Imperial Chocolate Stout (Ezo Beer)
Rogue Ales

Imperial Chocolate Stout (Ezo Beer)Imperial Chocolate Stout (Ezo Beer)
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From:
Rogue Ales
 
Oregon, United States
Style:
Russian Imperial Stout
ABV:
10%
Score:
91
Avg:
4.18 | pDev: 8.37%
Reviews:
14
Ratings:
21
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Feb 10, 2016
Added:
Feb 27, 2009
Wants:
  22
Gots:
  2
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by ygtbsm94:
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Rated by ygtbsm94 from Utah

3.5/5  rDev -16.3%

Mar 03, 2012
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.74 by EdgarGerik from Venezuela

Feb 10, 2016
 
Rated: 4.5 by inspektor from North Carolina

Sep 13, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by jbriggs7 from North Carolina

Sep 07, 2014
 
Rated: 4.75 by LXIXME from New Mexico

Feb 18, 2014
Photo of brentk56
Reviewed by brentk56 from North Carolina

4.47/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Appearance: Pours an espresso brown color with a half inch film that recedes to a ringlet while leaving a nice pattern of lace

Smell: Chocolate fudge, with hints of caramel and vanilla

Taste: Chocalate fudge, up front, with just a smidge of dark fruit; by mid-palate, a roasty bitterness arrives, along with the caramel and vanilla flavors hidden underneath; the aftertaste brings the sweet chocolate elements to a crest

Mouthfeel: Full-bodied with moderate carbonation

Overall: A really nice chocolate stout in the Southern Tier vein; great for dessert

Thanks, hannont, for the opportunity; this extra was a terrific surprise
Sep 06, 2012
 
Rated: 4.5 by justinm4bama from Alabama

Apr 11, 2012
 
Rated: 4.25 by Telestic from Washington

Dec 23, 2011
Photo of brokensail
Reviewed by brokensail from California

4.25/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
Thanks to Shane for this bottle.

A: The pour is pretty much black in color with a small brown head that subsides to a thin ring around the glass.

S: Both milk and dark chocolate aroma fills the nose instantly. A really nice creaminess to it and a mild roastiness. Some sweet vanilla and caramel underneath to round out what is a very rich nose.

T: Sweet chocolate with an excellent creaminess, almost like a glass of chocolate milk. A mild bitterness from the roasted malt and some dark chocolate flavor. Toffee and caramel provide additional sweetness.

M: Medium to full in body with a very smooth and creamy feel on the tongue.

O: Despite a rather hefty ABV, this is a dangerously smooth beer that was very easy to drink.
May 01, 2011
Photo of cpetrone84
Reviewed by cpetrone84 from Pennsylvania

3.7/5  rDev -11.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
A-pours a completely opaque black liquid with two fingers of a dark mocha colored head that has some retention but leaves no lace.

S-huge nose with tons of milk chocolate and a hint of burnt coffee. sweet dark fruit in back soaked in rum, notes of raisins.

T-the taste is huge and follows the nose. tons of chocolate, creamy, milky with a touch of bitter sweet bakers chocolate in the back. lightly burnt coffee lieing underneath finishing with a light taste of rum soaked raisins.

M-full bodied, smooth and creamy on the palate, low carbonation but holds, syrupy coating the mouth and slick on the back of the throat.

D-pretty straight forward chocolate, this is a chocolate bomb but doesn't present much else with exception of the dark fruit and booze in the back.
Jun 03, 2010
Photo of barleywinefiend
Reviewed by barleywinefiend from Washington

4.25/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Poured a black color with good carbonation and a nice tannish head. lookd appetizing. Nose is sweet, roasty, cocoa, both biiter and milk. Taste is nice chocolate, bitter and milky, roasty to apoint. taste very similar to Choklat in a few ways. Mouthfeel is a nice chocolate flavor, not to bitter, just balance, bakers powder cocoa, milk chocolate and bitter dark collide.
Mar 26, 2010
Photo of JohnGalt1
Reviewed by JohnGalt1 from Idaho

4.25/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
I screwed up big on this... Opened this to share with Brenda... I thought this was a Rogue rebranded Chocolate Stout until I noticed the word "Imperial" on the bottle. Fuck Fuck Fuck... Sorry Matt!! I would have saved this until the RIS tasting had I noticed sooner.

Anyway, thanks to reinheitsgematt for the bottle.. he brought this to a recent tasting at my house a while back and it was a bottle that we never got to.

