7.4/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
2003 bottle drunk Jan ’04. Very nice rich grainy hops aroma, slightly nutty, slightly yeasty. Very interesting. Amber color, mostly clear, big light beige head. Flavor is equally as unique, some light caramels you might expect from an amber ale. medium-dry, lightly bitter hops of an APA, but an interesting spicy almost lagered flavor as well. Medium to full body, great balance, good complexity, great all around drinkable beer, and quite original. Very pleasantly surprised. 8/4/8/5/17
Draught pint at Redbones, 9/18/2006.
Rather fruity (esters) and with a lower degree of attenuation than I remember. It wasnt overly sweet, but just rather blasé and simple. Hops were very unassertive and the beer did not seem crisp. Draught carbonation just came off as gassy and unegaging. 6/3/7/3/13
Draught pint at Redbones, 9/18/2006.
Rather fruity (esters) and with a lower degree of attenuation than I remember. It wasnt overly sweet, but just rather blasé and simple. Hops were very unassertive and the beer did not seem crisp. Draught carbonation just came off as gassy and unegaging. 6/3/7/3/13
Tried
from Bottle
on 20 Jan 2004
at 19:30
7.1/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 6
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Roasty and chocolaty in both aroma and flavor, with a robust, smooth presence. Coffee and choclate with a subdued roast barley flavor that make this very drinkable.
Tried
on 04 Jan 2004
at 10:03
6.9/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7.5
This is a great beer, looks like any stout but tastes much better. Not a hint of alcohol, I didn’t even realize how strong it was until I checked the label after I drank the beer and boy was I surprised. Smoooooooth.7/4/7/5/16
It’s about time I gave this a proper rerate. An old favorite and this was definitely the first Imperial Stout I ever had. Completely black body with a medium brown head that turns into a surface covering sticky lacing. Aroma is strong with light chocolate with a good amount of bitter, leafy hops. Taste is similarly well balanced with sweetness of chocolate and bittering hops. Leaves an airy green piney leafy aftertaste. The aftertaste is light and fresh which balances the heavier flavor. Its a heavy medium body with a lightly below average carbonation. The mouthfeel comes out a bit silky. Just a bit of alcohol felt at the very back of the throat. I remember this to be a lot less hoppy and more roasty. Either I changed or the beer changed. But either way it’s still obviously a well crafted beer. 8/5/8/4/16
Re-rate from a personal blind tasting.
Same vein as #1 (SN Narwhal) but lighter on all aspects. Also not much head in this glass. Aroma is more mineral, not as acidic, earthy, light roast. Flavor and mouthfeel do not have the overactive, aggressive characteristics of #1. Moderately earthy, clean malts, black dusty bread. After the full lineup. As Narwhal the acidic and mineral black malts become a little aversive. 7/3/7/3/15
It’s about time I gave this a proper rerate. An old favorite and this was definitely the first Imperial Stout I ever had. Completely black body with a medium brown head that turns into a surface covering sticky lacing. Aroma is strong with light chocolate with a good amount of bitter, leafy hops. Taste is similarly well balanced with sweetness of chocolate and bittering hops. Leaves an airy green piney leafy aftertaste. The aftertaste is light and fresh which balances the heavier flavor. Its a heavy medium body with a lightly below average carbonation. The mouthfeel comes out a bit silky. Just a bit of alcohol felt at the very back of the throat. I remember this to be a lot less hoppy and more roasty. Either I changed or the beer changed. But either way it’s still obviously a well crafted beer. 8/5/8/4/16
Re-rate from a personal blind tasting.
Same vein as #1 (SN Narwhal) but lighter on all aspects. Also not much head in this glass. Aroma is more mineral, not as acidic, earthy, light roast. Flavor and mouthfeel do not have the overactive, aggressive characteristics of #1. Moderately earthy, clean malts, black dusty bread. After the full lineup. As Narwhal the acidic and mineral black malts become a little aversive. 7/3/7/3/15
Tried
on 31 Dec 2003
at 18:57
6.9/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Gold/straw, slightly hazy, thin white head, not much lacing. Weak hops aroma. Fairly large flavor of alpha hops, hay, some light floral tones and more bittering hops. Body is medium, mouthfeel is creamy, lots of air, but not peppery carbonation. Very good malt balance. It's always nice to have a good IPA to go to when you get tired of those somewhat over-the-top double IPAs. If this is North Coast's budget beer line, I couldn't tell.
Tried
on 28 Dec 2003
at 23:37
9.5/10
—
Appearance 10
Aroma 9
Flavor 10
Texture 10
Overall 9
2014-08-14, nitro-keg at St. Augustine’s, Vancouver, 7-4-8-4-15=38
Black color with large beige head, creamy. Smooth, chocolatey, balanced and rich, moderately sweet, and not too roasty. But the nitro dumbs it down.
2013-01-30, old bottle, maybe 7 years old, 8-5-9-4-18=44
Black color with creamyhead, very persistent. Interesting aroma, mixing some delicate roasted malt with light cheesy smell (hard Alpine cheese, very light ammonia). The mouthfeel is extremely smooth, with silky roasted malt flavor, dark dry chocolate, an interesting spicy character (pepper and coriander), and moderate bitterness; all very well blended together.
