Single Batch Series - Hell Awaits Imperial Porter
Sebago Brewing Company

Single Batch Series - Hell Awaits Imperial PorterSingle Batch Series - Hell Awaits Imperial Porter
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From:
Sebago Brewing Company
 
United States
Style:
Imperial Porter
Ranked #154
ABV:
8.5%
Score:
86
Ranked #18,403
Avg:
3.82 | pDev: 8.64%
Reviews:
23
Ratings:
28
Status:
Active
Rated:
Apr 16, 2022
Added:
Oct 27, 2010
Wants:
  1
Gots:
  2
No description / notes.
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Ratings by kirok1999:
Photo of kirok1999
Reviewed by kirok1999 from Ohio

3.85/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pours a light brown/garnet with a mild hint of foam on the surface and just a bit on the glass.
Smells dark and slightly metallic with a mild citrus hop note. Rich malts come through and some milky coffee and chocolate.
Taste is mild, not as dark as the smell and it has a lingering dark finish. It is mildly sweet with hints of caramel and chocolate. Much better than the smell, which is a nice change from the recent batch of beers I've had with a better smell than taste.
Smooth and mild with a nice hit of carbonation. Very easy to sip and a very pleasant porter.
May 30, 2011
More User Ratings:
Photo of malrubius
Reviewed by malrubius from Vermont

4.25/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Can. Dark brown with tan ring and island. Chocolate boozy woody earthy aroma. Medium sweet with chocolate and raisin but not excessively fruity woody earthy medium light bitterness with a hint like cinnamon or something. Rich without being too massive. Fine carbo keeps it tight.
Apr 16, 2022
 
Rated: 3.75 by JTomczak from Connecticut

Aug 13, 2013
 
Rated: 3.75 by jaxon53 from Connecticut

Jul 07, 2013
Photo of jlindros
Reviewed by jlindros from Massachusetts

3.64/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Pours a light but darker colored fizzy head covering that fades fairly quickly, spotty lacing, super dark molasses brown color with barely any mahogany light sneaking through.

Nose is def an imperial porter, more like imp stout... roast, black malts, a little soy even, thick syrupy rich dark, cocoa, melted burnt chocolate, a bit of burnt coffee grounds, a bit of caramel and fluffy nougat, but mostly pure black malts.

Taste doesn't go far from the nose, big dark malts, lush and creamy but thick and a bit syrupy. Lots of roasted malts, a bit of acrid burnt flavors, burnt coffee grounds, and a bit of burnt milk chocolate. Some cocoa, dark chocolate, bitter dark choc, black malts, and just a bit of soy sauce. Also some bitter earthy hops, add to the bitterness from the roast and gets a bit overbearing at times. Some warming booze cuts through with some depth to it. A bit of caramel and fluffy nougat, and maybe a little flaked oats, rounds off the flavor profile. Finish is syrupy and a bit sticky sweet, bit bitter earthy spicy hop and slightly bitter acrid roasted character, which gets a bit overbearing as well as it lingers for quite a while.

Mouth is fuller bod, bit syrupy, thick, a bit creamy, some warming booze.

Overall not bad, def more a winter sipper with the big malt character and booze, but not too bad. The acrid burnt roast and bitter characters get a bit too much over time.
May 29, 2013
 
Rated: 4 by TrickkyGangsta from Florida

Dec 23, 2012
Photo of BEERMILER12
Reviewed by BEERMILER12 from Maine

4.39/5  rDev +14.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Pulling this baby out of the cellar for no reason other than the fact that I want to...

Bottled 10/18/10

A: Pours a deep mahogany color, nearing brown with almost no head that fizzles away to nothing in as little as 10 seconds

S: I can smell this one from a few feet away... deep, dark chocolate, coffee, anise, slight booze. Definitely has a sweetness to it, but a very welcomed and awesome sweetness (vanilla, maybe?)

