Imperial Stout
Founders Brewing Company

 

 

 

 

12 oz bottle
Bottled On Date: 11/20/2016
Consumed on: 20 Nov, 2022
Glass: Snifter
ABV: 10.5%
Serving Temp: 49.3 F


Look:
Jet black with a brown head that is very thin. The head quickly dissipates to a ring with some film over parts of the beer. What lacing exists is excellent.

Smell:
Dark, bittersweet chocolate and coffee. Char. Molasses. Anise. Caramelized and somewhat burnt sugar. A fair amount of earth.

Taste:
An earthy and bitter hit up front, but nothing overwhelming. This becomes char, dark chocolate, and some coffee. Molasses and anise follow. The earthy notes return towards the end. The sip finishes bittersweet and this lingers into and through the aftertaste which is very much unsweetened chocolate.

Feel:
Silky and mouth-coating. A nice warmth from the alcohol. The body is only a shade or 2 lighter than full.

Overall:
An excellent (Russian) Imperial Stout. One of my favorites of the style. I buy it when I see it. Which last was in 2019.

I purchased this beer fresh back in December, 2016. It has been in my cellar ever since. It has handled its age (6 years) quite well I would say.

 

 

 

2015 Bottle poured into a Founders Brewing Co snifter

A: Pours basically black with a frothy cocoa brown head that settles to a light layer and leaves a little nice lacing.

S: Roasty, earthy, a little char, dark chocolate, coffee, molasses, burnt sugar, slight umami notes, and faint hints of dark fruit.

T: Roasted malt, dark chocolate, black coffee, a little char, earthy, molasses a touch of toffee, and faint dark fruit on the finish.

M: Full body, mild carbonation, creamy smooth.

O: Somehow I think this one went straight from the store to my cellar and has been there ever since, so it's about time I crack into it!
Total time capsule back to before every imperial stout was loaded up with adjuncts and it's aged beautifully. Another example of why Founders is quite possibly the best at brewing dark beers.

12 oz bottle, born on 11/5/19, poured into a snifter at 55 degrees F:
L - dark mahogany with a hazelnut head that lingered around the edges
S - roasted malt, molasses, bitter chocolate, coffee
T - follows the nose very well
F - thick mouthfeel with minimal carbonation
O - this beer lives up to the founders standard; it is supposed to age well and just under 2.5 years in it is still sensational

Single 12 ounce bottle from Founders in Grand Rapids Nov 2019 when travel was still a thing.
Pours pitch black with finger of creamy mildly reddish brown head.
Aroma of dark fruits, caramel, mildly roasty with notes of chocolate and just a hint of coffee.
Taste is rich with plummy note, chocolate; a brief wave of smoke drifts across the palate, caramel malt and a touch of espresso bitterness balancing the sweetness.
Rich and smooth full creamy mouthfeel with a hint of boozy heat - wonderfully bittersweet. Wish more had followed me home.

 

 

Look: Poured from 12 oz bottle into a snifter. Midnight black with a creamy burnt amber head. Wonderful looking beer.

Smell: Roasted coffee beans, malts, caramel, dark chocolate.

Taste: Chocolate, cacao, malts, coffee. Also getting some dried fruits - possibly cranberry or cherry.

Feel: Creamy thick mouthfeel, this thing just rips as it goes down. Has a dark feel to it (literally and figuratively), great for sipping with a book. Gets better as it warms.

Overall: One of the best Russian Imperial Stouts you can find pretty widely available, highly recommend. If dark evil beers are your thing, pick this up.

