Woo doggie, this is one awesome IPA - Floral hops and sweet candy in the aroma - golden with a slight copper tint, decent lacework - BAM, extreme yet balanced attack of hops and malty sweetness on the palate - apricots, citrus (grapefruit) - tingly carbonation - some pine in the mix - a world-class IPA.

[have had the opportunity tom have this beer countless more times since my initial rating and, while it is still awesome, I can no longer justify the perfect score - sorry speedway stout!] Holy crap! Many thanks to Hi-time wine’s new online ordering system and speedy delivery - this beer is amazing - completely opaque, slight dark tan head - heavy, thick, aroma of dark coffee, molassas and caramel - extraordinarily chewy body, thick mouthfeel - amazing and complex flavor - slightly sweet at first, then some intense bitter-sweet chocolate and lots (and I mean LOTS) of coffee - hop bitterness creeps its way in - very well hidden alcohol content, and the bitterness balances out the initial sweetness very well, keeping it from being cloying, which is often the downfall of such hig alcohol brews - this is imperial stout heaven - equal to expedition stout in my mind, perhaps even better. I have to give it a 5, regardless of its almost complete lack of head. It’s just that good.

2003 bottle Coincidentally, I think the last super-hyped beer that lived up to my expectations was Bell’s Expedition. And there were many similarities. However, this one was more creamier and malted, with lots more cofee. Aroma was amazing, smelled like a nice mocha latte, with some alcohol. Some hops aroma as well. I was also impressed with the ultra black opaque appearance AND a nice lasting coffee colored head. Commences with a velvety smooth coffee/chocolate malt flavor, super creamy texture, hardly any carbonation, coffee is not overdone. Full body and just when I am hoping for the hops to balance it, they do. Finishes with a mix between roasted malt, dry hops and a punch of alcohol, moderately bitter. The alcohol is so well masked and though you can definitely tell it’s there on the finish, it does not interrupt the body whatsoever. I swirled this beer around in my mouth and it was just perfect, so many malty flavors and just so wonderfully balanced. This one is incredible and really dosent even seem to need to be cellared (whereas Expedition comes off as quite young). This is as close to perfect as it gets. Maybe could use a little less bitterness on the finish, as the strong coffee, dry hops and alcohol pack a huge wallop that really shocks you coming off of the mellow, velvety body. But hey, I think it just adds character, hard to really find much fault here. Thanks again for the trade Bob. Rerate. After having Dark Lord, the magic of this is slightly paled, but it’s still fantasticly world class stuff.

2005 bottle sampled 10/27/2005 with SuIIy. Wow. It’s hard to believe this is a young impy stout. No edge on this at all. Exquisite appearance, mouthfeel and aroma. Superbly balanced. I never noted too much coffee in the least. I might even like this more than the 2003. Perhaps not as complex and powerful, but what it lacks in that, it makes up in sheer enjoyable flavor and balance. Raising the score a bit. 9/5/10/5/18

2003 bottle aged between 26-30 months Aging stouts with huge amounts of real coffee in them has not seemed to work out greatly. I think controlling the effect of the coffee over time is very difficult to predict and does have odd reactions with the rest of the beer. That being said, this was still very respectably preserved. The body had thinned out considerably and the carbonation was very low. Alcohol was too prevalent, while malt sweetness seemed much much less than when young. I had cellared this very carefully the whole way, but I think this one just dosent last that long, or rather, is better drunk fresh.

Finally, here it is...beer #700, and the IPA i’ve been waiting for! Darker amber colour with a perfect off-white dense head. An amazing looking beer. Very nice smells of hops, grapefruity and piney...but very pleasant and mouth-watering! Medium-bodied; Strong hoppy flavour (showing largely pine characteristics) balanced well with malt. Slightly sweet, but also showing alcoholic notes. Aftertaste displays a strong citrus qualities as well as a flavourful malt to balance out the hops. Overall, this was exactly what I was expecting from a very highly ranked IPA. There was nothing wrong at all with this beer, and only a great all-around experience. I wish I could get this beer more regularly, but I have to sincerely thank Rodolito for picking this up and sending it out to me...Thanks again Dave!

2003 Batch (75 cL bottle):
Dark ruby amber in colour with a very thin tan head. Smells of sweet caramel, chocolate, figs and pit fruit - VERY nice! Medium-bodied; High carbonation, very sweet flavour of dark pit fruits with strong malt characteristics. Aftertaste sweet and bitter. Very pleasant all the way around! Overall, a very good beer...could use some age though! I was lucky enough to get this 75 cL bottle in a recent trade with Rodolito (thanks Dave!) and got to share it with Haddon90 (Phil) in Knoxville, Tennessee on 28-September-2003.