My share is poured into my Delerium goblet... foamy dark tan head has good retention and lacing.

Nose reminds me immediately of Dark Chocolate mousse. Darker chocolate than what I was expecting.. not much going on in the roasted malt department.

More roasty out of the gate than the aroma, but this is still allll about the cocoa... some mild sweetness helps push the chocolate forward, and I would swear some vanilla is present... Rich and mildly decadent.. the body is not as heavy as the ABV made me think.. the carbonation is on the light side lending to a creamy mouthfeel.

As it warms.. the chocolate develops a sorta fake element that I am having a hard time describing except it reminds of chocolate extract instead of real cocoa.

4.5/4.5/4.5/4/3.5
Dec 08, 2009
Photo of largadeer
Reviewed by largadeer from California

4.12/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Bottle purchased at the Rogue pub in PDX. Pours utterly opaque black with a small tan head that sticks around for a couple of minutes. Massive chocolate aroma; milk chocolate even. Uh... chocolate? Not really sure what else to say about this one. It really does smell like a glass of chocolate milk. The taste is thankfully a bit more complex, opening with big roasty malts, bittersweet chocolate and toasted grain, but chocolate ultimately prevails. The finish is chocolatey but pleasantly dry and bitter, in the typical Rogue fashion. This is pretty nice stuff, though I wouldn't take it over their regular Chocolate Stout on most occasions.
Sep 08, 2009
Photo of paulieatworld
Reviewed by paulieatworld from North Carolina

4.64/5  rDev +11%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5
was given a couple bottles of this by co owner of rogue during a meeting with the guys at the brewery and rogue creamery. So pours deeply brown, near black. slick on the mouthfeel with slight carbonation. very thin head that disappears to nothing. wonderful chocolate aromas. incredibly smooth 10 percent. downright dangerous. like an amped up young's dc.

from what i understand this beer was brewed for a special japanese client and is limited to a two hundred case production so odds are you won't find this just hanging out at the beer store. i'll be interested to see if this get re-brewed and bottled in the 14.99 pewter re-sealables sometime in the future.
Aug 15, 2009
Photo of Floydster
Reviewed by Floydster from California

3.7/5  rDev -11.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
12 ounce bottle purchased at the brewpub in Portland for a few dollars a few months back, thanks to Shane for giving me a heads up about this one, poured into my Russian River pint glass last night, nearly black in color with dark brown around the edges, big 1 1/2 inch tan soapy head that lasted a long time, great retention and lacing, aroma consists of both milk and dark chocolate, roasted malts, sweet toffee, hint of vanilla, and sugar, flavor starts off with creamy milk chocolate that is almos along the lines of a milkshake, roasted malts along with sugary toffee in the middle, finish is slightly dry to balance some of those sweet flavors with more of a dark chocolate flavor, some even sweeter malts come to the surface as it warms, sweet, slightly dry, and roasty mouthfeel, medium bodied, a little more carbonation than it probably needed, taste lingers for a good amount of time with sweetness, drank half of this bottle pretty easily until my last sip or two, alcohol is hidden well by the chocolate, interesting beer that I am glad I tried, not my favorite stout ever but it was enjoyable and unique, would drink again, worth trying
Aug 01, 2009
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Reviewed by RedPorter from Arizona

4.48/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4
i picked up a case of this beer at the rogue brewery, willing to trade if ya have something i might be interested in, on my list or not.

A - black as can be, when poured slightly aggressive got about one finger thickness of darker caramel colored head.

S - smells like a tootsie roll! could have used more hops.

T - chocolate stands out above all else in this beer as you would expect but you do have your coffee and toffee undertones. this beer is sweet, covers up the massive 10%abv. my only complaint is that there could have been more hop presents aroma or taste

M - super creamy feel but doesnt stick like syrup to your mouth

D - for an imperial stout it sure is easy to drink, might be the sweetness might be the lack of hops.
Jul 29, 2009
Photo of TheEremite
Reviewed by TheEremite from California

3.95/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A: Black with very slight ruby highlights, tan head. Looks as RIS should
S: Tons of chocolate toasty aromas. Smells fantastic.
T: Lots of bitter chocolate and sweetness. Very tasty.
M: Decent mouthfeel, thick but not syrupy. It lingers for a while and makes a good desert on its own. Could use a glass of water to wash down the bitter chocolate aftertaste though.

