Wicked Dark
Baxter Brewing Co.

Poured into a snifter, the appearance was a black color with a thick finger’s worth of tan foamy head that dissipated at a nice pace. Sly stringy lace. The aroma had some bitter ends of hoppy grassiness evenly flowing into some roasty coffee grinds and a slight abrasive dried cocoa malt. The flavor definitely embraced the roasty to bitter side of this imperial stout to end up pummeling the aftertaste with the roast and bitterness of the coffee grounds. The finish is quick and dry, somewhat sticky. On the palate, this one sat about a medium on the body with a decent sipping quality about it. Mild carbonation. ABV did actually feel close to that 10% as they say. Overall, well, the feel is the best thing about this to be honest as the aroma and flavor seem to actually stick more towards the bitter bookends of the coffee grounds.

 

Perhaps the darkest black beer I've seen. Rich smell of roasted malt and chocolate. Taste is strong roasted malt with chocolate and bitterness, some hops. Mouthfeel is pretty good, creamy, a little foamy, with a fairly bitter aftertaste. Overall, this is a really good stout. The 10% ABV doesn't really show up in the taste. The aroma is top notch. Taste is a little too bitter so loses some points there. So overall this is very much worth trying although I think it has some faults, but maybe others won't evaluate the faults as I do. It is certainly a high quality beer.

 

Canned on 11/21; drank on 11/26

A- Tallboy into a huge snifter with a midnight oil black body and a deep mocha brown cap rising to two inches high. A thick and creamy consistency to the head and great retention. Massive sheets of lace coat the glass all the way down.

S- Bitter dark chocolate and roasted grains provide plenty of aromatic strength while the yeast provides some dark fruit hints. The burnt and charred barley is the main component and beyond the cocoa it brings ashy, true roast, Italian coffee bean and toasted nuts. A good balance of bitter and dessert stout notes.

T- Bitter and roasty grains once again provide a massive amount of oomph to the beers with a rich flavor profile of bitter super dark chocolate, toasted nuts, burnt grains, coffee grounds, roast barley and slight caramel. Dark fruits like raisin and plum are secondary to this as well as hints of alcohol, acrid bitterness, earthy hops and vanilla sweets. Also has a hint of something spicy similar to Belgian yeast, probably a ferment byproduct.

MF- Creamy and thick overall body with a medium level of carbonation. Not chewy but somewhat close to that and it ends with a really intense roasty bitterness.

The name is right on the money. This one was obviously brewed with a boatload of very dark grains and they lead the way with an intense bitterness.

This is a solid beer for its category, Imperial Stout. Deep and black with a hearty dark malt flavor, this beer just feels robust and solid--and yes, fairly boozy at 10%. It did not have the off flavors of some lesser stouts--not too sweet, not too bitter or astringent. I didn't a pick up a lot on the nose, but there was good malt (wow, actually 12?) and hop and booze in rich darkness. I feel it's as advertised and solid, even if it's not a showstopper because of any one aspect that stands out. OK, so maybe the malts. And sometimes, being solid and hearty is just fine.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A: Pours pitch black with a huge foamy dark tan head that persists and laces very well.

A: I'm not sure I've smelled 12 malts at once before but damn! Smells like burnt toast, coffee grinds, caramel, dark chocolate, sweet chocolate, and sweet molasses.

T: Dark and semi sweet chocolate start this off followed closely by intensely bitter roasted coffee, toasted grain, and an inexplicable earthiness.

F: Very reminiscent of an non barrel aged Russian imperial stout. Bitter, roasty, strong, dry... delicious. Masks the abv very well.

O: A bit harsh for the unexpecting, perhaps. But this is my kind of stout! Sure I love a good BA stout as much as the next guy, but making a stout this good without outside influence is few and far between. And out of a can, this beer is worth seeking out. Cheers!

 

Yard work done, time to relax in the 'Zebo with a pint can of RIS....

Poured into a small tulip, it's an inky, opaque brew. Has a nice, creamy, mocha-hued head, which lasts well. Lacing is top-shelf, with plentiful foam sticking. Nose is a luscious blend of aromatic coffee, choco, mocha and toffee. Wicked is quite smooth, and the medium-plus body is a touch chewy.

Taste follows suit with more dark, bitter choco, some espresso, a hint of molasses and some earthy, tobacco-like notes. The back end finishes up with some floral, rindy hopping, which lingers pleasantly. A solid RIS, all-in-all. Prosit!

4.27/5 rDev -0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

1909

 

Pours wicked dark. Medium-dark brown head. Aroma is a complex but mashed together scent of dark malts, chocolate, booze and dark fruits. Taste is also very complex/mashed together. Feel is light and soft. Just about the perfect amount of carbonation. Overall, I think this is a great stout. I think you will have to have quite a refined palate to pick out everything going on here. Chewy is a good word to describe this one.

Poured into a 16 oz Chimay goblet canned in early 2017. Pours a very slick and attractive almost completely black with a massive two finger light brown head, that leaves gobs of lace as it slowly settles into a thick layer of foam.

Smell is roasty coffee, dark chocolate, molasses, vanilla bean,leather, pipe tobacco, and a hint of alcohol.

Taste follows roasty as hell dry coffee, vanilla, deep dark chocolate, molasses, biscuity grains, and some booze lingers in the finish.

Mouthfeel is almost large, plenty of life, definitely a bit dry, and drinks very easy for 10% ABV.

Overall this is a world class stout, seriously this is roasty and spectacular. You muse pick up if you see it.