Rich plummy aroma. Hazy brown color with a beige/tan head that flattened very quickly. Medium body with creamy carbonation. Flavors are caramel, dark fruit, smoke, and more. It’s very rich and flavorful. Though heat is not noticeable, my body says there’s alcohol here. The finish is something pruney with smoke and light bitter. Quite surprising and palatable.

Bottled. A slightly hazy dark amber beer with a thin tan head. The aroma is sweet malty with primary notes of caramel, but also light notes of alcohol. The flavor is sweet malty with notes of caramel, leading to a bitter and slightly dry finish. Thanks Papsoe.

(Bottle 48 cl) Courtesy of Degarth. Pours a hazy amber with a small, off-white head. Lightly burned caramel in the nose. A little thin in body with fruit and caramel accents - some overripe fruit also. Very subdued bitterness. 120108

16 fl oz bottle. Pours hazy orange/brown with a diminished off-white head. Caramel malty aroma. Flavour is slight herbal, mild honey like note in a caramel malt base. Finish is light spiced but mainly persisting caramel malt.

Courtesy of Gillard (the man, myth, legend, who else sits for weeks and weeks with Black Hole as they’re only rating. Gillard rocks!!). Also Degarth has one of these from Santa so I need to see what that’s all about. Pours a clear amber-ish brown with weak off white head. The aroma is big with an inviting oakiness and mild bourbon mixed with roasted malts, earthiness and toffee. The lack of carbonation gives it a soft start to the flavor with bourbon and mild wood. Then tasty caramel, toasty toffee, toasted wheat bread and a vein of earthiness move the experience toward the finish. The taste lingers for a long while and shows mild oxidation.

Wax-capped bomber, 2006 issue, drunk on 11/8/07, at about 20 months of age or so.
Well if there’s ever a case been made for wax impeding oxidation this is it. Granted 20 months isn’t that great an age for an imperial stout, but A) this is a lower gravity version and B) it comes off as if it is brand-spanking-new!! Not tired, loose, flat in texture/mouthfeel, no soy or old, stale coffee notes in aroma or flavor. The beer even pours with a massive, well-retained head. The only thing old in this stuff is the ivory color of the head. Lacing is minimal, body is black and probably not opaque, with no sediment on the bottom.
What it has gained in absolute graceful aging, it somewhat loses in its sweetness, which is right away notably overdone. It’s not painful, and the beer never really cloys, but it could definitely benefit from convertin some of those fat toffee/molasses sugars in to some vinous, dry/tart fruits. Some coffee notes on the finish hold it together, while a reasonably roasty suggestion of burnt malts helps waylay some of the sweetness. Not to say there is no fruitiness/vinousness, as there are some light raisin/currant hints, but they are eventually re-swallowed up by the sweet malt sugars. Medium carbonation, with a very lush texture on account of all the sugars. For all that, it’s not thick or sluggish, and actually, the lower gravity gives it a more down-to-earth, unimperial feel, in that regard. Good stuff, as much as I’ve resented the past couple of Sprecher beers I’ve had, this one was shockingly nice.

Bottle. Light caramel malt aroma. Amber with a small head. Light caramel malt flavor with a light hops finish. A subtle beer - nothing too bold with this beer.

1 L Bottle from tytoanderso; Nose of caramel, dark fruit, and toffee; clesr cherry-rust colored with a big, glass-lacing, straw head; flavor of brown sugar, raisins, and vanilla; finish is light alcohol warmth. Much better than their BB Impy Stout!

1 L Bottle from tytoanderso; Nose of oak, caramel, and light smokiness; hazy dark rusty colored witha tiny beige head; flavor is caramel, smoke, and coffee; good but not great scotch ale. Just a slight hiss as bottle opened, almost flat, very little carbonation.