Category Archives: Stout – Imperial

4 - Good (buy), 8 Wired Brewing Co., Beer Reviews, New Zealand, Stout - Imperial

8 Wired iStout Unchained Imperial Stout

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Brewery: 8 Wired Brewing Co.
Country: New Zealand
ABV: 12%
Style: American Imperial Stout
Other Notes: 3 year wine barrel aged. 2016 vintage

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Our highly rated imperial stout, iStout, aged for 3 years in Pinot Noir barrels with added brettanomyces. Roasty and boozy as the original but also funky, dry, wild and unchained.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.19
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.1

Intro: A 500ml bottle, 2016 vintage. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: Dark dark brown to black in colour with a big two finger tanned head that had pretty good retention and eventually settled to a thin layer, while leaving some nice lacing.
Aroma: Light roast, cocoa, leather, brett, oak, lightly vinous and a touch herbal.
Taste: What you’d expect from the aroma, light roast, cocoa, funky, brett, tart, vinous, and oak.
Mouthfeel: Creamy, medium to full bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: Nice aroma and flavours although the Imperial Stout parts are probably overpowered by the brett and vinous aspects. This is really drinkable but I’m unsure I’d still call this an Imperial Stout.

4 - Good (buy), 8 Wired Brewing Co., Beer Reviews, New Zealand, Stout - Imperial

8 Wired Batch 2.18 Oak Aged Imperial Stout

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Brewery: 8 Wired Brewing Co.
Country: New Zealand
ABV: 11%
Style: American Imperial Stout
Other Notes: Fermented in open oak vats with dates, jaggery and vanilla beans

Brewer Description: (from bottle) The most regal of stouts. Brewed to commemorate the 18th batch of our new brewery in Warkworth, New Zealand.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.97
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.9

Intro: A 500ml bottle with no bottled on or best before date. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: Black in colour with a dark brown hue and a thin brown head that dissipated quickly, but left lots of fine spotty lacing.
Aroma: Roasty dark malts, chocolate, molasses, licorice, prunes, oak, vanilla and a light char.
Taste: What you’d expect from the aroma, roasty, chocolate, prunes, plum, molasses, licorice, oak, vanilla and some light ash.
Mouthfeel: Creamy, full bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: Nice enjoyable sipper, with good balance of roast, dark fruit and light sweetness.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, FiftyFifty Brewing Company, Stout - Imperial, USA

FiftyFifty Imperial Eclipse Stout Evan Williams

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Brewery: FiftyFifty Brewing Company
Country: USA
ABV: 11%
Style: American Imperial Stout
Other Notes: 2016 vintage, Black wax – Evan Williams

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Evan Williams bottle run no.1 2016. Stout brewed with honey, aged in oak barrels.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.88
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.7

Intro: A 22 fl. oz. waxed bomber, 2016 vintage. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: Dark dark brown to black in colour with a one and a half finger tanned head that had decent retention and left some nice lacing.
Aroma: Roasty, chocolate, toffee, coffee, bourbon, vanilla with a hint of licorice.
Taste: Moderately sweet, bourbon, fruit cake, raisin, fig, light roast, chocolate, molasses, honey, licorice.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: Not enough roastiness as it was overpowered by the sweetness and bourbon. Body was also lighter than I prefer my Imperial Stouts to be.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, FiftyFifty Brewing Company, Stout - Imperial, USA

FiftyFifty Imperial Eclipse Stout Java Coffee

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Brewery: FiftyFifty Brewing Company
Country: USA
ABV: 11%
Style: American Imperial Stout
Other Notes: 2016 vintage, Lavender (sparkly) wax – Java Coffee

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Java Coffee bottle run no.2 2016. Stout brewed with honey, aged in oak barrels.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.24
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.1

Intro: A 22 fl. oz. waxed bomber, 2016 vintage. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: Dark dark brown to black in colour with a orangey dark brown hue and a one finger tanned head that dissipated fairly quickly but left lots of nice lacing.
Aroma: Roasty, dark malt, coffee, chocolate, with a splash of piney notes and licorice.
Taste: What you’d expect from the aroma with lots of roastiness, coffee, chocolate, oak, hints of licorice, pine and a light bitterness on the finish.
Mouthfeel: Creamy, medium bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: Not as thick and heavy as I hoped for, for this style, but otherwise, aroma was brilliant and flavours were balanced and went well together. Not sure the honey was showing, but nevertheless, this was good.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Omnipollo, Stout - Imperial, Sweden

Omnipollo Hypnopompa Rum BA

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Brewery: Omnipollo
Country: Sweden
ABV: 11%
Style: American Imperial Stout
Other Notes: Brewed by Omnipollo at Brouwerij de Molen, Bodegraven, Netherlands

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Imperial Stout brewed with marshmallows & Tahitian vanilla beans.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.04
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.9

Intro: A 330ml bottle with a best before date of 12th December 2024. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: Black in colour with pretty much no head or lacing.
Aroma: Rum, vanilla, liquorice, molasses, sweet soy, light roast, chocolate.
Taste: Light roast, chocolate, rum, vanilla, brown sugar, oak, raisin, liquorice, lightly herbal.
Mouthfeel: Light booze, medium to full bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: A nice balanced sipper. I’m not a huge fan of rum, but it adds a nice touch here.