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Imperial Stout
Arcadia Brewing Company
- From:
- Arcadia Brewing Company
- Michigan, United States
- Style:
- American Imperial Stout
- ABV:
- 9%
- Score:
- 86
- Avg:
- 3.81 | pDev: 11.81%
- Reviews:
- 284
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Retired
- Rated:
- Jul 18, 2020
- Added:
- Jan 09, 2003
- Wants:
- 23
- Gots:
- 40
Our extraordinary Imperial Stout is black as midnight with a rich, palate-warming mouth feel. It offers an alluring aroma of dark roasted malts and blackstrap molasses with a hint of smoke. The flavor features notes of coffee, bittersweet cocoa, black licorice and hints of prune. A generous addition of hops contributes to the complexity and balance, and gives the liquid a pleasantly astringent finish. With proper aging our Imperial Stout matures for up to four years. It is the winner of a prestigious Gold Medal for Bottle Conditioned Ale at the 2002 Real Ale Festival.
OG 1090; 59 IBU
OG 1090; 59 IBU
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Reviewed by hman43 from North Carolina
3.77/5 rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.77/5 rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Look: It pours very dark brown with a brown head. Head retention is low.
Smell: It has aromas of roast and dark fruits. There dark fruits is like prunes and plums. There are some coffee notes in the background.
Taste: The flavors are a combination of roast, coffee, plums, and prunes. There are some cocoa elements in the background with some black licorice.
Feel: It has a full, not quite chewy body. The cocoa and licorice are more pronounced in the finished.
Overall, a complex combination of malt flavors and dark fruits.
Nov 27, 2019Smell: It has aromas of roast and dark fruits. There dark fruits is like prunes and plums. There are some coffee notes in the background.
Taste: The flavors are a combination of roast, coffee, plums, and prunes. There are some cocoa elements in the background with some black licorice.
Feel: It has a full, not quite chewy body. The cocoa and licorice are more pronounced in the finished.
Overall, a complex combination of malt flavors and dark fruits.
Reviewed by PEACO82287 from Wisconsin
3.91/5 rDev +2.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
3.91/5 rDev +2.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
A good, Main Street restaurant grade stout...nothing special but gets the job done if you’re looking for a heavier, full RIS stout vs Guinness. Wouldn’t pick up more than a single at the liquor store but would be interesting in a blind flight.
Roast and malt forward with RIS bitter It really is a heavier Guinness. Competent and a fair representation but there are so many others available at the same price.
Dec 31, 2018Roast and malt forward with RIS bitter It really is a heavier Guinness. Competent and a fair representation but there are so many others available at the same price.
Rated by ThisWangsChung from Maryland
3.96/5 rDev +3.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
3.96/5 rDev +3.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
3.96/5: Definitely an old-school RIS, and a damn good one at that; roast, chocolate, and dark fruits dominate
May 20, 2018Reviewed by goodbeer4cheap from Indiana
3.31/5 rDev -13.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25
3.31/5 rDev -13.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25
A- dark brown, low head at 1/2 inch or less when poured correctly. Bottle poured into a pint glass has no code but no dust as many it was a room temperature shelf purchase without dust. I have a cellar but drank it day after buy once refrigerator cold. Nice unfiltered appearance in bottle after pour. white yeast bottle bottom no frown on that.
S- Coffee forefront most, Prune nearly as much, dry red wine next and some very in the back chocolate
T- Very clean, too clean like Guinness but alcohol empty after feel like vodka or gin dry shot mouthfeel.
O- I am not into coffee so Other American double / imperial stout rating high beers are coffee front but the Founders beers are far better to this non coffee guy and Old Rasputin and Dragon's Milk are by far the standards I go for here. With that said rate it above other styles of beer as Stout is my king in the ipa heavy land and coffee front and empty mouthfeel knock it back to lower than trend levels. I would never again buy this as it's cost level is at the same point or higher as the beers to other style examples in 4 count 12 oz @ 4$ + per 12 oz and at this level dragon's milk is far better and Old Rasputin checks in less and rules the roost on availability on draft. Both widely available to me.
