-
Stop lurking! Log in to search, post in our forums, review beers, see fewer ads, and more. — Todd, Founder of BeerAdvocate
Trappist Imperial Stout
The Spencer Brewery
- From:
- The Spencer Brewery
- Massachusetts, United States
- Style:
- Russian Imperial Stout
- ABV:
- 8.7%
- Score:
- 89
- Avg:
- 3.99 | pDev: 10.78%
- Reviews:
- 72
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Retired
- Rated:
- Jan 11, 2024
- Added:
- Sep 28, 2015
- Wants:
- 14
- Gots:
- 40
A massive, roasted, malt-forward American Trappist take on the Anglo-Russo Imperial Stout tradition. Luxuriantly frothy foam, waves of coffee, chocolate and caramel sensations, a generous blend of dark fruit flavors. Intense and robust.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by StoutElk_92:
Reviewed by StoutElk_92 from Massachusetts
4.38/5 rDev +9.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
4.38/5 rDev +9.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
11.2 oz. bottle
Pours dark maroon brown black with a creamy tan foam head. Smells like robust dark chocolate, dark coffee, dark fruits, blueberry, plum, fig, dates, prune, some banana, apple, pear, caramel, toffee, dark molasses, roasted toasty bready malts, cola, spice, yeasty phenols, with floral earthy herbal grassy pine. Tastes like yeasty phenolic spice, dark fruits, blueberry, plum, fig, dates, prune, mild banana, apple, pear, dark chocolate, dark roast coffee, caramel, toffee, dark molasses, roasted toasty bready malts, some cola, with floral earthy herbal grassy pine. Feels medium bodied, creamy and chewy with moderate smooth carbonation. Overall a nice and interesting imperial stout.
Jan 10, 2018Pours dark maroon brown black with a creamy tan foam head. Smells like robust dark chocolate, dark coffee, dark fruits, blueberry, plum, fig, dates, prune, some banana, apple, pear, caramel, toffee, dark molasses, roasted toasty bready malts, cola, spice, yeasty phenols, with floral earthy herbal grassy pine. Tastes like yeasty phenolic spice, dark fruits, blueberry, plum, fig, dates, prune, mild banana, apple, pear, dark chocolate, dark roast coffee, caramel, toffee, dark molasses, roasted toasty bready malts, some cola, with floral earthy herbal grassy pine. Feels medium bodied, creamy and chewy with moderate smooth carbonation. Overall a nice and interesting imperial stout.
More User Ratings:
Reviewed by beergoot from Colorado
4.12/5 rDev +3.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
4.12/5 rDev +3.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pours out dark brown and appears an opaque black in the glass; thick, frothy, light brown head, semi-creamy on top, very long lasting; nice rings of foam cascade down the inside of the glass. Fine dark malt grain aroma; cocoa and baker's chocolate. Outstanding taste; milk chocolate with a touch of grain char bitterness; a hint of raspberry. Medium-heavy body.
A very nice imperial stout delivering well-rounded taste with an easy drinking mouthfeel.
Pouring temperature: 42 F; bottling info: BB 11/17/24
Source: @micada (BA Stout/Barleywine BIF#1)
Nov 04, 2023A very nice imperial stout delivering well-rounded taste with an easy drinking mouthfeel.
Pouring temperature: 42 F; bottling info: BB 11/17/24
Source: @micada (BA Stout/Barleywine BIF#1)
Reviewed by Bierman9 from New Hampshire
4.02/5 rDev +0.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
4.02/5 rDev +0.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
From an 11.2oz bottle, purchased shortly after Spencer announced they were discontinuing brewing... :-( Best before 30JUL24.
Pours an oily, jet black. No clue on the carbo sitch, but it does have a short, creamy, fine tan head. Lacing left behind is solid. Aroma presents some roasty malts, coffee and dark choco. Body is medium, and it's fairly smooth. Needs more heft in the body, though.
Taste also has coffee and roasty action, along with cocoa powder and a hint of treacle. Has mild intimation of dark fruit as well. Finishes slightly bitter and dry. Pretty good, but too bad we won't see it again... Prost!!
4.02/5 rDev +1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
2419
Aug 06, 2023Pours an oily, jet black. No clue on the carbo sitch, but it does have a short, creamy, fine tan head. Lacing left behind is solid. Aroma presents some roasty malts, coffee and dark choco. Body is medium, and it's fairly smooth. Needs more heft in the body, though.
Taste also has coffee and roasty action, along with cocoa powder and a hint of treacle. Has mild intimation of dark fruit as well. Finishes slightly bitter and dry. Pretty good, but too bad we won't see it again... Prost!!
4.02/5 rDev +1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
2419
Rated by Whyteboar from Michigan
4.15/5 rDev +4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
4.15/5 rDev +4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Sadly this isn’t available anymore as it’s a very tasty and quaffable stout.
