Plead The 5th Imperial Stout | Dark Horse Brewing Company

4.5/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

12oz bottle, dated 12/13/16. Pours jet black with a small sized dark khaki head. Smells of roasted malt, caramel, cocoa with some earthy hops, coffee, and char. The taste follows exactly with roasted malt, caramel, cocoa, hops, coffee, and char. Surprisingly low bitterness for the style and light sweetness. The alcohol is well hidden. Thick, rich body and low carbonation. Overall, this felt like a mix of a RIS and a Milk Stout. It's viscous, lightly bitter, and hits on all the relevant stout flavors. A well crafted brew.

 530 characters

4.32/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

4/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

4.35/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

4.29/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

4.37/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

4.63/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

4.35/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

4/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

3.6/5  rDev -16.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

4.49/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

4.27/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

I love this stout. Pours a dark chocolate with hint of deep deep red and brown. Smells incredible. Like a cup of coffee with a chocolate bar melted in it. Plus maybe cocoa nibs and toasted nuts maybe? Flavor is outstanding, coffee, chocolate, toasty sweet goodness followed by smooth malty toasted...something. Overall it's a top quality stout. I can barely detect any alcohol at all which is incredible for a big beer at 11% abv.

 430 characters

4.74/5  rDev +10%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

4.02/5  rDev -6.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

4.33/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Smell: big Umami smoked meat bakers chocolate raisin tobacco

Taste: upfront there's an initial sweetness raisin bakers chocolate transitions in the middle of the mouth to a big Smokey presence pipe tobacco smoked meat Umami. Im the finish you get a vanilla type sweetness and some expresso bitterness.

Feel: medium to full body creamy soft dry in the finish the expresso biterness lingers in the aftertaste.

Overall: bottled 11/11/15 more smokiness a very complex smokey flavor less sweet big expresso note in the finish just enough sweetness there to keep the smoke and biterness in line I think this beer is better with some age on it. But fresh it's really good too.

 673 characters

4.27/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

4.61/5  rDev +7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

4.46/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

4.44/5  rDev +3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

4.33/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Look: pours pitch black, with a cherry red head and light carbonation.

Nose: milk chocolate, cherries, old wood smoke.

Taste: creamy, chewy, woodsmoke, chocolate milkshake, dark cherry character. Huge beer!

 208 characters

4.58/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

4.4/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

3.99/5  rDev -7.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

4.25/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Pours jet black, small dark brown head leaves an oil slick on the side of the glass. Awesome appearance!
Aroma is heavy on roasted malt, coffee and ash. Ya just gotta love the aroma, almost like burnt stale gas station coffee at 4am.
Tastes are quite similar, hints of dark fruit in the finish.
Thick and oily on the tongue, goes down smoothly.
This is one terrific beer, incredible flavors and aromas make this another super RIS outa Michigan.

 444 characters

4.04/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4