Imperial Stout
The People's Pint

Sampling a cold 500 ml bottle poured into a snifter. I picked up the bottle at the brewpub about a year and a half ago and its been in my beer fridge since then.
My bottle lists 10% not the 9.2 listed here on the site.
The beer pours a jet black coffee color with minimal densely packed foam of .5 cm. This fades to a tight edge layer and nothing else quickly after the pour.
The aroma is rich and malty with dark chocolate, brown sugar, a little bit of black licorice and a bit of raisin and fig notes. Quite a complex aroma not revealing any of the booziness on this brew and the hops are well hidden too. I like it quite a bit.
First sip reveals an average body with gentle spacious carbonation. texture is sticky and syrupy and coats my palate after each sip.
Flavor is what I anticipate from the nose. I get some roasted malt, dark cacao, brown sugar and a bit of molasses. there is also some raisin and fig on the tail end. Then a little bit of booze warming after I swallow each mouthful.
Again, no hops come through and this is a bit of a sipping beer. A nice imperial stout and I would recommend buying this brew if you visit the pub.

Appearance – Clear, very dark brown body with just a thin ring of foam around the edge of the glass.

Aroma – Roasted malt, molasses, bitter chocolate, and bitter coffee.

Taste – Strong roasted malt, bitter coffee, some bitter hoppiness in the finish. No chocolate.

Mouthfeel – Somewhat thinner than expected for a RIS with that much flavor.

Overall – Somewhat torn about this one. Good, but not what was expected from a wax-sealed bottle.

22oz bottle poured into a snifter. 2013 vintage refrigerated for the last 4 years.

A: Pitch black color with a beige head. Formation and retention are good. Patchy lacing.

S: Dense chocolate cake. Undertones of roast, soot, and char. Figgy. Anise and other vague spices. Earthy hops.

T: Smokey at the outset with notes of char. Fudge and double chocolate cake. Sweet at its core with a blackstrap molasses sort of thing going on. The roast really rides up and begins to take the spotlight. Raw French roast beans. Soot and char. Strong impression of licorice. Figgy. Booze soaked raisins and prunes too. Hops have largely faded. Alcohol is apparent but not hot, bringing its own sort of spicy impression. Long roasty finish.

M: Thick and rich. A bit coating and viscous. Weighty. Still a good amount of prickling carbonation. Warming.

O: A rib-sticking Imperial Stout with a very traditional feel to it. Well worth drinking. It aged very gracefully too.

 

Very good RIS very well made with hint of sweetness up front, light middle, smooth finish. Will drink again. Bottled 2015.

 

2011 vintage. Outstanding flavor and aroma, quintessential RIS. Lots of boozy dark fruits and bitter chocolate. Drinks big for 9.5%. The carbonation was very low though possibly becuase of it's age. I'd love to try a fresh one.

 

This was a 2012 bottle drank in 2014

Let me state this this is a totally unfair review because I am pretty sure I have a bottle that got infected. My experience does not seem to match the other reviewers, this beer was FUNKY. The funny thing is, I still really liked it.

A - Pours dark, slightly translucent with reddish hues. Not much head, almost no lacing.

S - Kind of funky and sour. Has a strong sweet oder (lactose?). Slight malt and roast.

T - Wow, this is different. A slight pleasantly sour taste like sourdough bread. Bready, yeasty, and funky. But contrasting these odd flavors is the very strong sweetness of a milk stout. Really strange combo and I was taken aback. I do not believe this is what the brewers intended. I think I got a bad bottle, but for some reason I keep coming back to it. The flavor is growing on me. I like it, a happy mistake perhaps.

M - A bit thin, very little carbonation left.

O - I know, I need to try a fresh bottle. I am not sure what I have here.

 

 

 

 

 

2013 wax top bottle poured into my DFH signature glass...

A - Black as night, frothy brown two finger head. Sensational sticky lace left all over the glass. Exactly how a RIS should look

S - Milk chocolate, egg nog, plums, raisins, white chocolate

T - Dark chocolate, coffee creamer, vanilla, a hint of tobacco, milk, cranberry fruit roll up, coffee finish

M - Huge thick body, low carbonation, creamy madness, exceptionally smooth

O - HOLY SHIT, wow. This is awesome, friggin awesome. Unfortunately this is a Western Mass brewery I hardly pay attention too. The bottle caught my eye the other day and I figured what the hell. Glad I did, this is truly world class. Checks every category. Right up on the Mount Rushmore of RIS with Darkness and Expedition for me. Great job Peoples Pint!

 

 

 

Bottle in red wax
Hand written with Red Sharpie marker 2013

A-Poured dark with a 1 inch head

S-Aroma of sweet chocolates and coffee that were very weak initially but really came out as beer warmed.

Mouthful- Thicker than expected. Very nice substantive feel in the mouth. Lovely thickness.

Taste- Initially big malts came through almost sweet. I don't know how to describe it, but similar to the sweetness of a milk stout (but not quite). Very enjoyable. Then after the initial sweetness comes the classic RIS bitterness of coffee and chocolate that lingers in the finish.

Overall- This surprised the hell out of me. This was covered with dust on a rack from a smaller liquor store. I bought it because I was looking for stouts and the red wax and the hand written "2013" caught my eye. I would agree with the Brothers high score (100). It really is up there with the best of the RISs I have ever tasted.
Why the hell aren't more people seeking out this brew? I guess there will be more for me, but this is quite a shame that others are not enjoying this too.
$12 for 22oz bomber is quite a bargain for this and I will be actively seeking this out every year.