainy, bitter chocolate and some dark fruits, but mostly I found the molasses and milk stout qualities. I was thinking foreign stout with an edge that I didn’t like. I’ve heard that Viking is wildly inconsistent in brew quality.

Thanks be to Edward (BrooklynBoy) for sharing this great beer with me. Dark dark dark in colour with nearly no head. The nose is full of coffee and malts, the hops that are present give it a sweetness and a kick. THe taste was just good with lots of roasted malts and hops, just great. Really enjoyed this one.

Almost opaque black with a small tan head. Aroma is malt, coffee, chocolate, fruit. Nice aroma but not very intense. Rich and robust body with smooth feel. The flavor was creamy and chocolate/coffee. Presence of some hints of barrel-aging and touches of port. Excellent stout.

Nearly black beer; yellow-brown head, dwindling. Bitter chocolate nose, seom wood, brandy or French coffee. The coffee tout-court then gets the upper hand. Bitter coffee taste, quite bitter for a beer responding to another bitterness than hops; there’s some brandy-soaked wood and some tobacco ash in the background too - some roasted grains. Reasonably bodied, but not full MF. There’s a little thinnish edge I link to the stout acidity. Why Swedish? If it really differs somewhere, is in that it misses a bit of mouthfeel, as well as some complexity.

Opaque with a creamy tan head and nice lacing. The nose is of coffee, mocha, burnt malts, hops, and earthy yeast esters. The taste is very chocolatey with nice bitterness present. The finish displays a smoky and woody nature. This full-bodied brew had a nice smooth, full mouthfeel. It was a pleasant surprise...thanks JPDIPSO!