I’m Not Dead
Bellwoods Brewery

Bottled July 1, 2021 and received courtesy of @coronaeus.

Appearance is the standard dark, dark brown / black. Almost still, with close to zero carbonation and no head. Aroma is excellent. Simple, yet delicious smelling with rich chocolate and roasted malts. Taste mostly follows. It's sweet up front, but has a really nice light, roasty bitterness on the finish that balances things out perfectly. Nice, full mouthfeel.

Overall, I love beers like this. No adjuncts, just a very well done straight up imperial stout with plenty of roast and some natural sweetness to balance things out. I could drink this anytime.

 

It looks thick, it has a rich smell, and above average mouthfeel. Much chocolate, a good base. On it's own, I have had IS that I enjoy much more, and were hoppy.

500 ml bottle served cold into a tulip. Bottling date of July 1, 2021.

Appearance - Black and oily, initially no head, then the carbonation rises and a small half finger of dense tan head is realized. Loots like coffee froth on top.

Smell - Roasty notes, some chocolate and molasses too.

Taste - Some dark chocolate powder, but not super dark because there is some milk chocolate character to it too. Lots of molasses, some black licorice and then some booziness. Rich and robust, very intense flavors and a bit sweeter than expected. A little bit of a soy sauce flavor too.

Mouthfeel - Thick viscous, low carbonated and chewy probably nails this the best. For a 10% + ABV stout, that feature is most welcome.

Overall - Very enjoyable stout, hits the balance of bitterness, sweetness and molasses intensity while having a velvety and thick feel. Really good stuff. Not sure how much age would've affected this but it tastes very good at a year old.

I’m Not Dead from Bellwoods Brewery. 500 mL bottle from @coroneaus in a Ninja strike. Stored at 40 degrees. Reviewed 22/12/21. Note that I use DD/MM/YY protocol.
Stamped on label “01 JUL 2021”. Served at 55.5 degrees in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter. Final temperature 60.9 degrees.
Appearance – 3.5
First pour – Brown (SRM 20), muddy and opaque.
Body – Brown (SRM 20), opaque. When rear-lite same, but with marked olive tint at the edges.
Head – Tiny (Maximum 0.5 cm, aggressive center pour), brown sugar with almond swirls, fizzy with short retention, rapidly diminishing to a broken crown of tiny bubbles and no cap.
Lacing – None.
Aroma – 3 – Faint licorice, no malt, no hops, no yeast. Weak.
Flavor – 4.5 – Strong licorice, no malt, no hops, no yeast. Sweetness builds in the aftertaste. No ethanol (10.2 % ABV, as marked on container) taste or aroma. Moderate gastric warming. No dimethylsulfide or diacetyl.
Palate – 3.5 – Full, slightly syrupy, soft carbonation.
Final impression and summation: 3.75 Despite my overall law rating, this is very tasty – one of the better flavored impy stout to have coated my palate. It lacks the traditional roasted malt smell and taste but has an over-riding licorice flavor which I truly enjoy. The sweetness works well with the flavor. The rapidly disappearing tiny head and crown and the absence of lacing all detract from the total experience. The olive edges when the brew is rear-lite must be unique in the world of imperial stouts – unique but interesting. This is a beer I’d keep on hand for an occasional treat.

Poured at fridge temp. Pours black with almost no head. The nose is fairly weak. Not getting much right away. Over time I start to pick up some chocolate and roasted malts. Not totally sure what to expect from the taste at this point! The taste is really nice. Totally different from the nose. Black licorice (a LOT), spice, roasted malts, pipe tobacco, amburana, and a bit of cough syrup. Really interesting and good! Mouthfeel is thick and a bit syrupy. Overall, a really interesting stout. Glad I could try it!