Apparently after many years this beer took an unexpected turn, becoming something new. Excellent sipper. Elegant and intriguing. I’m willing to try an older bottle.
2011-08-22, old bottle, maybe 6 years old, 8-5-8-4-15=40
Black color, still able to produce a generous creamy head. Nice roasted malt aroma, milky, with notes of cardboard and a hint of phenol. The body seems less thick than usual, and indeed there is also a very light sourish note, maybe a refermentation in the bottle occurred; the roasted malt flavor is very good, with plenty of dark chocolate; it’s also a bit salty, with leather and just hints of soy sauce; strong bitterness but not aggressive; the alcohol perception is under control. Good but not exciting.
2010-04-13, bottle a few years old, 8-5-9-5-18=45
Creamy roasted malts, ashy, with an excellent body structure and a silky body; strong bitterness and a vanilla touch; very light liquorice in the final.
2010-02-18, bottle a few years old, 9-5-8-5-17=44
Black color; huge, creamy head. The aroma is initially creamy and dusty, with roasted malt and cardboard, lightly smoked. Soft mouthfeel, almost silky; very good chocolate and roasted malt flavor, strong bitterness; there is some sweet liquorice; the final is balanced, less strong and long than I could remember.
2007-01-01, draught at Hop Devil, NYC, 7-5-10-5-18=45
Dark color; persistent creamy head. Aroma of roasted malt, delicate, a bit yeasty. The mouthfeel is incredibly smooth and velvety, good malt, sweetness, not oily, caramel and good roasted malt, a powerful hopping that cannot overwhelm the malt. The final has hop, a lot of caramel and some sweet liquorice. Incredibly pleasant to drink.
2003-12-04, bottle, 9-5-10-5-18=47
Brown color, brown thin creamy head. Strong aroma: chocolate, roasted malt, light coffee, dust, liquorice, hop, very light cheesy ammonia. Flows in my mouth like velvety malt ambrosia. Harmonious fugue of roasted malt, malty sweetness, liquorice, caramel, hops, nuts, walnuts and roasted nuts. Long final, a lot of coffee.
Tried
from Bottle
on 17 Dec 2003
at 06:54
7.1/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 6
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Aroma of malt and fruit. Great appearance. Orange like a good hefe weizen. Several flavors of spice, malt, sugar, and fruit. complex. heavy. aftertase of alcohol
Tried
on 10 Dec 2003
at 23:08
6.5/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 6
Bottled. Hazy brownish amber. Flowery hops and spices (nutmeg & cinnamon?) up front. Clean, hard mouthfeel, medium to light body and average bitterness.
Tried
from Bottle
on 04 Dec 2003
at 03:19
7.1/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 9
Flavor 7
Texture 4
Overall 6.5
2002 Vintage:
Dark copper colour with strong ruby highlights and a thin light brown head. Aroma of pineapple, raisins, pit fruit, cherries, caramel, alcohol and bubble gum. Medium to Heavy-bodied; Sweet initial flavours turning into an alcoholic burn and then a spicey dry finish. Aftertaste shows a lot of alcohol and not much else. Overall, nose and appearance are great, but too much alcohol and not enough other flavours are noticeable in the taste. I bought this twelve ounce bottle from Norm's in Vienna, Virginia and sampled it on 23-November-2003.
Dark copper colour with strong ruby highlights and a thin light brown head. Aroma of pineapple, raisins, pit fruit, cherries, caramel, alcohol and bubble gum. Medium to Heavy-bodied; Sweet initial flavours turning into an alcoholic burn and then a spicey dry finish. Aftertaste shows a lot of alcohol and not much else. Overall, nose and appearance are great, but too much alcohol and not enough other flavours are noticeable in the taste. I bought this twelve ounce bottle from Norm's in Vienna, Virginia and sampled it on 23-November-2003.
Tried
from Bottle
on 03 Dec 2003
at 14:20
5.5/10
—
Appearance 4
Aroma 7
Flavor 6
Texture 4
Overall 5
Brown colour with a dense tan head. Very light for a stout-however. Aroma of roasted malt, coffee and chocolate. Light-bodied; Mild sweetness and roasted malt flavour-fairly light for the style. Aftertaste shows some bitter qualities, full of coffee and chocolate tastes. Overall, a decent beer-more of a porter than a stout in my opinion. I bought this twelve ounce bottle from Chevy Chase Wines & Spirits in Washington, D.C. and sampled it on 21-November-2003.
Tried
from Bottle
on 03 Dec 2003
at 14:13
8.6/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 10
Overall 9.5
The aroma is fantastic; sweet with strong notes of coffee and dark chocolate. The color is pithch black and it has a fantastic dark brown head. The flavor is fantastic too; starting out very sweet before the complexity hits You with notes of sweet black chocolate, licorice, and hints of coffee. The sweet start is soon taken over by more powerful stout notes of roasted malts, tar, wood, bitter chocolate, and bitter hops. Even with the roasted malts and the bitter hops the mouthfeel is still very smooth. But the bitter and roasted/burnt flavors lingers on Your tongue for a long time after taking a sip. It is so strong, that it warms my ears - a great winter beer. This is one of the very best beers I've ever had. Thanks a million to Alex (fiulijn) for trading this one with me.
Tried
on 30 Nov 2003
at 17:07