Based On An Old Fable
Cloudwater Brew Co in Manchester, Greater Manchester, England 🏴
Stout - Imperial Regular|
Score
8.11
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Designed to take you on a journey through our history of Imperial Stouts, this is blended from beer aged up to six years in cognac, bourbon and Ardbeg whisky barrels. It goes back as far as our very first Imperial Stout, running all the way through to My Continuous Improvement. Given the different approaches encapsulated by this beer, it’s a little lighter and silkier than the others and integrates deep smoky, earthy flavours with the notes of dark fruit and fruitcake. Vanilla and sweet oak carry through into the finish, which is drier and combines more smokiness with dried fruits and a lingering warmth.
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9/10
Tried
from Bottle
on 08 Nov 2025
at 22:30
8.8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 9
Flavor 9
Texture 9
Overall 8.5
Bottle online from the brewery, part of the Xmas 2021 box. Pours deep brown towards black with a dissipating tan cap. Dark choc, cacao, rum barrel, whisky barrel, vanilla, coffee, dried fruits, berries, spicy. Moderate + sweet & bitter. Medium+ body with spritzy carbonation. Lots going on. Decadent. Glorious
Tried
from Bottle
at
Cloudwater Brew Co
on 16 Jul 2023
at 12:20
8.4/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
Bottle at home from CW online. Pours jet black with a thin dirty tan head that quickly fades. Aroma is chocolate, boozy dark fruit, molasses, fudge brownie, Ardbeg barrel comes through, vanilla and coffee. Taste is chocolate, boozy fruit cake, molasses, fudge brownie, vanilla, Ardbeg barrel comes through with a nice boozy hit. Really well balanced. Lovely stuff
Tried
from Bottle
on 24 Jan 2023
at 22:09
8.1/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 9
Texture 6
Overall 9.5
Bottle at home, 2nd December 22. Pours black. Aroma is complex, lots of barrel. Taste is smooth, complex, wood and barrel, coffee and roasted malts, smoke, liquor and aromatic, some light notes. Lovely Imperial Stout and a joy to sip
Tried
from Bottle
on 04 Dec 2022
at 21:51
8.6/10
—
Appearance 10
Aroma 8
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
Bottle at home picked up from cloudwater online. An attractive, jet black brown coloured, pout with a lasting dark tan head. Aroma is rich dark woody chocolate, cedar, spicy cinnamon, dry dark chocolate, warming alcohol. Flavour is composed of super rich dark chocolate, woody cinnamon, ginger, oily, dark chooclate, warming alcohol, intense, woody cinnamon , nutty, woody toffee. Palate is semi sweet, oily, moderate carbonation
Tried
from Bottle
on 12 Nov 2022
at 01:44
8.1/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
8th October 2022 Oily looking black brown beer, short lived bubbly tan head. Enticing nose of bright but ripe fruity bourbon and Whiskey. Smooth palate, quite light, decent fine carbonation. Soft airy dark malts, soft and fairly creamy dark chocolate. Touch of dark chocolate Malteasers. The barrelling presents with intensity but also a good rounding. Soft rich fruity bourbon and cognac. Dark chocolate fudge on the back end. Some savoury barrell and vanilla on the back end, morphing into savoury Tonka.. Smooth finish delivers some chocolate liqueur and mild alcohol spice. Rich, layered and rewarding.
Tried
on 08 Oct 2022
at 19:15
8/10
Lovely stout. Strong in tobacco. Some Ardbeg and mild cognac.
Tried
from Bottle
on 14 Sep 2022
at 20:05
7.8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 6
Overall 8
375ml bottle. Smooth, chocolate saucy and sweetish with some oak, wood and cocoa notes. Okay
Tried
from Bottle
on 22 Apr 2022
at 16:21
9/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 9
Flavor 9
Texture 10
Overall 9
Bottle from Park Fever, Hither Green. Black pour with a tan head. Nose is sweet tobacco, oak, plum pudding, raisin, chocolate, vanilla. Rich taste of Christmas pudding, red grape, chocolate, nuts, bourbon, oak, plum jam. Humungously warming alcohol. Jammy sweet finish. Luvverly!
Tried
from Bottle
on 03 Feb 2022
at 05:48
8.5/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 9
Bottle at home in Hackney - picked up from HOTM. Pours oily black with a modest, fading, creamy brown head. Medium to big sweet flavour, rich and layered, gooey chocolate, light ash, raisins, old wood, cherries, roast, faint coconut. Full bodied, oily and chewy, with fine carbonation. Lightly warming and sticky finish, more gooey chocolate, rocky road fudge, dark fruits, a little vanilla. Delicious.
Tried
from Bottle
on 29 Jan 2022
at 15:32