Tag Archives: imperial stout

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

Founders Lizard of Koz

Thursday, 16 February 2017 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Founders Brewing Company
Country: USA
ABV: 10.5%
Style: American Imperial Stout
Other Notes: 40 IBUs

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Imperial Stout brewed with blueberries, chocolate and vanilla. Aged in bourbon barrels.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.53
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.4

Intro: A 750ml bottle with no visible bottled on or best by date. Poured into a snifter.
Appearance: Black in colour with a one finger tanned head that dissipated fairly quickly while leaving some spotty lacing.
Aroma: Roasted malts, milk chocolate, vanilla and sour blueberries. It sounds good, but this combination in this form was a bit of a disappointment for me.
Taste: Overwhelming sweet blueberries and chocolate with only a touch of vanilla. I feel the bourbon is actually there too, kind of creeps in here and there, but is just completely covered by the blueberries.
Mouthfeel: Full bodied with low carbonation.
Overall: This seems to be a love or hate beer for a lot of people, even though I appear to be kind of in the middle. I shared this with my girlfriend who had about 200ml, while I finished the other 550ml. The first few sips were actually pretty good, but towards the end, due to the sweetness, it was slow going trying to finish it. I felt this would have been better in a 12 fl oz bottle. This way, one person could enjoy it and you could just open another bottle if you needed more. Perhaps aging this would make it better by toning down the blueberries, but as always, there’s no guarantees.

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

Avery Tweak

Wednesday, 28 December 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Avery Brewing Company
Country: USA
ABV: 17.5%
Style: American Imperial Stout
Other Notes: Batch No.2. Stout with Coffee added, aged in Bourbon Barrels

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Our very own Parker, of the cartoon and cat loving variety, created this cult classic character back in our 17th season. Appearing in several episodes under another stage name that was deemed inappropriate, our executive producers and editors decided that a name change and further character development – a 4-month hiatus in bourbon barrels – were necessary to satisfy our most ardent and demanding viewers.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.34
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.1

Intro: A 12 fl oz bottle, Batch #2, bottled on 25th January 2016. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: A dark brown to black colour with a one finger mocha head that had decent retention and left sparse spotty lacing.
Aroma: Very nice cocoa, chocolate fudge, espresso coffee, vanilla, raisin, cherry and bourbon.
Taste: Sweet plum, prunes, raisin, bittersweet chocolate, vanilla, molasses, coffee and strong but not overpowering bourbon.
Mouthfeel: A little bit thin at medium to full bodied, with low carbonation. Definitely some boozy heat, but its not overdone.
Overall: A very nice Coffee BA Imperial Stout that’s not overly sweet and has great aromas and taste. At 17.5% ABV, you get the boozy heat, but it’s still a very nice sipper.

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

Avery Vanilla Bean Stout

Wednesday, 7 December 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Avery Brewing Company
Country: USA
ABV: 11.5%
Style: American Imperial Stout
Other Notes: Stout with Vanilla Beans added, Aged in Bourbon Barrels

Brewer Description: (from bottle) A double dose of vanilla derived from both fresh Bourbon barrels and the trio of Tongan, Ugandan and Mexican whole vanilla beans is complemented by essences of chocolate, caramel and molasses to round out this luxuriously silky stout.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.46
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.3

Intro: A 22 fl oz foiled bomber, bottled on 29th April 2016. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: A dark dark brown to black colour with a less than one finger tanned head that dissipated fairly quickly while leaving some sparse lacing.
Aroma: Nice strong sweet vanilla, cocoa, oak, bourbon and perhaps some light char.
Taste: Sweet vanilla, cocoa, molasses and toffee, a good hit of bourbon with a touch of dark fruit and oak.
Mouthfeel: Medium to full bodied with moderate to light carbonation.
Overall: Other than its body being lighter than I prefer for an Imperial Stout, this beer has everything else going for it. Great aromas and taste make it a great sipper on a cool night.

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

Clan Brewing Imperial Stout

Tuesday, 25 October 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Clan Brewing Company
Country: Scotland
ABV: 8%
Style: American Imperial Stout
Other Notes: Matured in Lowland whisky casks for up to six months

Brewer Description: (from bottle) A rich, dark and intensely flavourful Imperial Stout, packed with burnt coffee and lemon scents, skilfully balanced by sweet sherry and raisin flavours derived from a short period in Lowland malt whisky casks. A smoky, slightly acrid mouthfeel, and a long burnt finish.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.37
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.2

Intro: A 330ml bottle with a best before date of end of February 2019 and poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: It poured a dark dark brown colour with a less than one finger tanned head which dissipates fast but left lots of nice lacing.
Aroma: Chocolate, dark malt, hints of raisin, cream, light whisky and maybe a touch of caramel and lemon on the finish.
Taste: Chocolate, molasses, toffee, hints of dark berries, very light whisky, maybe some slight char but not much barrel.
Mouthfeel: Very light for an Imperial Stout, maybe too light in my opinion. Barely medium bodied with moderate to low carbonation and dry.
Overall: If this was a Stout, I think I would have rated it higher, but as an Imperial Stout, it’s just not quite there. Everything just seemed to be too light whereas I was looking for more punches as an Imperial Stout. This was especially true with the barrel aging, which did not seem to impart as much as it could have in both aroma and taste. It is by no means a bad beer, but I had both BCBS and KBS in the last week which is perhaps setting a rather high standard.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Boulevard Brewing Co., Stout - Imperial, USA

Boulevard Dark Truth Stout (Smokestack Series)

Wednesday, 19 October 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Boulevard Brewing Co.
Country: USA
ABV: 9.7%
Style: American Imperial Stout
Other Notes: 60 IBUs. Malts – Pale Malt, Amber 50, Cara 120, Cara 300, Chocolate, Roasted Barley, Chocolate Rye, Malted Rye, Malted Wheat, Honey Naked Oats and Flaked Oats. Hops – Magnum, Zeus, Citra and Perle. Other – Brown Sugar and Dark Brown Sugar.

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Roasted English malts provide a deep, rich texture, Belgian yeast bestows plum-like fruitiness, and German hops add spicy aromas as Dark Truth Stout mellows to a smooth, dry, smoky finish.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.94
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.8

Intro: A 12 fl oz bottle with a best by date of 24th February 2017, and poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: It poured a pitch black colour with a one finger tanned head that dissipated quickly but left some nice lacing.
Aroma: Roasty coffee, chocolate, crème brûlée, caramel, some dark fruits like plum and fig and a touch of smokiness.
Taste: Similar to the aroma except the dark fruits and char smokiness are more prominent whereas the roasty coffee and chocolate notes are more in the background. There is also some bitterness on the finish.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate to low carbonation and a dry finish.
Overall: This was an interesting Imperial Stout. Body was a lighter than I prefer and carbonation perhaps a tad too high. But still definitely worth a try.

words of another dreamy traveller