Apr 05, 2018S- Coffee forefront most, Prune nearly as much, dry red wine next and some very in the back chocolate
T- Very clean, too clean like Guinness but alcohol empty after feel like vodka or gin dry shot mouthfeel.
O- I am not into coffee so Other American double / imperial stout rating high beers are coffee front but the Founders beers are far better to this non coffee guy and Old Rasputin and Dragon's Milk are by far the standards I go for here. With that said rate it above other styles of beer as Stout is my king in the ipa heavy land and coffee front and empty mouthfeel knock it back to lower than trend levels. I would never again buy this as it's cost level is at the same point or higher as the beers to other style examples in 4 count 12 oz @ 4$ + per 12 oz and at this level dragon's milk is far better and Old Rasputin checks in less and rules the roost on availability on draft. Both widely available to me.
Reviewed by rodbeermunch from Nevada
3.53/5 rDev -7.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.53/5 rDev -7.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
I dunno if it is accurate or not, but I associate Arcadia with an old British/English kind of inspired brewery, maybe its that they have an English ipa, maybe its accurate, maybe its not. This imperial stout looks pretty legit, its definitely deep black in color, not super viscous. Brown head 3/5". Pretty sexy. Aroma of heavily roasted malt, providing dark coffee and chocolate like notes.
Taste is a 60 ibu kind of bitterness, definitely some C hops backing this one up. No adjunct like feels on this one. Not overly thick or alcoholic, I think the bitterness did push weight around here more than other factors. I dunno about the yeast or classification here, I'm getting some dark fruit and licorice type of tastes that make me think this could be a Russian Imperial Stout. Keeps its roasty character, drop of smoke as it warms.
Mar 11, 2018Taste is a 60 ibu kind of bitterness, definitely some C hops backing this one up. No adjunct like feels on this one. Not overly thick or alcoholic, I think the bitterness did push weight around here more than other factors. I dunno about the yeast or classification here, I'm getting some dark fruit and licorice type of tastes that make me think this could be a Russian Imperial Stout. Keeps its roasty character, drop of smoke as it warms.
Reviewed by dbl_delta from Pennsylvania
3.99/5 rDev +4.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
3.99/5 rDev +4.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Undated bottle into pint glass. Pours an extremely dark reddish-black, with a persistent tan head. Initial impression is dark chocolate, molasses, charred oak, and coffee. Mouthfeel is a tiny bit on the thin side for a true RIS; carbonation is about perfect. Finish is dry and bittersweet. A competent but not outstanding RIS.
Feb 19, 2017Reviewed by jzlyo from Iowa
4.18/5 rDev +9.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
4.18/5 rDev +9.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Aroma is chocolate, dark malts and mild dark fruit/tobacco. The flavor is dark malts, chocolate, dark fruit/cherries, mild tobacco and a mix of acidity and slight sweetness in the finish.
Nov 26, 2016Reviewed by AlarmClock314 from Wisconsin
4/5 rDev +5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
4/5 rDev +5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
12oz bottle, no date. Pours mostly black with a medium sized khaki head. Smells of roasted malt, molasses, earthy hops, dark fruit, cocoa, and some char; below average intensity. The taste follows with roasted malt, molasses, cocoa, earthy hops, dark fruit, and char; below average intensity again but only a little alcohol comes though. Moderate bitterness and dryness with subtle sweetness. Average carbonation and body for the style. Overall, the smell/flavor has a somewhat complex and lightly bitter profile, but really needs more intensity. Worth a try, but don't expect a 'big beer.'
Nov 22, 2016Reviewed by 57md from Pennsylvania
3.84/5 rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
3.84/5 rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pours a deep dark brown color with over a finger of fluffy tan head. This offering would make for a really decent stout considering its body and roasted flavor. However, it simply lacks the extra punch that I expect to find in a impy.
Jun 30, 2016
Imperial Stout from Arcadia Brewing Company
Beer rating:
86 out of
100 with
475 ratings
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