Tempest Imperial Stout
Amsterdam Brewing Company

Tempest Imperial StoutTempest Imperial Stout
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From:
Amsterdam Brewing Company
 
Ontario, Canada
Style:
Russian Imperial Stout
ABV:
9%
Score:
89
Avg:
3.96 | pDev: 8.33%
Reviews:
60
Ratings:
142
Status:
Active
Rated:
Jan 15, 2022
Added:
May 29, 2011
Wants:
  9
Gots:
  27
Brewed with a complex grain bill and three types of hops that make for a bracing bitterness which quickly blends with deep malt notes and slight spiciness.

100+ IBU
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by mick303:
Photo of mick303
Reviewed by mick303 from Canada (ON)

3.93/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Pours a dark black, creamy coffee coloured head with really good lacing.

Aroma is of rich bitter coffee, roast malt, quite earthy, maybe a touch of stonefruit notes. Light on the chocolate but otherwise typical imperial stout notes.

Taste has a big upfront bitterness, and tons of roast dark malt. Big body, but quite a decent sipper. A bit unbalanced maybe. Plenty of dark roast coffee, dark chocolate notes though. Carbonation is light and body quite a bit malty presence. Alcohol is very well hidden and comes across a lot lighter than the ABV would suggest. Finish is very clean and structured, a nice dryness.

Not a mind-blowing imperial stout, but it has a really nice flavour and it works quite well. For xmas time, this is a nice local treat and quite enjoyable, nice and rich, with a surprising lightness. Certainly a good offering from Amsterdam. Won't rock your world but makes a really good no-frills holiday stout.

2013 vintage - tasted july 2014. Aroma is bitter and mildly roast. Lots of rich earthy dark chocolate. Taste is clean, with a balanced chocolate coffee character, developing more bitterness, lots of hop bitterness coming through, more apparent carbonation, with a rich earthy character, picked up more of the coconut and buttery vanilla notes, a bit of a balanced stout character, a bit more lively on the nose than on the flavour, some semisweet milk chocolate and strong coffee, still not an mind-blowing IS, but a full bodied and flavourful one with a pretty good complexity, updated ratings.
Dec 25, 2012
More User Ratings:
Photo of Pmicdee
Reviewed by Pmicdee from Canada (ON)

3.72/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Pours black, no visible light through it, with a surprisingly small tan head. Not much in the smell dept. perhaps some and some malts. The taste is nice, toasted malts dominate, bready and highly boozy. Smooth and dense mouthfeel.
Jan 14 2022
Jan 15, 2022
Photo of Tony787
Reviewed by Tony787 from Canada (ON)

3.77/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
I bought a mixed pack of beer from this brewery.
Tempest imperial stout was the first beer I drank poured into glass with 2 finger head
Thick syrup look dark color leaving a lace as you drink it.
Malty high bitterness and dark chocolate
Overall a good strong spicy stout at 9%.
Cheers
Dec 29, 2021
 
Rated: 3.25 by Jotora from Canada (ON)

Nov 17, 2018
Photo of cyrenaica
Reviewed by cyrenaica from Canada (ON)

3.67/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
500ml bottle
9.0% ABV
Bar Volo (Toronto, Ontario, Canada)
December 16, 2011
$13.50
The beer poured a solid black colour with a thin creamy tan coloured head. Aroma was pretty standard with roasted malt, coffee and chocolate. The mouthfeel was medium bodied, creamy with medium carbonation. The flavour mirrored the aroma with coffee and chocolate notes.
Mar 28, 2018
 
Rated: 3.56 by StormAles from Canada (ON)

Jun 29, 2017
 
Rated: 4.25 by SmithyAlan from Canada (QC)

Sep 26, 2016
 
Rated: 3.75 by JonnyBeers from Canada (BC)

Aug 31, 2016
 
Rated: 3.47 by Whatup14 from Canada (QC)

Jul 12, 2016
 
Rated: 4.37 by JuiceBombWino from Canada (ON)

Jun 06, 2016
 
Rated: 3.96 by Powers30 from Canada (NB)

May 07, 2016
Photo of PorterPro125
Reviewed by PorterPro125 from Canada (NB)

4.11/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Serving Type: 500 mL Bottle (2013 Vintage)

A- Pours an opaque black (slightly red around edges). 1 1/2 finger tan head than works down to thin patches fairly quickly. Sparse patches of tan lacing.

S- Chocolate, anise, roasty malt, and alcohol.

T- Anise upfront, followed by sweet milk chocolate. Ending off with a roasty, smokey bitterness that lingers.

M- Velvety Heavy body and low-moderate carbonation: Definitely what I was expecting for an Imperial Stout.

O- An excellent Imperial Stout from start to finish. The anise (black liquorice like) flavour is something that I have not tasted in a stout before but it worked really well with the roasted malt.
May 04, 2016
Photo of cultclassic89
Rated by cultclassic89 from Texas

4/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
It's fine. You can get better stuff locally, or that's even widely distributed.
Mar 28, 2016
Photo of jfreeze
Reviewed by jfreeze from Canada (NB)

4.09/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
YR: 2013

A-Pours a deep syrupy black with just the slightest trace of a mocha head.

S- A big liquorice note is the first thing I get out of this one. Follows with some sweet milk chocolate, roasted grain and booze.

T- Bitterness is assertive but really well balanced with that deep milk chocolate sweetness. Liquorice is there in the taste as well, with a burnt smokey finish that makes me think of french roast coffee.

M- A silky smooth, velvety mouthfeel that helps it go down easily. The perfect amount of carbonation- not fizzy but enough to keep it from being cloying.

O- Very enjoyable, and affordable as far as big stouts like this go. Not sure what newer vintages would be like, but I would pick up another from this batch if I saw it.
Mar 26, 2016
 
Rated: 3.72 by Asianadian from Canada (NB)

Feb 08, 2016
Photo of Ozzylizard
Reviewed by Ozzylizard from Pennsylvania

4.17/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Bottle marked Year 2014 at 42 degrees into a snifter, allowed to warm to 50 degrees
Received in a trade from @SebD
Aroma of roasted malt, weakens and is gone before the end of the glass
Head small (< two cm, aggressive pour), light brown, creamy, diminishing to two mm ring and rocky layer
Lacing excellent – covers completely with tiny bubbles
Body dark brown/black, opaque
Flavor of roasted malt, slightly bitter; no hops, no alcohol, no diacetyl. As it warms, some date shows up.
Palate full, creamy, soft carbonation

Appearance 4.25, Aroma 4, Flavor 4.25, Palate 4, Overall 4.25
Oct 29, 2015
 
Rated: 4.21 by blaje from Canada (QC)

Oct 22, 2015
 
Rated: 3.67 by Tmappin from Canada (NS)

Sep 22, 2015
Photo of Omnium
Reviewed by Omnium from Pennsylvania

3.8/5  rDev -4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Bomber > tulip
A - Pitch black with a big two finger bubbly khaki head, thick lacing
S - Lots of licorice and burnt wood aroma, smoke, dark roasted malts, earthy hop tones
T - Very burnt kind of flavor, lots of black licorice, roasted malt, big herbal and earthy hop flavor, burnt grains, woodiness, smoke, some slight dark fruit notes in the background
M - pretty viscious and deep, very bitter and dry though
O - Decent imperial stout, very bitter, and lots of licorice, not my favorite.
Sep 13, 2015
 
Rated: 4.19 by yasky from Canada (ON)

Sep 02, 2015
Tempest Imperial Stout from Amsterdam Brewing Company
Beer rating: 89 out of 100 with 142 ratings