Imperial Stout
Samuel Smith Old Brewery (Tadcaster)

Imperial StoutImperial Stout
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From:
Samuel Smith Old Brewery (Tadcaster)
 
England, United Kingdom
Style:
Russian Imperial Stout
Ranked #224
ABV:
7%
Score:
93
Ranked #3,946
Avg:
4.16 | pDev: 11.3%
Reviews:
1,870
Ratings:
4,048
Status:
Active
Rated:
Feb 17, 2024
Added:
Feb 27, 2001
Wants:
  256
Gots:
  596
Brewed at Samuel Smith's small, traditional British brewery with well water, best barley malt, roasted barley, yeast and hops to create a rich flavorful ale; deep chocolate on color with a roasted barley nose and flavor that is a complexity of malt, hops, and yeast. Fermented in 'stone Yorkshire squares'. This distinctive type of ale was originally shipped to Imperial Russia; it was a favourite of Russian nobility.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by damndirtyape:
Photo of damndirtyape
Reviewed by damndirtyape from Ohio

4.33/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Single bottle poured into a nonic glass. No date on bottle - just a laser marked batch code (SG13I1).

Appearance: Very dark brown/black that lets no light through except at the edges where it's just barely a cola-brown color. Poured a thick head that died down to a 1/8" persistent dense tan foam across the top with some chunks of lacing here and there.

Smell: Some chocolate along with a burnt sugar (caramel / roasted malt) smell. This smell is consistent regardless of the beer temperature.

Taste: I think I have to describe the taste of this beer like a dark chocolate + caramel candy bar. The dark chocolate is has just enough of a bittersweet flavor that you know you're drinking a beer and not eating a candy bar, but the sweetness of this beer is noticeable. It's a very tasty beer - it's a dessert in itself.

Mouthfeel: Creamy with moderate carbonation. Clings a tad to the teeth, but not excessively.

Drinkability: This has to be the lowest ABV RIS beer I've ever had, but after awhile I can note the alcohol. Still - even though this is a one beer a night for me, it's a fantastic beer. Good with a meal (balsamic chicken and rice pilaf), good for sipping and savoring afterwards, and still appealing that now I want dessert. I think if you have a sweet tooth, this beer is for you, but I think it's a damn good stand alone beer in it's own right.
Aug 01, 2010
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4.6 by MobBarley from Oregon

Feb 17, 2024
 
Rated: 4.24 by drews240 from Rhode Island

Feb 01, 2024
Photo of twage04
Reviewed by twage04 from North Carolina

4.53/5  rDev +8.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
Pours a dark black with normal carbonation. Chocolate, molasses, bourbon on the nose. Taste is the same with some caramel, fig. Very rich and flavorful for the ABV.
Jan 29, 2024
Photo of DoctorRobert1969
Reviewed by DoctorRobert1969 from California

4.25/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
This was surprisingly smooth for an imperial beer, although I haven’t had many. The taste is something like a quad. Samuel Smith can do no wrong. Perfect for a cold night.
Jan 22, 2024
 
Rated: 3.69 by JimKochFan from New Jersey

Jan 22, 2024
 
Rated: 3.78 by harsley from Massachusetts

Jan 16, 2024
 
Rated: 4.68 by k9cousin from New York

Jan 15, 2024
Photo of MNJR
Reviewed by MNJR from Illinois

5/5  rDev +20.2%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
Rich and satisfying with the unmistakable Tadcaster magic that cannot be duplicated, ever. In the history of beer, with the physical, spiritual, and human limitations of the art form of making beer, nothing can ever be better than this, So... this is it, The Best. Try to outdo it, try and fail, maybe someday a stout beer can be better, maybe, but maybe not. Delicious flavors of earth, raisin, cocoa, fruit, vanilla, brown sugar, forest, mountains, and sea. Best stuff, best you can get. Lovely and remarkable in every way a beer can possibly be. 100%. Something has to be, and this is it.
Jan 15, 2024
 
Rated: 3 by prisdefer from New York

Jan 10, 2024
 
Rated: 4.07 by Can_if_you_can from Minnesota

Dec 27, 2023
Photo of Tom-o-Bedlam
Reviewed by Tom-o-Bedlam from Texas

4.42/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Burnt coffee, bitter dark chocolate, toasted bready malt, and hops on the back end.

Has the same undefinable funkiness that all Samuel Smith beers have (I’m drinking this one after having their Oatmeal Stout, Tadcaster, and Organic Chocolate Stout earlier this week). I guess it’s the well water.

There’s something hard and mineral-y that undergirds the flavor and the feel.

Good stuff.
Dec 21, 2023
 
Rated: 3 by AbeO

Dec 18, 2023
 
Rated: 4.23 by arini10 from Oregon

Dec 08, 2023
 
Rated: 4 by Birdlegs from Washington

Dec 06, 2023
 
Rated: 4.69 by KeithGreatNorth from Canada (BC)

Dec 04, 2023
 
Rated: 4.77 by MEnoMoney

Nov 22, 2023
 
Rated: 4.25 by FLBeerGuy from Florida

Nov 18, 2023
 
Rated: 4.15 by cabsandking from Ohio

Nov 10, 2023
 
Rated: 4.25 by thewimperoo from Illinois

Nov 08, 2023
Imperial Stout from Samuel Smith Old Brewery (Tadcaster)
Beer rating: 93 out of 100 with 4048 ratings