Sinister Sister
Pike 51 Brewing Company

22 ounce bottle into tulip glass, bottled in 6/2017. Pours opaque dark brown/black color with a 1-2 finger dense and rocky light khaki head with fantastic retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lasts. Thick foamy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Fantastic appearance. Aromas of big milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, caramel, brown sugar, hazelnuts, toffee, toasted biscuit, dark/brown bread, molasses, licorice, raisin, prune, cherry, fig, date, apricot, and red apple; with lighter notes of smoke, herbal, grass, pepper, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness. A bit too fruity/yeasty aromas, but not overwhelming. Nice aromas with good balance and complexity of dark/roast/bready malts, hazelnut, cocoa nibs, fruity yeast, and light earthy hop notes; with good strength. Taste of big milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, caramel, brown sugar, hazelnuts, toffee, toasted biscuit, and dark/brown bread; with lighter notes of molasses, licorice, raisin, prune, cherry, fig, date, apricot, red apple, smoke, herbal, grass, pepper, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness. Mild herbal, grassy, peppery, roasted bitterness; and yeast tang/tartness on the finish. lingering notes of milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, caramel, brown sugar, hazelnuts, toffee, toasted biscuit, dark/brown bread, licorice, molasses, dark fruit, light smoke/herbal/grass, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Very nice complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malts, hazelnut, cocoa nibs, light-moderate fruity yeast, and light earthy hop flavors; with a nice roast/hop bitter/sweet balance; and no cloying, acrid, astringent flavors after the finish. Lightly increasing dryness from lingering hop/roast bitterness and yeast tang/tartness. Medium carbonation and medium-plus body; with a very smooth, moderately creamy/silky/bready, and lightly sticky/chalky/acid/tangy mouthfeel that is nice. Minimal warming alcohol for 9.2%. Overall this is a very good flavored imperial porter. All around nice complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malts, hazelnut, cocoa nibs, light-moderate fruity yeast, and light earthy hop flavors; very smooth and dangerously easy to drink with the mildly bitter/tart/drying finish; great soft feel. Well balanced nicely rich malts, hazelnuts, and cocoa nib flavors; with restrained fruity yeast, and mild earthy hops. Not overly sweet with lingering dryness. Kind of feels infected, but really minimal. Probably more of an English yeast note overall, I've seen it before. After the time it's had, it would be more prominent on sourness I would believe. A very enjoyable offering, and well made style example otherwise. Not as much hazelnut presence as expected, likely due to the age.