Tag Archives: imperial stout

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

Epic Son of a Baptist

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Brewery: Epic Brewing Company
Country: USA
ABV: 8%
Style: American Imperial Stout
Other Notes: Novo Coffee – Epic Espresso Blend. Malts – Ultra-Premium Muntons Marris Otter, 2-Row Brewers Malt, Black Malt, Crystal Malt, Chocolate Malt, Roasted Barley, Cara-Aroma and Demerara Sugar. Hops – Nugget, Chinook and Cascade

Brewer Description: (from website) Son of a Baptist is an 8% ABV imperial stout. It is not barrel aged like its father, Big Bad Baptist; instead its flavor profile was designed to highlight the complex and often unique flavors of small batch coffees. Instead of sourcing a coffee that would play well in a beer we sought out creative and innovative roasters, then asked them which beans they’re passionate about. Each resulting release of Son of a Baptist is widely different depending on the coffee selected. Some are fruity and sweet with notes of jam and chocolate, others are rich and earthy with a big roasted finish. Each limited release will return to the Roaster’s home market where the beer and the coffee can be sampled side by side.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.13
My ratebeer.com rating: 4

Intro: A 12 fl oz can with no clear canned on or best before date. Novo Coffee – Epic espresso blend. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: It was dark brown to black in colour with a just over one finger light brown head that had good retention and left lots of nice lacing.
Aroma: Roasted malt, coffee, dark chocolate with hints of brown sugar and a light char.
Taste: Roasted malt, coffee, milk, bittersweet chocolate and caramel. Sweetish to begin, while lightly bitter on the finish.
Mouthfeel: Creamy and velvety smooth, medium bodied with low carbonation.
Overall: Nice tasting and great to drink, but definitely preferred the barrel aging of its father, Big Bad Baptist.

5 - Excellent (must buy), Beer Reviews, Bottle Logic Brewing, Stout - Imperial, USA

Bottle Logic Fundamental Observation

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Brewery: Bottle Logic Brewing
Country: USA
ABV: 13.6%
Style: American Imperial Stout
Other Notes: Imperial vanilla stout aged in Buffalo Trace, Four Roses, Rebel Yell and W.L. Weller bourbon barrels

Brewer Description: (from website) Eureka! You have just discovered an Imperial Stout full of vanilla’s fundamental flavor. This stout was aged in four different types of bourbon barrels, and blended with Madagascar vanilla beans. Sit back, relax, and observe the world around you.

My rating: 5
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.62
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.5

Intro: On tap at Bottle Logic Brewing, Anaheim. A 6 oz pour into a Bottle Logic snifter.
Appearance: It was black in colour with minimal brown head and minimal lacing.
Aroma: Vanilla, sweet milk chocolate, oak and bourbon.
Taste: Very nice sweetish milk chocolate, oak, bourbon and vanilla.
Mouthfeel: Full bodied, low carbonation and a light alcohol burn.
Overall: Excellent! This was just really nice, complex and a great sipper. Really happy to be able to try this on tap at the brewery!

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Bellwoods Brewery, Canada, Stout - Russian Imperial

Bellwoods 3 Minutes To Midnight

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Brewery: Bellwoods Brewery
Country: Canada
ABV: 11%
Style: Russian Imperial Stout
Other Notes: Imperial Stout with Cherry and Cocoa

Brewer Description: (from website) Fruited, barrel-aged Russian Imperial Stout. This rich and complex Imperial Stout gains a character that can only come with age (12 months in barrels), aided by the addition of tart cherries and cocoa nibs. Deep roasted flavours merge with cherries to create a complimentary tartness that marries the fruit and malt beautifully.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.31
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.2

Intro: A 500ml bottle at the brewery, December 2016 vintage, poured into a Bellwoods tulip glass.
Appearance: It was black in colour with pretty much no head and only sparse lacing, although what was there was mocha in colour.
Aroma: Cherries, prunes, raisins and oak with hints of coffee and chocolate.
Taste: Cherries, oak and raisins with hints of chocolate malt and cocoa.
Mouthfeel: Full bodied with low carbonation.
Overall: Very nice body, tastes great, and a very enjoyable sipper.

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

Omnipollo Noa Pecan Mud Cake Double Barrel

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Brewery: Omnipollo
Country: Sweden
ABV: 11%
Style: American Imperial Stout
Other Notes: Brewed by Omnipollo at Brouwerij De Molen in the Netherlands

Brewer Description: (from website) The pinnacle of our first run barrel project. An Islay and Cognac Barrel Aged Pecan Mudcake Imperial Stout. Brewed with aromas.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.23
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.2

Intro: A 330ml bottle with a best before date of 7th July 2020. Poured into a snifter.
Appearance: It was black in colour with a half finger mocha head that dissipates quickly while leaving some sparse lacing.
Aroma: Chocolate, pecan, caramel and whisky with hints of vanilla and cognac.
Taste: Sweet milk chocolate with a nice pecan nuttiness. There are also hints of oak, cognac and peat.
Mouthfeel: Full bodied with moderate to low carbonation.
Overall: This particular bottle was nice and tasty, but I don’t think that the barrels improved the base beer. It should be noted that this beer has had it’s share of infection. This is my third bottle now, of which I’ve had two good and one infected. The infected bottle clearly tasted sour and was just not pleasant to drink. You will know if you have an infected bottle, so I guess it’s a bit of the luck of the draw at this point.

2 - Maybe (likely wouldn't buy, might drink), Beer Reviews, Stout - Imperial, Three Floyds Brewing Co. x Mikkeller ApS x Warpigs Brewpub, USA

Three Floyds x Mikkeller x Warpigs Black Flame

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Brewery: Three Floyds Brewing Co. x Mikkeller ApS x Warpigs Brewpub
Country: USA
ABV: 12%
Style: American Imperial Stout

Brewer Description: (from website) The Black Flame (La Flama Negro). It burns bright for those who care to notice. It takes a true beer lover to stray from the norm and experience real flavor. If you can’t handle the black flame, you can’t handle adventure. Made in conjunction with Mikkeller.

My rating: 2
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.42
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.2

Intro: A 22oz bomber, I think bottled in 2015 (but nothing clearly marked on the bottle). Poured into a snifter.
Appearance: It was black in colour with a dark brown hue on the sides and a one finger mocha head that had decent retention and left some nice small spotty lacing.
Aroma: Orange citrus fruitiness and milk chocolate with hints of roasty coffee and some kind of spiciness.
Taste: Milk chocolate and molasses sweetness, roasted coffee and orange citrus with a hint of dark chocolate bitterness.
Mouthfeel: Medium to full bodied with low carbonation.
Overall: You’d think that orange and chocolate flavours go well together, and it started off ok enough. But after a while, it just felt a bit too sweet and hard to finish. The orange was overpowering compared to the chocolate and I think it would have been better if it was the other way around. Just didn’t quite work for me.