Dreaded Beast
Roadhouse Brewing Co.

Taster at Growler Guys. Black, murky pour, small ring of beige head. Aroma comes in roasty and sweet. Taste expands the pallette with chocolate, vanilla and cinnamon. Super tasty, slick, rich.

a tasty no frills imperial stout here, deeply roasty with a bitter coffee sort of low end to it, a nice full lush and creamy body, and nuances of cocoa and raisin in it, but not a lot to get distracted by, no sugary vanilla or lactose, no barrel either, these used to be so much more common than they are now, almost feels like a rarity to drink a stout like this. close to black in the glass, not overly viscous, and with a solid inch plus of deep reddish brown head from the keg, looks lively for the style and well refined. the nose and taste are chalky roasty and dry, deep dark barley and some specialty malts but without any real balancing middle malt set, nothing too caramelized or bready or anything, no real brown sugar or maple, its pretty much from almost burnt roastiness to smooth espresso crema finally to a nice chocolate profile that does still carry some bitterness. its earthy, layered, and relatively complex for not being full of adjuncts. charcoal, good coffee, old wood notes, black tea, and a smooth finish where the alcohol stays pretty well hidden and it finishes fairly quick for what it is. i like the subtle malt complexity to this and the assertive roast. most of all i like that its just a stout. i see they do a nitro version and im sure that rules too, but this is almost creamy feeling already. impressive quality, not what i know and love roadhouse for, but as good as pretty much anything they do...