Feb 10, 2023Reviewed by Rug from Massachusetts
4.06/5 rDev +1.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
4.06/5 rDev +1.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Best by 7/30/24
I didn't get to have many Spencer beers when they were actually an operating brewery, but it is nice that some bottles are hanging around stores for me to try out America's only Trappist brewery. That being said, a RIS isn't exactly the type of style you expect from that kind of brewery, but that makes it all the more intriguing
Pours a very dark brown with 2 fingers of creamy tan head that slowly fades to a ring and leaves minimal lacing
The nose here is quite balanced between elements of roast and dark fruit. I'm picking up on aromas of acrid coffee, black cherry, dark toast, cocoa powder, plum, molasses, light char, and brown sugar
It's a bit more abrasive in taste, but still has some fruity notes to balance it out. On the front end of the sip I'm tasting cocoa powder, acrid coffee, burnt caramel, raisin, brown sugar, dark toast, char, black cherry, and toffee. The swallow brings notes of acrid coffee, dark toast, burnt caramel, black cherry, chestnut, leafy hops, char, light toffee, and molasses
A medium full body pairs with gentle carbonation, resulting in a slick and roast beer. Finishes bone dry with a firm bitterness
A damn solid RIS right here. Nothing mind blowing, but just what I needed
Feb 05, 2023I didn't get to have many Spencer beers when they were actually an operating brewery, but it is nice that some bottles are hanging around stores for me to try out America's only Trappist brewery. That being said, a RIS isn't exactly the type of style you expect from that kind of brewery, but that makes it all the more intriguing
Pours a very dark brown with 2 fingers of creamy tan head that slowly fades to a ring and leaves minimal lacing
The nose here is quite balanced between elements of roast and dark fruit. I'm picking up on aromas of acrid coffee, black cherry, dark toast, cocoa powder, plum, molasses, light char, and brown sugar
It's a bit more abrasive in taste, but still has some fruity notes to balance it out. On the front end of the sip I'm tasting cocoa powder, acrid coffee, burnt caramel, raisin, brown sugar, dark toast, char, black cherry, and toffee. The swallow brings notes of acrid coffee, dark toast, burnt caramel, black cherry, chestnut, leafy hops, char, light toffee, and molasses
A medium full body pairs with gentle carbonation, resulting in a slick and roast beer. Finishes bone dry with a firm bitterness
A damn solid RIS right here. Nothing mind blowing, but just what I needed
Reviewed by brentk56 from North Carolina
4.35/5 rDev +9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.35/5 rDev +9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Appearance: Pours with a two finger khaki head ensconced over the espresso colored liquid; good retention and a few shards of lacing appear
Smell: Char, toffee and chocolate with plum and raisin tones supporting
Taste: Chocolate and toffee forward, with dark fruit flavors of plum and raising rounding out the profile; in the mid-palate, smokey charred flavors emerge with some earthy bitterness developing; the back end features a coffee character
Mouthfeel: Medium to full body with moderate carbonation
Overall: Sorry to see the monks get out of the beer making business but was glad to be able to find a bottle of this on the shelf (albeit almost three years old); this beer has exactly what I am looking for in a lower ABV RIS
Jun 08, 2022Smell: Char, toffee and chocolate with plum and raisin tones supporting
Taste: Chocolate and toffee forward, with dark fruit flavors of plum and raising rounding out the profile; in the mid-palate, smokey charred flavors emerge with some earthy bitterness developing; the back end features a coffee character
Mouthfeel: Medium to full body with moderate carbonation
Overall: Sorry to see the monks get out of the beer making business but was glad to be able to find a bottle of this on the shelf (albeit almost three years old); this beer has exactly what I am looking for in a lower ABV RIS
Reviewed by jzeilinger from Pennsylvania
4/5 rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
4/5 rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A - Nice black pour with a layer of dense, dark caramel lacing resting on top.
S - Big chocolate roasty nose, toasted cocoa, and a slight bit of char.
T - Has some overall yeastiness to the flavor. Chocolate roast, chocolate char, roasted cocoa, and some dark fruit buried underneath the roast (in the form of plumbs). Ends nicely balanced and leaves a slight resiny layer of plumb over top of chocolate roast lining the mouth.
M - Big medium body that ends a little wet then morphs into a dry finish in the back of the mouth.
O - This is a really nice Imperial Stout and enjoy the dark fruit character. So happy I got a 4-pk of this one!
May 13, 2022S - Big chocolate roasty nose, toasted cocoa, and a slight bit of char.
T - Has some overall yeastiness to the flavor. Chocolate roast, chocolate char, roasted cocoa, and some dark fruit buried underneath the roast (in the form of plumbs). Ends nicely balanced and leaves a slight resiny layer of plumb over top of chocolate roast lining the mouth.
M - Big medium body that ends a little wet then morphs into a dry finish in the back of the mouth.
O - This is a really nice Imperial Stout and enjoy the dark fruit character. So happy I got a 4-pk of this one!
Reviewed by Greywulfken from New York
3.85/5 rDev -3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
3.85/5 rDev -3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Interesting stuff - rich and sweet up front with chocolaty sinews with a molasses-like sweetness, but quickly drying with lots of bitterness - has very earthy and herbal hoppage, along with the bitter char of roasted malt... I assumed it to be a Russian imperial by its weight and feel, but the hoppage came off as more Belgian? Had a mineral-esque quality to it that reminded me of Yeti...
Feb 20, 2022
Trappist Imperial Stout from The Spencer Brewery
Beer rating:
89 out of
100 with
208 ratings
We love reviews (150 characters or more)! Check out: How to Review a Beer. You don't need to get fancy. Drop some thoughts on the beer's attributes (look, smell, taste, feel) plus your overall impression. Something that backs up your rating and helps others. Thanks!