 

 

12oz bottle. This thing has been aged in the mini-fridge for 5+ years and now is the time to crack this sucker

It still has a decent amount of carbonation and a nice little ring of foam. It was meant to age, this is telling me. Smells like coffee, alcohol, chocolate, and hops. Prominent alcohol flavor, even at chilled temps and with the age on it. This was a bad boy back in the day, I bet. Tons of cocoa powder and a honey malt backing that compliments and stands up to the choco malt and alcohol flavors that come close to dominating

 

 

355 ml bottle, from the Norwegian importer. ABV is 10.5%, 90 IBU. Pitch black colour, impressive brown head. Roasty aroma, roast malts, strong coffee, dark chocolate, liquorice, tar, wood and a hint of smoke. Rich mouthfeel. Medium sweet and rich flavour, roast malts, liquorice and strong coffee galore, bitter hops in the finish. High "Wow!" factor.

 

11-2019 vintage

Let it warm to at least 55F to really enjoy and it cellared nicely - 1yr 4mos (going to revisit at 2 yrs). Very viscous, creamy mouthfeel was what I noticed first, then a rush of roasted dark malts, dark chocolate and coffee took over. A mild bitterness is mixed in and keeps it from being too sweet. Wonderful finish and aftertaste that holds on. This one handles cellaring very nicely.

 

 

 

Bottle received from @whyteboar in Bif12.5

Poured into a snifter , pitch black 10w40 motor oil that has been ridden hard and put away wet. Capped by a dense creamy one finger brown foamy layer, good retention, good lacings, settles to a ring with islands

Aroma of roast malts, roasted coffee, dark chocolate

Roasted malts, char

Good sudsing, Very smooth, slight acrid char finish on the back of the tongue

Good stout, thanks @whyteboar

 

 

Look: black

Smell: boozy plums, grapes

Taste: dark and sweet

Feel: syrup. Where it shines.

Overall: I remember this being way too hot but I now actually prefer it to the breakfast stout

Classic and iconic Russian Imperial Stout. Pours black with a thin mocha head. The aroma is malt and booze. The taste is dominated by a powerful roasted maltiness with undertones of dark fruit and hops, and a hint of chocolate. Quite aggressive and dry. Savory and not sweet. A bit too much booziness and alcohol warming. Full mouthfeel.

One drawback is the price. If it were less expensive and more widely available I would have it all the time.

One of the benchmark RIS that I can reliably calibrate my palate with or just enjoy on its own merit.
Consistently good and balanced with the malts dominating and the hops support the depth of flavor. Really good stuff!

Bottled 11/6/19 and poured into a tulip. Very dark with a faint redish hue around the edges as it poured. One finger of tan colored head that left behind some nice lacing. Aroma didn't waft out of the glass, but once I get close to get a whiff, it's a really nice maltly smell with distinct chocolate notes. Taste is roasty malts, chocolate and coffee. Medium bodied, and actually a hair thinner than I was expecting based on the ABV. Good beer.

Bottle from cask n flask San Jose.
~1yr old.
L: black with mocha head.
S: molasses, licorice, caramel, roasty.
T: roasted malt dominates, notes of chocolate, coffee, licorice, caramel. Burnt bitter finish.
F: perfect to style.
Overall: unsurprisingly a great stout from Founders.

Pours jet black with a one-inch ruddy brown head, nice lacing left throughout. At first, nose is brownie batter, freshly ground coffee, cinnamon. Taste begins up front rather bitter - dark chocolate, cocoa, chocolate covered coffee beans, with a strongly bitter, warming finish. As it warms, the alcohol gets more pronounced on the finish (obviously), but never becomes overwhelming. The bitterness recedes just a touch as well, with a bit more malty/chocolatey sweetness emerging. Mouthfeel is moderately thick, but there is noticeable carbonation. Really pleased to get a bottle (for whatever reason, I never see this around me).

I got a bottle of this beer off the single shelf from a beer store in LaCrosse, WI. It poured an opaque dark with tan head that is leaving some lace. The scent had a mix of vanilla, molasses, cocoa and roast. The taste was nicely balanced and easy to sip with molasses, cocoa and hints of cinnamon flare. The mouthfeel was fuller in body with smooth carbonation. Overall it is an excellent beer.