Faction Imperial Stout
Faction Brewing

 

Black pour at 52 degrees; dark cinnamon tan head; good cap retention; thin ring, soapy lace; thin legs. 4.5
Roast malt (English 2-Row, Carafa III, Special B) nose. 3.5
Bitter roast malt, Baker’s chocolate, burnt coffee beans; some hoppy bitterness (Crystal, Cascade) as liquid warms. 3.75
Medium full body, moderate carbonation; dry, dusty feel; no warmth from the 8.5%. 3.75
Overall this Stout is too bitter for my liking; very bitter roast has a long linger. 3.75

Poured into a Fremont small snifter. Pours a very dark mahogany brown, appearing opaque black in the glass with a thin brown head that dissipates to a thick film with light lacing. Aroma of dark toasted and biscuit malt, molasses, coffee and dark chocolate. Flavor is dark toasted malt with moderate char, baker's chocolate, drip coffee, light molasses and grassy hops. Finishes with moderately hoppy and charry malt. Medium bodied with light to moderate creaminess, good mouth feel. Although this looks very much like a Russian imperial stout, it is hopped enough that it probably should be listed as an American imperial stout. Since the bottle makes no claim to style, I'm rating as the latter style. This is a nice char forward, rich malt stout with good chocolate and coffee notes. There is a little biscuit character with some dry stout notes. Nicely done and flavorful. A good introduction to this brewery.

Sent to me from California by one of my very good friends a few months back, I've had this sitting in my cellar until tonight. I finally got the inkling to rack this one open. Poured out of a 16.9 oz. bottle into one of my tulip glasses, this beer pours a very dark brown color that's not interested in letting in any light whatsoever with a medium tan head that's over an inch thick when first poured that settles to a solid surface coating with a thick ring lining the inside of the glass. Aromas of roasted malts with some caramel notes along with chocolate and black coffee that's rounded out with earthy, floral hops. the taste is pretty much the same, with roasted caramel malts that have some caramel sweet notes that are followed by a good amount of chocolate sweetness that's balanced out with a nice black coffee bitterness and some further bitterness of earthy, somewhat floral hops. the flavors really mesh nice together as this beer sits and warms a bit. Has a fairly crisp, slightly prickly, somewhat oily, slightly chewy, also smooth, medium to bull bodied mouthfeel with moderate carbonation. Has a roasted, slightly bitter finish and aftertaste. An enjoyable representation of this style.

Eric