Imperial Stout Trooper
New England Brewing Co.

Pours a dark cola color and settles as black in the glass with a dense dark tan head. The nose includes a nice amount of rich cocoa, along with roasty char notes and a bit of stone fruit.

The taste is amped up, with that rich cocoa and roasty char syncing nicely with the dark cherry flavor to present a really flavorful imperial stout that improves as it warms.

The mouthfeel is a bit thinner than I’d like to see with a beer of this magnitude. Still a very nice representation of the style that I’d gladly revisit again and again.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jet black body, opaque; thick, frothy, light tan head. Rich, sweet aroma; dark roasted grains; cocoa and chocolate; dark roast coffee. The taste follows along with and amplifies the smell characteristics; milk chocolate and coffee; moderate bitterness throughout; mild booziness. Heavy body; smooth and glassy; silky; slight alcohol dryness offsetting the overall sweetness.

A wonderful imperial stout that delivers a lot of sensory goods.

Pouring temperature: 48 °F; canning data: LAUGH IT UP FUZZBALL 11/08/21

Great beer. World class to be honest. All malt does the job - roasted character, big malty body, bitter but sweet, that roast malt bitterness. A lot of espresso, some mild chocolatey character. It's a great beer, it harkens to the best of the all malt stuff out there and at a really good price point.

This is one of the best ad-junk free stouts I have ever had the pleasure to drink.
Poured black as the Empire’s ill will with a medium brown, short and dense head that left regular lacing.
Smelled faint to my nose, but that’s normal, what I did get was malty goodness.
The taste was excellent, full and rich in depth of malts, very little bitterness at all. So good.
The feel, ideally weighted for the style, encourages a slow pace but begs for another sip.
OA, really enjoyed this one, if you can find it, try it!

Thanks to Roguer for this one. 12 oz can (dated Laugh it up, fuzzball 11/8/21) Poured into 14oz teku. Poured a solid and dense black color with 3/4 inch of medium brown color that had very good retention and very light lacing.

Strong roast at the front of the nose, yet it didn't border on coffee. Solid malts, and a light bit of chocolate were behind the roast.

Similar on the tongue, with the roast coming across a bit stronger, and lingering on the finish.

The body was fairly typical for the style; smooth, even, and with a finish that started sweet, but dried out nicely.

Drinkability was good, especially on this wet, rainy, stormy, late autumn day here in the PNW.

Overall, a very well done example of the style. Would be in rotation if local to me. A must-try if you see it.

11/29/21 canned 11/10. Liked much better than the taste @ NEB. Roasted malt. Espresso. Nicely balanced. Not sweet or bitter. Go to stout.

It’s a very good stout. Rich, dark, heavy. Potent.

 

Brew: New England Brewing Co.– Imperial Stout Trooper

Intro: 750 mil. poured into a tulip glass. Shared with a friend.

Appearance: Pitch black, opaque. Generous head and lacing that remained through the pour.

Smell: Rich malty aroma not cluttered by “Addjunks”. No barrel aging, just grains, and lots of them

Taste: Followed aroma. Roasted grains, maybe a hint of chocolate but no barrel, no coconut, no gummy bears. Just old school stout. Quite refreshing in today’s time

Mouthfeel: Medium mouthfeel. Leaves a slight film of aftertaste of the roasted grain.

Drink: Very enjoyable to have a change of pace from all the “Addjunks”. It’s a sipper, one that will take a session to consume.

Conclusion: I was very pleased to have the opportunity to try this one. It ticked off a top stouts list and it also ticked off a Connecticut beer. On top of that, it tasted great and didn’t leave me feeling bloated. Definitely try it if you run across it.

500ml bottle, bottled 12/2014

A- pours jet black in color with a one-finger foamy khaki head that reduces to a ring around the edge

S- bold roasted malt on the nose gives aromas of chocolate, molasses, rum soaked raisins, stewed figs, black licorice, brownies and caramelized sugar. Even picking up some port-like aromas

T- bold flavors of chocolate, roasted barley, figs, dates and raisins to open. Mid-palate gives notes of black strap molasses, anise, prunes, black cherry and char. The finish gives a hint of faded hops, as well as dark chocolate, roast and fig on the linger

M- medium body with moderate carbonation leads to a creamy mouthfeel that turns into a thick and velvety, slightly warming finish

O- you just don't find very many great straight up RIS's these days. This has held up remarkably well and is still better than most of the better RIS's available today.

 

Pours a black color with a thin, tan head that lasts forever but leaves minimal lacing.

The smell is loaded with peanut butter and little chocolate underneath.

The taste is slightly bitter, strong peanut butter, chocolate, and a of char on the finish.

The mouthfeel is medium/low carbonation but very smooth with a slightly thick body.

Overall, this is really nice. I was worried it would be too sweet, but it's not at all. The chat on the end really adds to the beer.

