Imperial Smoked Porter With Cocoa Nibs
Joseph James Brewing Inc.

Deep, dark, reddish-brown body; dense, creamy, light tan head. Excellent smoked malt base infused with some cocoa and chocolate notes; wood ash. Tastes like cocoa puffs with a slightly boozy edge; bitter chocolate swirling about; coffee grounds. Heavy body yet seemingly lighter initially; creamy; nice residual sugars coating the palate.

We've got a nifty little big beer here. It's rich and chocolatey with just enough alcohol presence to pump things up a notch. It brings on a nice blend of flavors, nothing overbalancing or dominating beyond what is called for. The cocoa nibs and smoked malts play very nicely together. Most excellent...

 

Look: Off black Chocolate color, nice head and decent lacing.

Smell: Smells between fresh baked brownies and brownie batter. The cocoa nibs really come through with the brownie element in this beer. Probably my favorite part of this beer.

Taste: browniesque with semisweet-chocolate, hints of vanilla, hints of coffee, and cocoa, followed by dark fruits. There is also a subtle smokey element which amalgamates all the flavors. The alcohol heat is an afterthought.

Feel: Medium and creamy, coats the palate with a lasting pleasant aftertaste.

Overall, this is my favorite beer by Joseph James so far. My imagination is wishing there was a legit barrel aged version of this, which could be killer.

oddly enough this one is a little sweeter to me than the vanilla edition, we had them side by side and it was a treat. same as the vanilla, i wished and still wish for more smoke here, with that word in the name, i look for a little more of it here, but it does accent the other flavors really well, and most certainly isnt absent or anything. less like nibs here and more like straight up batter of brownies or something, still maybe somewhat less over the top than the vanilla, but man, this is right up front in the nose and taste, and there all the way through. nice with the smoke, but there is less of the bitter normal cocoa nob coonent and a more downright chocolate vibe about it, so i taste the bitterness of the roasted grain here, and appreciate a coffee note that runs through it as well, arguably more complex than the vanilla edition in that way. seemingly richer too, but with a similarly appropriate body, but i taste it just as long, never really finishes in the sense that i taste this thing for miles and miles. a series of beers that is affordable and flying under the radar, but a pair of ales here that i fervently enjoyed, strong as they are. these guys should get more love!

Pours an effervescent & scarlet tinged mahoganywith 2+ fingers of caramel colored head. Minimal head retention & lacing, very viscious

S: Cocoa & vanilla, a little booze, plus raisin & then rich dark chocolate

T: Follows the nose, along Baker's Chocolate, roastyness, slight smokeyness & a little mocha, along with just a wisp of booze warmth. Smokeyness & boozeyness picks up as this warms along with woody dryness. Mocha with dryness in the finish, along with a little warming booze

MF: Medium body.chewy with restrained carbonation . Carbonation picks up as this warms, thins out a bit

Drinks easy for the style, a good take on it & easily the best I've had from these guys