Subsidiaries
5.5/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 4
Flavor 5
Texture 6
Overall 6
Again with the clear bottle and slight skunking! I am really disappointed that their stouts can be so good but their Pale, Nut Brown, and Winter Welcome can suffer so much from the clear bottles. Granted, this one was not skunked as badly but it still detracted from my enjoyment of this beer. There were some nice nutty tones in the aroma as well, but they were masked by the skunk smell, same with the flavor. Decent hazelnut flavor imparted with malt, but again, change the bottles!
Tried
from Bottle
on 04 Jun 2002
at 08:56
5.2/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 4
Flavor 5
Texture 6
Overall 6
Like the Pale Ale I had the day before, this bottle was slightly skunked. They really need to leave the clear bottles to their Stouts. Skunking aside, this had a decent spiced aroma. The flavor was kind of lacking though and I was not really all that interested in finishing the bottle, which is never a good sign.
Tried
from Bottle
on 03 Jun 2002
at 07:40
5.9/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 6
Flavor 5
Texture 6
Overall 5.5
My bottle was slightly skunked (they love those clear bottles at Sam Smith's),but even that aside I was kind of disappointed at the quality, given how much I love their Oatmeal and Imperial Stouts. The aroma was malty and had a stale aspect to it. The flavor was lacking in hops but still managed some bitterness in the finish. All in all I expected better.
Tried
from Bottle
on 03 Jun 2002
at 07:26
8.1/10
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Appearance 10
Aroma 7
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Very black. Instransparent. Roasty, creamy, softly malty. Medium bitterness. Wonderfully balanced.
Tried
on 16 May 2002
at 00:34
7.2/10
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Appearance 10
Aroma 8
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 7
My initial impression was not favorable, but this got considerably better the warmer it got. Black color and hearty flavor, this is a sipping beer to be sure. Carbonation seemed to be heavy for this style. I'll stick to their Oatmeal and Imperial Stouts in the future.
Tried
on 02 May 2002
at 13:08
5.1/10
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Appearance 10
Aroma 7
Flavor 4
Texture 2
Overall 3.5
Moderate aroma of roasted coffee, toast and bitter chocolate, hints of liqourice. Fairly dry, pleasant roasted flavour, easily drinkable. Some saltiness in the aftertaste is not quite to my liking. Is this beer available on draught in England? Rerate: Jesus - this time the saltiness is clearly detectable in the flavour as well, and totally dominates the aftertaste. This ruins the drinking pleasure for me. Do you guys really like salty beers?? (I like salty food with a beer, not salt IN the beer.) The brewery allegedly gets it water \"from a well sunk 200 years ago\". Did they sink the well in a salt layer or something, or do they get the salty flavour through the use of some special malts or hops??
Tried
on 30 Apr 2002
at 13:43
9/10
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Appearance 10
Aroma 9
Flavor 8
Texture 10
Overall 9
Rerate 1/30/03: This is the Imperial Stout that opened my eyes to the world of Imperial Stouts, but I have had better ones since. 4/29/02 (4.7): Wow, just when I thought I had tried Samuel Smith's best beer, this beer comes into my life. At $2.25 a bottle I can't think of a better choice. Wonderfully rich aroma, roasted coffee and smooth chocolate flavor. Medium thick tan head and really nice lacing. This is a new favorite, I can't wait to try it again.
Tried
from Bottle
on 29 Apr 2002
at 08:28
8.6/10
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Appearance 10
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 10
Overall 8.5
Rerate 1/30/03: While I still thoroughly enjoy this beer, I need to adjust the rating down a little, as I have tried a couple dozen Stouts since this one that have been better. 4/19/02 (4.6): Wow, what a great beer. Somebody had to tell me the bottle was colorless before I realized that was the color of the beer! Sweet aroma and coffee undertones make this a new favorite of mine. If only it were more readily available! Perfectly smooth and drinkable.
Tried
from Bottle
on 19 Apr 2002
at 11:13
9.1/10
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Appearance 10
Aroma 9
Flavor 9
Texture 10
Overall 8.5
Sample of the 1999 version in March 2002: Dark black with beige head. The banana aroma is somewhat diminished if comparing to fresh samples. Full bodied and malty. Licorice flavour. Bitter finish. I'm not sure it gains so much on cellaring, so drink it when you can.
Tried
from Can
on 06 Mar 2002
at 17:14
6.4/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 6.5
Light bronze; minty, herbal, woody aroma; balanced palate with caramel and woody, rooty notes. Ingredients are quality, as is the construction, but it doesn't grab you.
Tried
on 01 Mar 2002
at 07:59