All said, it's a very good beer. It drinks well and balances the added chocolate well with the underlying beer and doesn't come off as a gimmick like many other chocolate or otherwise flavored stouts. I'm not sure I would rush out to find another bottle, but it's worth a shot if you have the chance.
Jul 29, 2009
Photo of HopHead84
Reviewed by HopHead84 from California

4.27/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5
Purchased at the brewpub/distillery in The Pearl District of Portland. I got a hot tip that this was available so I mustered the troops and we marched northward. What a strange looking bottle.

Pours ebony with a one finger light brown head. Retention is good but only a little lacing is left on the glass.

This just smells like a melted bar of milk chocolate. I'm going to grab a snifter and pour this bastard into it. Alright, some of the liquid is in a snifter. Jesus this smells delicious. It's straight milk chocolate and cocoa with a slight roasted edge. There's a minimal amount of noticeable earthiness. The slight roast keeps the aroma from being sweet.

Well, it tastes like milk chocolate and cocoa. There's a medium level of sugary sweetness to the beer. The alcohol is hidden quite well by the rich chocolate malt. A low level of bitterness is present, but no hop flavor. The finish is rich chocolate and sweet, with a little bitterness and a hint of alcohol that provides a warming effect. The bitterness becomes more apparent as the beer warms past room temperature.

The beer is robust and full bodied with a medium-high level of carbonation and a smooth, creamy, chewy mouthfeel. A damn fine beer, but the thought of the amount of calories in this beer is frightening, so I doubt I'll be finishing this bottle.
May 13, 2009
Photo of RedDiamond
Reviewed by RedDiamond from Oregon

4.5/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
I'm not sure what the story is behind this beer. I purchased this bottle at the Issaquah Brewhouse, but I believe Rogue brews select recipes such as this primarily for export to Japan, marketing them under the Ezo Beer label. A perusal of ezo-beer dot com yields a list of nine Rogue beers, but this Imperial Chocolate Stout is not among them and the site provides little by way of company info.

The bottle cap and half the silk-screened bottle are (presumably) written in Japanese, and there's no government warning label advising against drinking while pregnant, which I believe is a legal mandate for all alcoholic beverages sold in the US. It does say 10% and has a quaintly worded description that somehow sounds like an English translation of a foreign text: "we cannot help but be drawn into the magic of these flavors." Charming.

I poured the beer into a snifter. The body is a glossy, ebony black with one of the darkest heads I've ever seen - deep sandy brown. The real chocolate aroma is superb. Real chocolate is also the central driving force in the flavor, especially as the sweeter elements swing from mid-palate into the finish. The natural bittering properties of roasted cacao would seem to provide more bittering than hops, which otherwise contribute no notable presence.

The mouthfeel is plump, placid, and chewy. But despite lively carbonation, the head soon evacuates and little lace forms on the glass. I noted a touch of alcohol on my breath as I exhaled and a soothing warmth as the beer unfurls in the belly. Alcohol flavor is otherwise suppressed.

This Ezo Beer a terrific sipping ale for dessert or otherwise and is one of the most chocolaty beers I've ever had. It is notably creamy, especially for a strong ale. I cannot help but be drawn into the magic of these flavors.
Mar 21, 2009
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Reviewed by grumpy from Missouri

4.09/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Turns out this is a nice beer. Gives Southern Tier Choklat a decent run for the money. As stated by the previous reviewer, unless you can read Japanese, the only useful info on the label is the appearance of "10%" I don't know if that indicates ABV or ABW, but my taste buds and liver conferred and decided that it was definitely ABV. The verbiage on the label that is rendered in English is a bunch of flowery, useless prose. Nuff of that.

12-oz bottle purchased at the Rogue location in Issaquah, WA.

Pours on the dark-red side of black, with minimal head and lacing. Aroma is chocolate - loud and clear - with a sweet, creamy character. Malty and appealing. Initial palate is sweet and medium-full bodied. The chocolate and malty flavors come through well. Then the carbonation and drying, astringent finish take over. Despite the noted appearance of little carbonation, this is actually too carbonated for my tastes. The hops (I have no idea what variety) sneak in at the very end.

I think this one needs some time in the cellar, but it's certainly tasty now. At $3.50 a bottle, I wish I'd bought more.
Mar 07, 2009
Imperial Chocolate Stout (Ezo Beer) from Rogue Ales
Beer rating: 91 out of 100 with 21 ratings