7/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 7
Texture 4
Overall 7
Fruity burned coffe aroma. Jet black, low creamy head. Fruity and hopped flavors with a burned aftertaste. I did not have the largest sample, but it appeared to be a tad lightbodied and I found the exit to be a bit weak as well.
Tried
on 11 Mar 2004
at 11:33
8.1/10
—
Appearance 10
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
BOOM! Black in appearance, with a gorgeous huge brown head. Looks fantastic! Flavor is DEEP, rich, sweet, bitter, chocolate, and alcohol. Warning: alcohol is not well masked, which does detract from the enjoyment of the beer a bit- but it's still one helluva beer!
Tried
on 03 Mar 2004
at 14:43
9/10
—
Appearance 10
Aroma 8
Flavor 9
Texture 10
Overall 9
Since discovering GLBC and being impressed with pretty much their entire line (even with the styles of which I am normally not a big fan), I have always hoped that the brewery would produce an Imperial Stout. I really hoped it would be up to par, and this beer definitely lives up to the GLBC standards. The beer is an inky black color with a thick and somewhat foamy light brown head. The head dissipates but never dissapears, and the lacing is nice throughout. Strong roasty aroma of coffee and chocolate. Rich body (my only complaint is that it is a little on the carbonated side), with a nicely balanced blend of coffee, chocolate, malt and hops flavors. The alcohol is well-hidden too. This Imperial is definitely on the hoppy side for the style but it is pulled off very well. Some Imperials are borderline cloying with the big chewy malt/alcohol flavors but that is not the case here. The finish retains the coffee and hops aspect and makes this abundantly drinkable. I hope this becomes a year-round offering at some point.
Tried
on 16 Feb 2004
at 09:32
8.2/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 9
Flavor 8
Texture 6
Overall 9
Hazy yellow with full creamy head. Nicely rich and complex aroma, with bubblegum, dough, pepper, coriander, banana and other phenols. Flavor is rich and smooth, with a dominant sweetness followed by a spicy and phenolic finish. Banana, dough and coriander are prominent alongside sweet malt. Sticky sweet in the lingering aftertaste, with a warming alcoholic kiss.
Tried
on 02 Feb 2004
at 11:09
7.8/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 9
Lightly hazy gold with a tinge of amber. Aroma lightly hoppy with herbs, grass, clean malt. Perfectly balanced flavor, well made with clean malt and tingly hop flavors, and light finish. Superb.
Tried
on 02 Feb 2004
at 10:57
4.9/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 4
Texture 4
Overall 2.5
All I have to say right now before I open this is WOOOHOOO. $8.99 a 4-pack, but I can't wait! The label says this is brewed in recognition of the 15th anniversary of the GLBC, and has a nice slice of cake with two sparking candles depicted. Being limited edition, I sure hope it's not that good that I want some all the time (yea right, it's gotta be great!). WOW, great golden orange with the biggest head I have seen on a beer in a long time. THICK and fluffy. Shrinks down and looks like it will lace nicely! Nice bitter banana/clove aroma. Aww man, I'm disappointed in the taste. Way too thick in the mouthfeel, way too syrupy, and leaves an almost rotten aftertaste. Man oh man... I was so looking forward to this one when I got home... well maybe it is good that it's a special edition brew, that way I won't be tempted to buy it again. =( Freshness date says enjoy by March 11, 2004. Maybe this stuff needs to be aged??? (added 5-21-04: I let this stuff sit in a basement corner for 8 months, and it's much better now)
Tried
from Can
on 02 Feb 2004
at 05:51
8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Paid $6.99 for a 6-pack. Amber in color- kinda cloudy, small, frothy head. Nice smell: slightly bitter grapefruit- pretty hoppy. As my tastebuds continue to evolve, and my liking of hoppy beers grows, I must say I enjoy this beer much more. Very hoppy, lots of hops all over- in the taste, in the aftertaste... everywhere. Reminds me a bit of some of the ESBs I've had. Not the greatest beer from Great Lakes, but definitely a good one. Much better this time around than last.
Tried
on 29 Jan 2004
at 22:30
8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
I recently stumbled upon a 6-pack of this, never having seen it before, and quickly gobbled it up (gotta support your local breweries!). My only complaint about this is after a few of them, it gets to be too sweet and filling. This isn't a beer to sit back and drink all day, but instead a beer to enjoy with a nice meal.
Tried
on 29 Jan 2004
at 22:28
7/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7
Beautiful dark amber with a LOT of carbonation (up the whole glass, and stayed that way). Smells decent, not great. Taste is a bit on the sweet side, but not TOO much. Mouthfeel was a bit too heavy for my liking, making me wonder just how many I could have before I felt bloated (two). It's a drinkable beer, but not nearly as drinkable as some of the others in the Great Lakes line.
Tried
on 29 Jan 2004
at 22:27
8.2/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 9
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Price paid: $9.99/6-pack (12 oz bottles) WOOHOOO, the guy at the beer store said this year's shipment was released today, and I was the first in his store to grab myself a 6 this year. Absolutely gorgeous. Nice red amber, with one huge MFing head (soft, tan, and fluffy... and retains very nicely!!!) AHHH, what a smell: spices everywhere: cinnamon, ginger... ahh fresh! GREAT taste... hot cinnamon starts you off before it finishes with a nice bitter, slightly dry taste. Finding this beer today, this early in the season, made my day! edited to add: on 11-15-03 I had this beer on tap at "Uncle John's," and I have to say I liked it even more.
Tried
from Bottle
on 29 Jan 2004
at 22:25