Viking Brewing Big Swede

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

Bottled sample. Very dark brown in colour... almost black. Aromas of citrus hops, soy, chocolate and coffee. Strong and sweet malty flavor, with notes of berry fruit, coffee, chocolate, prune. Minimal carbonation. It could use some more time to even out, but this is still nice to drink now.

This beer rocks! ... A Swedish-style imperial stout brewed in Wisconsin? Interesting! Pours a dark, translucent, caramel-colored stream into the snifter. However, once the glass is full, there is no seeing through the pitch black muck. Small, creamy, quickly dissipating, light brown head. Minimal lacing. The aroma is full, complex and perfect. Smoke, vanilla beans, caramel, dark chocolate, pistacios, wood and a hint of soy. The flavor is rich and malty, slightly burnt with notes of espresso, but pretty much matches the nose. Very nicely balanced. The fairly high ABV is undetectable. Full-bodied with a thick, oily mouthfeel and soft carbonation. Lengthy, toasted, silky, but dry finish. World class beer! A "must try" imperial stout. Thanks go out to robertsreality for the bottle.

I’ve had a fair number of beers from Sweden(thx Per) and this one does share many of the characteristics in terms of a flavor that seems to underline many of them. Color is black with a brown head that rims the glass. Aroma of fruit (prunes or raisons), some chocolate, and slightly tart(but I would not describe it as acidic). Thin bodied for an Imp. The tartness completes the finish. Thanks John

I’m not sure what makes this Swedish aside from the fact that it may have been brewed by people of Swedish descent. Almost completely opaque but definitely more dark brown than it is black. Head is small, almost non-existent, and made of mostly large bubbles that leave their imprint on the side of the glass in the form of lace. A very interesting nose, only a hint of roasted character but somewhat heavy on the fruity--apples mostly. I like it. Flavor follows suit with big gobs of apple and still very subdued roast and chocolate notes. Slightly tart, a bit on the sweet side and rich. Mouthfeel is full but a bit undercarbonated. Interesting more so than it is excellent but still tasty and definitely worth the mere three dollar price tag if you’re lucky enough to find it.

From my comparatively limited experience it seems as if there are two major classes of stout. First there are the dry, lower alcohol varieties that pour the familiar thick head. Second, there are the sweeter, more port-wine-like types with little head to speak of. My own personal feeling is that I’d rather consume the former type, but the latter type also has many merits of its own. Big Swede stout is of the latter type and ranks as one of the better that I’ve come across. Appearancewise it is somewhat drab, pouring into the glass a head does not even form though there is minimal lacing. It presents a sort of flat, “just sits there” image, but it has a rich color and fortunately there no flatness to its body. I give discerning recommendation because of certain positives: pleasant, tart-apple aroma; extremely rich, velvety-chocolate texture; and very pleasant, dry hoppy aftertaste. And though I’ll pass, I suppose if you like sweeter, high-alcohol stouts, at $2.99 a bottle this would be hard to beat if you feel like having a few and getting a little sloshed!

Bottle pours a dark dark brown, almost black, small tannish dishwater like head, with spotty lacing.   Light soy and alcohol, but major amounts of apple peel in the aroma.   Loads of pear/apple on the tongue, with light soy.   Roasted malts aren’t very strong in this one.   Feels fairly heavy, but comes across as quite light.   Finishes with a mild roastiness, soy, but quite a bit of apple or pear.   Very interesting to say the least.   Thanks goes out to footbalm for the trade!

Hmmm, a Swedish-style Imperial Stout, eh? Never heard of that before! Dark as a starless night, ebon as the blackest sin, with an excellent, thick, creamy brown head, bubbles popping and foam softly, slowly subsiding. Leaves a mild lacing behind. Aroma is a puzzle, nutty and creamy, but not issuing forth any typical IS characteristics, but, ah, this is that Swedish sub-style we must consider! Good cocoa, a hint of molasses, overall, mild, but pleasant enough. Taste: Mmmmm! Yes! there we go! Big, cocoa and coffee, right at the first meeting of lips and liquid, thick, sweet, and slightly bitter, bracing, substantial, with a full texture, and a long, serious, sticky finish. Body is full, but could be fuller, the flavor however never flags, that we can freely admit. This is very tasty,wtih further flavors of dark fruits, carob, dark rum, figs, a whiff of whiskey, all speaking up as the drink goes down. I like one. Doesn’t stack up to so many other favorite ISs of mine ( and I’ve got a long list), but it’s a nice little rendition nonetheless.

Pours a beautiful pitch black beer with a foamy brown head. Strong malt and coffee aroma with woody tones. Some fruit also. Odd flavor, rather sweet roasted malty, sugary and fruity. Hop and coffee notes. Tasty but syrupy and different.