T: Follows the nose, with both dark and milk chocolate, light roast and coffee, sweet vanilla, anise, and just a little more general sweetness. Booze is still there but complements the malts very nicely. Reminds me a lot of Stone RIS, actually. Very nice

M: Full bodied with low-moderate carbonation. Creamy and thick

O: This really surprised me (in a really, really good way)! This is drinking extremely well after 20 months. Much better now than when it was first bottled. Sebago should definitely realease more of this, though chances of that are slim. If you still have some, drink it! It's doing amazingly well right now!
Jun 25, 2012
 
Rated: 3.5 by amp138 from Rhode Island

Jan 28, 2012
 
Rated: 3.5 by erlenmeyer from Maine

Jan 11, 2012
Photo of ggilman
Reviewed by ggilman from Maine

4.08/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
Found a bomber of this leftover from last year at Burby & Bates in Orono! (From Notes)

Deep black, with a faint cola brown tint around the edges. Minimal tan head, with moderate lacing.Nice thick smooth mouthfeel with a carbonated bite on the tip of the tongue. Powdery chocolate malt aroma. Taste is bitter coffee and bakers chocolate that lingers. Herbal cherry liqueur. Somewhat dry finish, not overly rich, but syrupy. Slight medicinal quality. Alcohol warms and soothes.
Dec 19, 2011
Photo of russpowell
Reviewed by russpowell from Arkansas

3.67/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Pours an effervescent Hazel tinged mahogany with a pinky of tight mocha colored head. Below average head retention & above average lacing

S: Roasty malt & touch of dark fruit

T: Much roasty malt, some smokeyness & chocolate & charcoal (faint). Some booze soaked raisin & cherry surfaces as this warms along with baker's chocolate & charred grain. Dry roasty finish with a touch of woody hops & nice chcolate accents

MF: Medium bodied, fairly firm carbonation & a bit warm booze-wise

A decent robust porter that I would drink again, but wouldn't necessarily go nuts trying to find. Would make a great addition to any Halloween themed beer tasting...
Oct 22, 2011
Photo of John_M
Reviewed by John_M from Washington

4.07/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Picked this up at RSVP before heading out of tonw a few months back. Finally cracked it open last night.

The beer pours a fairly dark cola color with good head retention and decent lacing. The nose is very impressive, showing considerable dark chocolate, milk duds, vanilla, light coffee and light licorice. On the palate, there's much more of licorice flavor than I was expecting in this fairly sweet porter. Otherwise, the flavor profile tends to replicate the nose, though I thought the mouthfeel a bit thin (especially for an impy porter) and the alcohol a bit more noticeable than I like. The beer finishes well, with a wash of licorice, dark chocolate and light hoppy bitterness.

A solid beer from Sebago and one I wouldn't mind trying again at some point.
Aug 27, 2011
Photo of bishopdc0
Reviewed by bishopdc0 from Maine

3.5/5  rDev -8.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Light dark color with a nice tan head.

The aroma is malt, chocolate and hints of caramel and a slight earthiness.

The carbonation fills the mouth and leaves a dry feel. The taste is chocolate, toffee and hints of toasted malts. The body is much lighter then imperial may indicate.

A good example of a porter but I've never been a big fan but worth a try for sure.
Aug 19, 2011
Photo of PicoPapa
Reviewed by PicoPapa from Connecticut

3/5  rDev -21.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
22oz bottle. Pours an almost black color with purpley, ruby hues and a half inch of light brown head. No lacing. Aromas of chocolate, coffee, roasted malts, caramel, some smoke and vanilla. Taste is bittersweet upfront with some dark chocolate and coffee flavors. Sweet coffee taste throughout. Almost too sicky sweet. Odd aftertaste of smokey burnt coffee. The more I sip this one, the less convinced I am I like it. I'm not sure what the abv is but this one's sweetness hurts the drinkability. Very little carbonation. This is a slow sipper. Overall, cool name, but not the best beer. Reminds me somewhat of the Southern Tier beers Choklat, Mokah, etc. but I'd much rather have one of those.
Jul 21, 2011
Photo of silentjay
Reviewed by silentjay from Massachusetts

3.65/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
dark, murky brown, though not-quite black with an average sized khaki head that recedes to one-finger while leaving behind some wonderful lacing.

aroma is nutty with toffee, caramel, cocoa, molasses, raisin, some woody and earthy hops.

some metallic off-flavors strike first, but are overtaken by molasses, raisins, caramel, sticky and syrupy sweet. kinda like a bit more heavily toasted wee heavy. some black tea tasting hops and some woodiness come through behind the sweetness.

very sticky and syrupy with little carbonation. little to no alcohol heat.

