9/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 9
Flavor 9
Texture 10
Overall 9
GABF: 2004
Others have already said it better than I could.
My 2 cents...best damn Impy Stout I’ll probably ever taste in this lifetime.
Best regards,
Bill
Edit. Now for a real review.
750ml bottle, couldn’t find a date.
It pours a pitch black with tan foam that starts off big but settles to a fine layer.
Chocolate, roasted malt and coffee in the smell. The dark chocolate seems to be dominant.
Roasted malt, semi dark chocolate (not as bitter as the smell) and coffee...not so bitter so I won’t say coffee grounds. I pick up a bit of lactose. As strong as it is, the alcohol is not in your face.
Smooth as silk mouthfeel.
It’s been a long time since I had it. Check the date.
Drank August 8th 2017.
Others have already said it better than I could.
My 2 cents...best damn Impy Stout I’ll probably ever taste in this lifetime.
Best regards,
Bill
Edit. Now for a real review.
750ml bottle, couldn’t find a date.
It pours a pitch black with tan foam that starts off big but settles to a fine layer.
Chocolate, roasted malt and coffee in the smell. The dark chocolate seems to be dominant.
Roasted malt, semi dark chocolate (not as bitter as the smell) and coffee...not so bitter so I won’t say coffee grounds. I pick up a bit of lactose. As strong as it is, the alcohol is not in your face.
Smooth as silk mouthfeel.
It’s been a long time since I had it. Check the date.
Drank August 8th 2017.
Tried
from Bottle
on 05 Oct 2004
at 20:48
7/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 6
Overall 7
Too bourbonny for my taste now, dry jammy, wood aftertatest. Salty bourbon finish. Sampled at the RBESP 2004 - alongside the non-barreled version.
8 3 8 3 18 In addition to the non-barreled flavors I got: More wooden and bourbon vanilla aroma, more salt and more smoke overtones. A little alcohol burn. Vanilla, slight smoke and salt licorice flavors. It is a vey nice brew but I must admit that I thought the barrel-aging was a tad too unharmonic compared with the Smørpundet Porter I had the same weekend...
8 3 8 3 18 In addition to the non-barreled flavors I got: More wooden and bourbon vanilla aroma, more salt and more smoke overtones. A little alcohol burn. Vanilla, slight smoke and salt licorice flavors. It is a vey nice brew but I must admit that I thought the barrel-aging was a tad too unharmonic compared with the Smørpundet Porter I had the same weekend...
Tried
on 04 Oct 2004
at 15:57
7.6/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 6
Overall 8.5
Sampled at the RBESP 2004 alongside the barrel-aged version
Chocolate, wood and raisin nose. Black, succulent brown head. Good chocolate flavors, also licorice and salt. Relatively light body to my surprise, creamy mouthfeel. Very slight burn on the back edge.
Chocolate, wood and raisin nose. Black, succulent brown head. Good chocolate flavors, also licorice and salt. Relatively light body to my surprise, creamy mouthfeel. Very slight burn on the back edge.
Tried
on 04 Oct 2004
at 15:52
7.1/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7.5
Thanks to Lord Gorlock for sharing his Alesmith! This is a good IPA that is balanced slightly toward the bitter side as far as balance goes, but I must wonder "why brew this beer?" Yulesmith is a big IPA, the regular IPA is too. Why compete against yourself?? The ESB is a work of art also, this IPA just covers ground already well covered in my opinion. Just brew Yulesmith year round.
Tried
on 30 Sep 2004
at 17:51
7.8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Thanks to Lord Gorlock for slipping this in to me under the noses of the Tennessee Highway Patrol. Beautiful deep amber color with a thick white head. Mellow nose of hops and malt in just the right proportions. Nice malty flavor with a bit of bitterness in the background, makes this a real well done brew in a style that’s under appreciated in the U.S. We need more ESBs like this one.
Tried
on 26 Sep 2004
at 20:35
6.8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 8
Overall 7
A brown beer with a small disappearing orange head. The aroma is sweet malty with notes of alcohol and oranges. The flavor is sweet with notes of chocolate and coffe, while the alcohol burns slightly in the throat while You sip this nice beer. Quite strong for a Scotch Ale - more like a Barley Wine.
Tried
on 23 Sep 2004
at 17:09
7.6/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
A hazy amber beer with an orange head. The aroma is very hoppy on a subdued sweet background. The flavor is hoppy and flowery.
Tried
on 17 Sep 2004
at 17:15
8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Summer 2004 bottling, courtesy jeffin7. Orange-red, hazy body with a medium cream head. Caramel and bread balanced by big pine and grapefruit hops with earthy notes thrown in for good measure. Sampled this after trying the Dark Horse barleywine; this beer actually seemed tame in comparison, with dense caramely malts vying for dominance with abundant grapefruity, piney and earthy hops. Smooth and creamy body. Well-balanced. A chewy, solid example of the style but certainly not amazing.
Tried
on 08 Sep 2004
at 19:59
8.2/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 9
An unclear orange beer with a fine beige head. The aroma has hops all over - a great aroma. The flavor is sweet malty with loads of hops both aroma and bitter hops as well as notes of grass. The end is dry and bitter. Really a nice beer.
Tried
on 05 Sep 2004
at 18:51
8.6/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 10
Overall 9.5
[2002 vintage sampled July 25th 2004 - bottle 113/115] A black beer with a fine though disappearing head with hue close to chocolate brown. The aroma is powerful; sweet malty with notes of chocolate, coffee, and alcohol (no wonder with an ABV of 12%). The flavor has loads of alcohol burning the tongue, but it is still very well rounded because it contains strong notes of roasted bread, coffee, and chocolate. It has a magnificent body. A great beer - I was positively surprised of this one. I have to pay my tribute to Oakes for getting his hands on this beer (out of the brewmasters cellar) for the European Summer Party and hauling it all the way to Stockholm - thanks Josh!
Tried
from Bottle
on 04 Sep 2004
at 17:29