Winter Brew (Imperial Stout)
Old Dominion Brewing Company in Ashburn, Virginia, United States 🇺🇸
Stout - Imperial Regular Out of Production|
Score
6.62
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The Winter Brew varies year-to-year. The back label should state what style it is, so make sure you rate the correct style!
Old Dominion Imperial Stout is a brew of extra- ordinary flavor and complexity. It is slightly sweet, with a chocolate character that is especially noteworthy. It is strong and warning but round and soft at the same time.
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Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7.5
Bottled on Oct 29, 2004 consumed on 12/4/05. Big thanks to the_Beer_God for the extra!
Pours a deep, chocolate-milk colored body, with some soy sauce-like tints and a deep tan head that is still quite large and enticing after a year. Head recedes fairly quickly to cover/ring and leaves behind spotty lace. Aroma of dark chocolate, a dry, almost chalky-milky note, light peanut-brittle, hints of light green, floral hops and a debittered-like black maltiness. The flavor begins chocolatey, creamy and with a slippery texture at first, with light gritty notes as it goes down the throat. Chocolate and light coffee (though very light on the coffee), with creamy-sweet sugars and a black malt that is ashy and dry, but not overly bitter. As it warms, gets, interestingly, slightly chalky. Not quite creamy, but not quite slippery. Anyways, it glides down the throat easily, leaving choco-vanilla notes behind and light roast and sugars. Hop flavor has faded to a light leafy greenness, perhaps touches of herbs/wintergreen. No fruitiness or any real yeast apparency, other than the lightly bland chalkiness (if that’s what’s responsible). Well-made assuming they used lager yeast (and even if they didnt, it’s still well-made). No alcohol apparency. Not very imperial in its qualities, but I have no strong desire for extremes. Imperials don’t always have to be so.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5
Bottled. Black colour with some reddish hints, brown minor head. Smooth roasted malt in aroma. Roasted malt, burnt wood with some grainy and toffeeish hints. Old coffee and a bit of alcohol in finish and aftertaste.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7
Bottle date 19 NOV 2004 This was topped by a light brown head of average size. Lacing the glas as it fell into an opaque black body. Mild coffee and sour cherry aroma. Well balanced flavor with a dry chalky finish. Not a bad winter brew, but Imperial Stout?
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 5 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 5.5
Bottled. Black, small head. Fruity licorice aroma. Sweet and very roasty with lots of coffee. Clean, raw mouthfeel, really bitter finish. Sugary and unrefined.
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 5
Pitch black coloured body, about 90% opaque. Smallish brown coloured head that fades quickly and is gone in a few seconds. Aroma of fresh hops, cardboard, roasted malt, coffee and a bit of chocolate. Medium-bodied; Sweet taste up front with an odd fakeness followed by a maple or honey taste. Aftertaste shows a lot of roasted malt and some bitter sugars. Overall, a decent beer, but all said, one of my least favourite imperial stouts in a long time. I was really happy when I read the back of the bottle this year, but this is less than satisfying. Good thing I still have some Polish Porters from last year left. I sampled this twelve ounce bottle brewed on 29-October-2004, purchased at Wegman’s in Sterling, Virginia as Old Dominion’s Winter Brew (for 2004).