Dark Truth
Boulevard Brewing Company in Kansas City, Missouri, United States 🇺🇸
Stout - Imperial Rotating|
Score
7.57
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Imperial Stout (Smokestack Series)
Throughout the ages, man has been fascinated by the quest for hidden knowledge, the search for the secret to transforming the elemental into the extraordinary, the simple into the sublime. Ladies and gentlemen, we present for your consideration this exotic, inky concoction, the almost magical creation of our modern day alchemists who have turned humble grains—barley, wheat, rye, and oats—into black, liquid gold. Layers of complex flavors slowly emerge from the glass: espresso, roasted fig, crème brulée. Belgian yeast provides a plum-like fruitiness, noble German hops reveal spicy, herbal notes, while the rich, velvety mouthfeel mellows to a dry, smoky finish.
Throughout the ages, man has been fascinated by the quest for hidden knowledge, the search for the secret to transforming the elemental into the extraordinary, the simple into the sublime. Ladies and gentlemen, we present for your consideration this exotic, inky concoction, the almost magical creation of our modern day alchemists who have turned humble grains—barley, wheat, rye, and oats—into black, liquid gold. Layers of complex flavors slowly emerge from the glass: espresso, roasted fig, crème brulée. Belgian yeast provides a plum-like fruitiness, noble German hops reveal spicy, herbal notes, while the rich, velvety mouthfeel mellows to a dry, smoky finish.
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7.6/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 6.5
Bottled. Dark pour. White beige head. Roasted malt and dark chocolate. Bitter chocolate taste. Some dark fruit and hops.
Tried
from Bottle
on 20 May 2025
at 01:15
7/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7
Bottle. Deep dark brown with a large crown of a tan head. Aroma is notes of dried fruit with hints of roasted grains and mocha. Taste is dried fruit, coffee, chocolate and dark toast.
Tried
from Bottle
on 21 Mar 2025
at 05:12
8/10
RB score 3.75
Tried
from Bottle
on 06 Mar 2025
at 01:53
7.4/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Bottle from Bierkoning, Amsterdam. Aroma is roasted malt, caramel, chocolate, coffee, spicy Belgian yeast, molasses, touch of dark fruit and some liquorice. Flavour is above medium sweet with a decent roasty bitterness in the finish. Rather Belgian, dark malt and dried dark fruits with chocolate. Good one.
Tried
from Bottle
on 08 Feb 2025
at 10:36
8.1/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
Tasted at November Beermalade tasting in Bratislavka. Dark brown color with small beige head. Oily viscosity. Aroma of chocolate malt, dark malt, light roasted malt, vnailla, dried figs, plums, riasins. Tast eis complex, slightly sweet with chocolate malt, roasted notes, caramel, dried figs, plums, riasins. Alcohol is well hidden.
Tried
on 28 Dec 2024
at 13:52
9.1/10
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Appearance 10
Aroma 9
Flavor 9
Texture 10
Overall 8.5
Bottle at Beermalade tasting. Full body, medium carbonation. Med-high bitterness, medium sweetness. Lots of chocolate and cocoa, also lots of dried fruits, plums on top, raisins below. Quite complex malty base, with definite focus on roast though. Medium toffee, light deep coffee, light tobbacco, hint of ashy, tar. Med-light warmth, pleasant, rounded. Very tasty, balanced. Excellent. No bullshit, just great good old impy. Wow.
Tried
from Bottle
on 26 Nov 2024
at 18:59
7.8/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 9
Bottle. Malty aroma and taste, roastyness, chocolate, plums, medium bitter, light sweet notes. Full body, creamy texture, malty roasty cocoa bitter sweet finish. Good.
