2003 bottle. Pours an incredibly pitch black color, deep, dark and thick with an amazing amount of dark roasted tan head, big and creamy, with plenty of layering as it is poured. Bottle conditioned. Aroma, surprisingly, is pretty weak for an imperial. What there is, is not bad, but it just isn’t big and super sniffable. Some oily roast, hints of dark chocolate, a bit of smokiness, and a touch of alcohol. Flavor, however, is superb. Thick, rich and creamy with some smokiness intertwined with a big full roastiness jumping out first. As it proceeds some hops come in to the mix, lightly bittersweet and then a huge, creamy chocolate flavor is apparent towards the end and finish. Dark chocolate, oily roast and some sweeter malt touches all make this one great. There is alot of ethanol apparent, however, and I’m not a big fan of that. Still, must reiterate the wonderful chocolatey smooth mouthfeel.
2005 bottle consumed Aug 06
Initially large, beige-tan head fizzles quickly to cover, then ring. No lacing, quite black in appearance.
Beany, wet, stale and soggy are words that all come to mind. And infected. Pretty sure there shouldnt be any lactic qualities in this. Heavily vinous, to the point of being fatiguing and astringent. Dark chocolate and moderate bitterness with no softness or round malt edges to balance.
Flavor is old, very beany and vinous, with a definite cardboard blandness and way too much fruitiness. Watery in texture and body, with no malt softness. Infected, it seems. Granted this is not a fresh bottle and Founders certainly makes it known that their beers should be drunk fresh. But frankly it’s an imperial stout and if it cant handle a year of aging without developing an infection, that’s just pathetic. Gotta wonder about Founders bottling line....granted it’s not a strong infection, but still problematic and readily noticeable.
Score is an average of the two I’ve had (fresh and aged). If I can find an aged sample that proves my theory wrong, I’ll up the score.

On nitro tap at Founders. Very likable and tasty- like drinking a cold coffee with a touch of cherry syrup added, or perhaps a Brachs chocolate-covered cherry nougat. Rather thin-bodied, but the roasted malt, coffee, cherry, and hint of chocolate are still notable. An interesting twist to the regular Java Stout.

On tap at Founders. This is an intensely hoppy, chewy I2PA. Pours deep red-brown, relatively clear, with a thin cream-colored head. Biting citrus/pine hops aroma. Grapefruit and pine hops are especially dense in the flavor, with chewy, sweet malt contributing notes of caramel and cherry. Alcohol was nicely hidden by the strong flavors. Very good, but not unique by any means.

This was again on tap for Founders' Harvest Celebration, and the beer is up to 13% ABV! There isn't much change in the beer's other characteristics, but the "old" version is now strangely being called "Devil Dancer I3PA 2003." Hmmm...I don't think anybody recalls this being around in 2003. Oh well! Look for it in bottles soon.

On tap at Founders. Roasty malt aroma with a twinge of rye. Flavor continues with dry roasted malt but the rye adds a unique spiciness to the flavor, and the beer also has a touch of dark fruit that enhances the roast and rye. Very good- just let it warm a bit! Founders serves their beers a bit too cold.

Thanks to alcfron for the trade. Pours beautifully, flat opaque black with a thick chocolate milk-colored head that dissipated but not too quickly. Nice thick lacing too. The aroma is strong coffee and roasted malt. Medium-bodied, and unfortunately the flavor is not as robust as the look and smell. Bitter coffee and burnt malt flavors dominate, but the balance is a little too much on the bitter side. The finish is fairly bitter with coffee and some chocolate. Overall a pretty good Porter, it just needs better balance.

Pours dark black with some red when held up to light. Aroma is chocolate malt. Flavor is chcolate,coffee and malt but all to the extreme! The flavor hits you and stands out, one of the better porters i’ve had.

Pours a cloudy brown with really no head. Aroma is coffee and cherries. Flavor is a malty vanilla. Goes down velvety and smooth. Nice texture to a nice nice brew. The label on the bottle is good for a laugh as well.

On nitro tap at the brewpub. 5.0% ABV. I was wondering if this was the same beer as Breakfast Stout when I first saw the listing on this site, but Coffee Stout is lighter with much lower ABV and is served on nitro tap rather than being naturally carbonated. I really enjoyed this stout- even though it was served a bit cold the roasted coffee and malt created a pleasant aroma. Flavor was packed with dry roasted coffee beans and nice roasted malt, creating a smooth, creamy mouthfeel. Bitter aftertaste. Surprisingly tasty for a beer with nitrogen carbonation and a nice complement to their Breakfast Stout.

On nitro tap at the brewpub. 5.0% ABV. Poured dark brown with a classic nitro head (thick, creamy, light tan). Served too cold to detect much of an aroma, but notes of vanilla and light roast were apparent. The vanilla works well in the flavor- I did not find it overpowering, and it added a sweet note to the dry roasted malt character. Thin-bodied but creamy. Certainly not the most complex offering but enjoyable nonetheless.

2004 Bottle. Good deep red/orange color with some fine bubbles and lots of sediment. Bottle conditioned, good light yellow head. Smells like alpha hops, though the lack of cascades makes it less citric and more floral. I love centennial and this stuff delivers. Big flavor that has a nice, subtle malt backbone, lightly chewy and bready/buttery, not much sweetness. Bitterness felt mainly in the body and again in the finish, but not overdone with the dry-hopping. Just like Arcadia’s IPA, this one has a lovely aftertaste and a great complex palate as it warms. Some nuttiness, light orange blossoms, honey, marmalade and light grapefruit. Very well done, though I like Arcadia’s addition of cascades and fuggles. Also, it is still a bit too dry for my tastes.

Rerate. Draught pint at Redbones on 8/8/06. Still some juicy fruits, lots of floral bitterness, clean, easygong maltiness, but a bit too much dullness/paperiness. I dont know if this keg was a bit old (doubtful) but it seemed just a tad bit lackluster in texture. Almost filtered-like. Bit too much bitterness left on the finish and not quite as balanced as I remember.