Imperial Ghisa
Birrificio Lambrate

Imperial GhisaImperial Ghisa
Beer Geek Stats | Print Shelf Talker
From:
Birrificio Lambrate
 
Italy
Style:
Baltic Porter
ABV:
8.5%
Score:
88
Avg:
3.94 | pDev: 9.9%
Reviews:
10
Ratings:
22
Status:
Active
Rated:
Jun 16, 2021
Added:
Jul 24, 2010
Wants:
  4
Gots:
  3
Called “Imperial” for its 8.5% ABV, this beer is the elder sister of our Ghisa.

IBU: 80.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Photo of Snowcrash000
Reviewed by Snowcrash000 from Germany

3.25/5  rDev -17.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25
Pours a pitch-black coloration with a medium, creamy head. Smells of slightly roasted, quite caramelly malt and hints of chocolate, dark fruits and berries, with a certain smoked, honey-glazed ham character as well. Taste follows the nose, with a poor balance of slightly roasted, quite caramelly malt, lighter chocolate and stronger dark fruit and berries, with notes of raisin, fig, cherry and blackcurrant, as well as a certain honey sweetness and hints of smoked ham. Finishes rather sweet, with some dark fruits and honey-glazed ham lingering in the aftertaste. Smooth mouthfeel with a medium body and carbonation.

I really didn't enjoy this very much at all, to be honest, as I don't enjoy that honey-glazed ham character that some smoked beers take on, while the caramel malts and dark fruits and berries just add to that overall sweetness here, which is in stark contrast to the lighter roasted and smoky notes that do not come through quite enough for my personal taste. I'm kinda wondering if oxidation is to blame for this, with this bottle having some of the hallmark sweet and fruity sherry notes, but in any case, the balance is really off for my personal taste here, with this being way too sweet and fruity and not quite roasted, dry and smoky enough.
Jun 16, 2021
Photo of Sigmund
Reviewed by Sigmund from Norway

3.5/5  rDev -11.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
On tap at Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Black colour, low beige head. Aroma of smoked malts / smoked sausage, with fruity hops in the background. Light bodied and refreshing for its strength. The fairly dry flavour is smoked, but not extreme, with decent hops throughout, and a spicy warming finish, reminiscent of chipotle.
Apr 18, 2021
Photo of DJ-Hophead
Reviewed by DJ-Hophead from England

4.25/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Tap @ La Tana del Lupollo, Bologna - Pours jet black with a medium tanned foamy head. Nice lacing. Medium carbonation. Aroma - Roasted coffee, dark chocolate, char/smoke. Taste - Sweet, roasted coffee, dark chocolate, light smoke feel, roasted malts, medium bitter finish. Solid smoky imperial stout.
Aug 27, 2018
 
Rated: 3.52 by leitmotif from Romania

Mar 03, 2018
Photo of Ciocanelu
Reviewed by Ciocanelu from Romania

4.25/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Dark brown color with creamy brown head. Aroma has nice caramel, roasted malts, smoky grains and chocolate shake. Taste is sweet and malty, chocolatey, smoky but not too intense, really roasty and bitter on the aftertaste. Medium body, smooth on the palate. Really well made, tasty and easy drinking smoked beer.
Feb 26, 2018
 
Rated: 4.13 by thatsmyspot from Italy

Feb 18, 2018
 
Rated: 3.25 by Hayley_86 from Netherlands

Feb 22, 2017
 
Rated: 3.73 by DispyDnb from England

Jun 13, 2016
 
Rated: 3.4 by Euroglot from Belgium

Apr 18, 2016
 
Rated: 4 by Marius from Netherlands

Dec 07, 2015
 
Rated: 3.75 by Beer-Ed from Netherlands

Nov 22, 2015
 
Rated: 3.79 by samEBC from Belgium

Oct 20, 2015
 
Rated: 4 by Kroehny_Loves_Hops from Australia

May 01, 2014
Photo of dgilks
Reviewed by dgilks from Australia

4.34/5  rDev +10.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Dark dark black. Great creamy tan head. Nice lacing and head retention.

Intense combination of dark cherry, smoke, chocolate and tobacco. Interesting alcohol. Nutty.

Rounded combination of malt and alcohol. Big nuttiness, chocolate, roast, alcohol and sweetness. Bitterness a little high.

Medium body with moderate carbonation. Actually really nice and suits the beer.

A really good beer. Complex flavours and everything else works with it.
Mar 24, 2014
Photo of lacqueredmouse
Reviewed by lacqueredmouse from Australia

4.06/5  rDev +3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
330ml bottle purchased from Slowbeer by Sarah, and given to me for Christmas.

Pours a thick but fluid black-brown, with a dense, fine head of beige that takes on a more orange tone while the body tries to escape. Lacing is fine but minimal. Very nice fine carbonation.

Nose is excellent. Holy crap yes. Huge sweet smokiness giving BBQ characters and a fragrant savoury aroma. But this is above a very fine and rich chocolate/roast note basis, giving a firm breadth to work with. It's really, really gorgeous: rich, sweet, smoky, savoury, complex. It's extremely impressive stuff. Absolutely superb.

Taste is also good: it actually gets a slight smoked meat character to it that wasn't really there on the nose. There's also potent roastiness giving a strong char. The main issue is that there's a genuine lack of sweetness here, making it very dry for the most part, and turning the smoke flavours semi-astringent. Finish is very dark and very roasty. It's a bit of a shame, because the nose promised absolute divinity.

Feel is also a bit light, but it has a pleasant crispness to it at least: with a touch more sweetness in the flavour it would be very pleasant.

Overall, I'm impressed, even despite my reservations. This is a very tasty beer, with a smoke character that is absolutely beautifully crafted. I would love it to be better, because there's the foundations for an absolutely world-class brew here—and I want it to happen.
Dec 30, 2013
 
Rated: 3.5 by Mendicant from Australia

Sep 12, 2013
 
Rated: 4 by zapahoppa from Pennsylvania

Feb 28, 2013
Photo of IPA35
Reviewed by IPA35 from Netherlands

4.37/5  rDev +10.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
My first smoked beer as far as I know.

Thick, oily black with a minimal tan head. Surely imperial.

Some pockets of bubbles on the wall of the glass.

Smells good, dark, darker, darkest with dark fruits, roasted malts, roasted chestnut, coffee and a woody savoury note that reminds of liquorice and some smoke.

Interesting flavour, this is surely different from the other dark stout I've had. Starts out nice and sweet with dark fruits but this has a savouriness to it, as in charred wood, that become more apparant near the finish. Now this must be because of the smoked malts in this one.
A bitter (coffee/hops) and roasty aftertaste.

Nice oily mouthfeel, I really like that in a high ABV stout with rather low carbonation.

Interesting, complex and not overly easy to drink but still very tasty.
Oct 09, 2012
 
Rated: 4.5 by bkk4life from Thailand

Jul 15, 2012
Photo of atis
Reviewed by atis from Finland

4.42/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
330 ml bottle from the brewery

Pours pitch black with dark brown head with good retention, thin and delicate lacing. Taste is smoke and bits of roasted malt.

Flavour is intense roasted malt, smoke, hints of coffee with bitter dark chocolate in the slowly drying finish, long lasting roasted aftertaste with presence of coffee. Mouthfeel is full with quite low carbonation.

An excellent brew. Does not bear much similarity with "normal" Ghisa though.
Nov 23, 2011
Imperial Ghisa from Birrificio Lambrate
Beer rating: 88 out of 100 with 22 ratings