Tried
from Bottle
on 26 Nov 2024
at 18:55
7/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 7
Texture 4
Overall 7
Notes from October 2011 4-packer from somewhere up north(or was it Philly?). Best By 10/19/11. DFH rounded pint glass. Heavy-handed pour results in lots of sandy, dark tan-colored insulation foam on top of a black(on black) body. Sticky, archipelago-like lace. Sniff. Lots of cocoa, raisins, & soft citrus upfront. Coffee, hazelnuts, lactose, & lots of heat on the back. Roasty, charred sweetness. Ash. Earthy/minerally hops. Dry, bittergreen/rindy finish. Constantly frothy. Average body. Moderate carbonation, but pretty acidic. A bit too hot for being under 10%. A little tough.
Tried
on 31 Oct 2024
at 22:12
4.8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 6
Flavor 3
Texture 4
Overall 4
Bottle from total wine. Of course this stuff pours big and black, its large and in charge. Aroma is volatile mild sweet terribly dark chocolate malty mess. First taste is boozy and somewhat thick. Viscous, almost mouth coating near cloying alky boost. Slight co2, just barely. Middle is becoming a little dizzying. Its starting to attack my brain cells. However, this is seeming to go down a little easier than most rude domestic impy stouts. In the finish, its just another big bad ass stout but just maybe, it could be more acceptable to a macro pale american lager lover due to its smoothness. The boozy finish and mild co2 make it quite deceptive.
Tried
from Bottle
on 03 Jul 2024
at 00:00
7.6/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 6
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
This review was imported from my RateBeer ratings.
12 oz. bottle, 9.7% ABV, 40 IBU, Enjoy by: 20NOV2025
AROMA: Sligthtly sweet with (very) mild scents of chocolate, espresso, fig, and roasted malt. Frankly, I'm a bit disappointed in how muted the scents are.
APPEARANCE: Pours an opaque black with a medium tall, dark-tan head that dissipates slowly with excellent lacing. I wish the head were a bit taller, but otherwise, this is a nice looking beer.
TASTE: Moderately sweet with big flavors of espresso and cream, which is then followed by moderate flavors of fig and black cherry. On the finish, I get a mild bitterness that reminds me of unsweetened dark chocolate.
MOUTHFEEL: Full-bodied with a somewhat smooth and creamy texture that has just a touch of dryness at the end. Carbonation seems average.
OVERALL: For a beer that has such big flavor, I would expect something just as big for the nose. Unfortunately, it just isn't so. In fact, my only gripe with this beer is the muted aromas. Everything else is top-notch.
Note: RateBeer shows 60 IBU in the description for this beer, and the cardboard carton for the 6-pack that I bought also says 60 IBU. However, when I look at the information actually printed on each of the bottles, it says 40 IBU. I'm guessing that means that the beer has recently been reformulated and they are just packaging it in old cartons. Based on IBU ratings for other beers that I've tried I would say that 40 (or even lower) is the correct rating.
12 oz. bottle, 9.7% ABV, 40 IBU, Enjoy by: 20NOV2025
AROMA: Sligthtly sweet with (very) mild scents of chocolate, espresso, fig, and roasted malt. Frankly, I'm a bit disappointed in how muted the scents are.
APPEARANCE: Pours an opaque black with a medium tall, dark-tan head that dissipates slowly with excellent lacing. I wish the head were a bit taller, but otherwise, this is a nice looking beer.
TASTE: Moderately sweet with big flavors of espresso and cream, which is then followed by moderate flavors of fig and black cherry. On the finish, I get a mild bitterness that reminds me of unsweetened dark chocolate.
MOUTHFEEL: Full-bodied with a somewhat smooth and creamy texture that has just a touch of dryness at the end. Carbonation seems average.
OVERALL: For a beer that has such big flavor, I would expect something just as big for the nose. Unfortunately, it just isn't so. In fact, my only gripe with this beer is the muted aromas. Everything else is top-notch.
Note: RateBeer shows 60 IBU in the description for this beer, and the cardboard carton for the 6-pack that I bought also says 60 IBU. However, when I look at the information actually printed on each of the bottles, it says 40 IBU. I'm guessing that means that the beer has recently been reformulated and they are just packaging it in old cartons. Based on IBU ratings for other beers that I've tried I would say that 40 (or even lower) is the correct rating.
Tried
from Bottle
on 19 Apr 2024
at 19:21