I like it, but it would be much better on a cold winter's night. I like how this "Imperial Porter" is not just a stout with another name... good.
Jul 18, 2011
Photo of Durge
Reviewed by Durge from Connecticut

4/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3
Enjoyed at the brewpub in Scarboro, Maine this shows a dark black brown color with a fair big bubbled tan head and plenty of lacing. The aroma is dark cherry chocolate with alcohol. Pretty straight forward and promising. The flavor also brings dark chocolate and cherry/raspberry with grapefruit tartness and sweet malt in a medium-heavy bodied brew with a smooth mildly carbonated feel. Very tasty, not your typical porter. Drinkability is midland.
Feb 26, 2011
Photo of cpetrone84
Reviewed by cpetrone84 from Pennsylvania

4.15/5  rDev +8.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
A-pours a dark brown liquid letting a little light shine through with a tan colored head that is thick and rather creamy looking.

S-the nose has a fair bit of cake batter and chocolate in it, rather rich, subtle roasted malts behind with notes of caramel and toffee. there is a pronounced hop presence in the back that is very herbal tea like.

T-the taste has the rich dark chocolate and cake batter in up front. more roasted malts and some coffee flavors behind. the herbal tea like hop is there in the finish with a light bitterness that lingers.

M-full bodied smooth and creamy on the palate. very easy on the palate with a fair bit of carbonation and a soft smooth finish.

D-very rich and flavorful with a nice balance and complexity to it. really opens up as it warms and the chocolate cake flavors are delicious.
Feb 15, 2011
Photo of far333
Reviewed by far333 from Connecticut

3.58/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Ruddy brown with burnt orange highlights and a low light brown head of dimpled foam that leaves fine sheets of lace.

Aroma of toasted nuts, cocoa, and smoke. Rich flavor of cocoa and deeply roasted malt, some espresso and charred bark. A chocolate syrup sweetness rises up and takes over, just short of cloying. Notes of root beer and marshmallow, some wood and leather. Sharp bitterness, seems more from deeply roasted malt than hops, but a subtle hop flavor rides along. Sweetness keeps creeping back.

Even mouthfeel, a bit slick, not too full. Tasty beer, drinkable suffers for me due to the chocolate sweetness.
Feb 13, 2011
Photo of jdhilt
Reviewed by jdhilt from New Hampshire

3.76/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pours a khaki, one-finger head that fades slowly leaving a good lace. Almost clear deep brown color. Light-medium carbonation and medium bodied. Roasted chocolate nose, flavor is caramel and roasted chocolate. Light burnt chocolate finish. $9.47 for a 22oz bottle from Tully's Beer & Wine Wells, Me.
Jan 30, 2011
Photo of sulldaddy
Reviewed by sulldaddy from Connecticut

4.15/5  rDev +8.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Sampling a 22 oz bottle poured at cellar temp into a snifter. The beer pours a dark mahogany hue with some darker cola brown towards the center of the glass. There is a fizzy tan head that foams up a few cm and fades quickly to an edge layer.
The aroma is malty with carmel and toffee and a bit of milk chocolate. No hops or heat to detect on this brew.
First sip reveals an average body with mild rolling carbonation. The texture is fairly smooth and makes this a very drinkable beer.
Flavor is similar to nose with malt and malt coming out to play. There is caramel and a bit of roasted malt notes, maybe some molassess, but no hops or heat again. The beer isnt overly sweet, but doesnt give off any bitterness anywhere either. A nice drinkable porter, not sure of the ABV, but if it is an imperial porter it must be elevated, and I dont detect it on the sampling.
Jan 13, 2011
Single Batch Series - Hell Awaits Imperial Porter from Sebago Brewing Company
Beer rating: 86 out of 100 with 28 ratings