Sumi Cacao
Grimm Artisanal Ales in New York City, New York, United States 🇺🇸
Stout - Pastry / Flavoured - Imperial Series Out of Production|
Score
7.36
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Imperial stout brewed with cacao and vanilla.
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8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Reviewed from notes.
Bottle to snifter.
Appearance: jet black in the pour and was jet black in the glass with a finger and a half of khaki foamy head which dissipated nicely to leave some light lace
Aroma: sweet coffee, roasted coffee, nice level of cacao, dark chocolate-ish and a nice level of vanilla
Flavor: blends the prior noted aromas to a fine sweet to roasty and toasty quality; finishes with the dark chocolate and vanilla notes
Texture: medium bodied - maybe a touch under with a light sipping sort of aspect to this; some smoothness but also a lingering dryness
Overall: I say a very nicely done impy stout worthy of coming back to.
Bottle to snifter.
Appearance: jet black in the pour and was jet black in the glass with a finger and a half of khaki foamy head which dissipated nicely to leave some light lace
Aroma: sweet coffee, roasted coffee, nice level of cacao, dark chocolate-ish and a nice level of vanilla
Flavor: blends the prior noted aromas to a fine sweet to roasty and toasty quality; finishes with the dark chocolate and vanilla notes
Texture: medium bodied - maybe a touch under with a light sipping sort of aspect to this; some smoothness but also a lingering dryness
Overall: I say a very nicely done impy stout worthy of coming back to.
Tried
from Bottle
on 27 Feb 2026
at 18:11
7.5/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 8
From bottle. Black color with beige head. Malty aroma, roasted, cocoa, chocolate, light fruity. Sweet and light bitter taste. Medium oily body with soft carbonation.
Tried
from Bottle
on 18 Jun 2019
at 15:41
7.8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 8
Bottle from a shop in the Detroit suburbs shared at Zack's epic tasting. Pours a pitch black with a finger of beige head that lingers. Lots of dark cacao on the nose with some faint toasted blueberry, soy sauce and roasted coffee. More dark espresso, charred chocolate and cacao nib on the palate. Bitter with some creamy dark chocolate undertones. Body is a tad thin, with some toasted vanilla and roasted malt on the finish. Cacao bitterness drives the finish.
Tried
from Bottle
on 27 May 2018
at 04:41
6.8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 6
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7
Bottle at Black Christmas 2017; vintage 2017
Black color. Dark malts, with some chocolate; the body is lean; there is some alcohol perception, no vanilla.
Good but not special.
Black color. Dark malts, with some chocolate; the body is lean; there is some alcohol perception, no vanilla.
Good but not special.
Tried
from Bottle
on 14 Dec 2017
at 03:40
7.8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7
22 oz. bottle, pours black with a small tan head. Aroma brings out dark cocoa upfront, followed by moderate roast. Flavour is dry and chocolatey, with dark cocoa, light toasted malt, and a touch of coffee. Very chocolatey on the mouthfeel. Excellent.
Tried
from Bottle
on 10 Dec 2017
at 13:15
7.6/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 6
Overall 7.5
A pour from the bottle on Black Christmas V. Pours a veru dark brown with a beige head. Aroma is coffee and fruity notes. Similar taste with roasted malt notes. Cocoa? Vanilla? Where? Still good, though.
Tried
from Bottle
on 09 Dec 2017
at 21:35
5.1/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 5
Flavor 5
Texture 4
Overall 4.5
July 2017 22oz bottle drunk 7/29/17.
Large, greyish-tan head shows strong retention atop an inky black body of undetermined clarity.
First thing I get in the nose is cocoa bean and it's a lot more bean and a lot less cocoa...Almost DMS-like, with fudgey, overly vanilla-laden notes mixing with an odd, liqueur-like, caramel/toffee finish. Low, sort of stale-like roasted character doesn't keep up with the sweet/malty element. Little/no booze, at least.
In the mouth it's beany and bready, with sweet vanilla, gooey fudge, stale roast and a very strange, acrid bitterness on the finish. Cakey, thick body with low carbonation and underattenuation. Too much adjunct, off-texture and balance, really not much to enjoy here.
Large, greyish-tan head shows strong retention atop an inky black body of undetermined clarity.
First thing I get in the nose is cocoa bean and it's a lot more bean and a lot less cocoa...Almost DMS-like, with fudgey, overly vanilla-laden notes mixing with an odd, liqueur-like, caramel/toffee finish. Low, sort of stale-like roasted character doesn't keep up with the sweet/malty element. Little/no booze, at least.
In the mouth it's beany and bready, with sweet vanilla, gooey fudge, stale roast and a very strange, acrid bitterness on the finish. Cakey, thick body with low carbonation and underattenuation. Too much adjunct, off-texture and balance, really not much to enjoy here.
Tried
from Bottle
on 22 Nov 2017
at 11:29
8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Taster pour on draft at Beltway Brewing. Shared by radagast83, thanks Chris! Black with tan head. Aromas of cocoa, dark chocolate, roasty notes. Tastes of dark chocolate, cocoa, booze. Full body with a dry finish. Nice.
Tried
from Draft
on 01 Nov 2017
at 00:50
7.8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 6
Overall 8
Draft at Beltway Brewing Company. Poured a nearly pitch black color with a small tan head. Aroma was very mild vanilla, roasted malts, chocolate and tasty. Woody, sweetness. Roast. Sweet finish.
Tried
from Draft
on 15 Oct 2017
at 03:04
8.4/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
22 ounce bottle into snifter, bottled in 7/2017. Pours opaque dark brown/black color with a 1-2 finger dense and rocky khaki head with amazing retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lasts. Thick soapy lacing clings around the glass, with a moderate amount of streaming carbonation retaining the cap. Fantastic appearance. Aromas of big milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, vanilla, cream, marshmallow, brown sugar, fudge, molasses, toasted dark bread, nuttiness, raisin, prune, fig, date, and licorice; with lighter notes of smoke, charcoal, leather, tobacco, pepper, pine, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of dark/roast/bready malt, vanilla, cocoa, and light-moderate fruity yeast/earthy hop notes; with great strength. Taste of big milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, vanilla, cream, marshmallow, brown sugar, fudge, molasses, toasted dark bread, nuttiness, raisin, prune, fig, date, and licorice; with lighter notes of smoke, charcoal, leather, tobacco, pepper, pine, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness. Light-moderate roast/char and peppery/pine hop bitterness on the finish. Lingering notes of milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, vanilla, cream, marshmallow, brown sugar, fudge, molasses, toasted dark bread, nuttiness, dark fruit, licorice, smoke, charcoal, leather, tobacco, pepper, pine, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Incredible complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malt, vanilla, cocoa, and light-moderate fruity yeast/earthy hop flavors; with an awesome roast/hop bitter/sweet balance, and zero cloying/acrid flavors after the finish. Lightly increasing dryness from hop/roast/char bitterness. Medium carbonation and full body; with a very smooth, creamy/bready/grainy, and lightly slick/silky/sticky/chalky balanced mouthfeel that is great. Minimal warming alcohol for 10.2%. Overall this is a fantastic spiced imperial stout. All around outstanding complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malt, vanilla, cocoa, and light-moderate fruity yeast/earthy hop flavors; very smooth and dangerously easy to sip on for the big ABV. Very rich and complex on malts, with nice vanilla/cocoa presence. Quite a bit more fruity/yeasty than I recall from their other stouts; but it works really well, never overpowering. Just the right amount of roast/charred notes, without being acrid or astringent for the style. A highly enjoyable offering.
Tried
from Bottle
on 26 Sep 2017
at 20:52