Original rating on tap from the brewery November 20, 2018
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25 = 4.23

Review
2018 vintage on tap at the brewery

L: The color of the beer is jet black with a brown head. The glass arrives with a 2 finger head that has good retention leaving nice webbed lacing as the beer is consumed.

S: Chocolate, dark fruits, toasted malt and grain, and just barley perceptible is a note of highly fermented maduro tobacco.

T: On the front end I get waves of dark chocolate which follow through to the finish, In the mid palate I get the dark fruits (plum and raisin) starting to mix with toasted malts. The toasted malt fully asserts itself on the back end where it is complemented by some toasted grains and tobacco notes.

F: Full bodied with a decent amount carbonation. The mouthfeel is a bit creamy as it washes over the palate and goes down the gullet finishing with a slight dryness.

O: At two years young this is an amazing beer. Aging most definitely added quite a bit of character on both the nose and palate. Just some great stuff here. If you get a chance to visit the brewery one should try it side by side with the 2020 and 2019 to really get a sense of how it evolves over time. What a great stout.

Canned on 11/18/20; consumed on 1/12/21

Pours a dense, deep black body capped with over a fingers of thick, fluffy, light mocha foam; excellent head retention recedes steadily to a half-finger of rich, creamy cap, ample, frothy collar, and firm, webby layers of lacing caked to the walls of the glass.

Aroma offers ample dusty cacao accented with bittersweet, nutty characteristics along with raisin and soft vanilla bean lurking in the background; lightly roasted malts and more heavily roasted grains are more pronounced over the middle as distant dark fruits show plum against dark chocolate into the close.

Taste opens with waves of milk chocolate and a sweeter, roasty coffee tone reminiscent of vanilla latte; hazelnut husks deepen toward baked toffee and plummy esters over the mid-palate, while on the back end dark chocolate and a delicate smoke is integrated into a pillowy, malty char easing to lighter suggestions of burnt coffee and grassy hops on the finish.

Mouthfeel shows a medium-light body bolstered by a slightly oily texture and a fluffy, rounded, moderate-light carbonation; a soft, malty roast brings a grit over the mid-palate, persistent and drying steadily to mesh with the plush, boozy warmth spreading over the finish.

A rather stoic, delicate take on the style, this Russian Imperial Stout impresses its bittersweet malts in a calm and practiced fashion, leaving a complex and wholly palatable profile in near-perpetual equilibrium with high-level consumability.

750 mL bottle, 2009 version. Opened 22 Dec 2020. Tryna leave this year on a high note.

Poured in 0.3 L Prairie Teku.

Opens with a faint hiss. Small brown head. Lightly carbonated. Vanta black in color. Aroma is strong, chocolate, some coffee, alcohol, slightly burnt. Starts with unsweetened cocoa, bittersweet chocolate, toasty. Medium thick body. Lots of cocoa. Moderate bitter sweet through the middle. Alcohol is only slightly warming. Roasty chocolate finish.

Good but probably was a lot better circa 2012...

 

Bought two sets of cans, one the 2020 masked version. Decided to try that one.

Probably a mistake to open so soon.

It looked nice, smelled nice, but fell way short in the taste.

Not bad, but very "light" mouthful for what should be a nice heavy drink.

Will revisit.

Update: definitely better from the non-masked can. Amazing huge head, and better tasting. Nothing amazing but good.

Poured from a 12 oz can into a Dogfish Head tulip

L: Inky black pour with 1.5 fingers of mocha colored head. Great ring of lacing.

S: Rich and roasty. Dark chocolate and Italian roast coffee.

T.F: Bittersweet roasted malts... strong chocolate and espresso. Vanilla comes in later... some baked raisin, but mostly cocoa and roast. Medium bodied... smooth carbonation.

O: A very solid RIS. Big flavor... a little boozy but very drinkable. Great cold weather beer.

 

A: opaque; very dark brown in color; even with a relatively gentle pour, I couldn't get all 12 oz. into a 16 oz. snifter - a 4 finger finely pored medium brown head that receded to a thin cap; nice lacing;

S: deeply roasted grain, milk chocolate, and vanilla;

T: follows the nose from start to finish; moderate bitterness at the end;

M: full bodied; moderate carbonation; moderately dry finish; hides the ABV well;

O: dangerously easy to drink really nice flavor;

*A 2013 bottle was consumed for this review

Appearance - The beer poured a heavy black color with sizable 2 inch head crowning the glass.

Smell - The beer had a rich chocolatey stout nose.

Taste - The front was very chocolate forward, followed by vanilla and raisin notes. There was an undercurrent of sweetness, but it was not tooth enamel rotting. The roastiness continued to the aftertaste. I would say this brings to mind aged or a lighter version of regular Dark Lord.

Mouthfeel - Carbonation seemed to have largely escaped in the giant head after the pour. The body was smooth.

Overall - Even if the label may seem gimmicky, this is a great beer with age on it.

Thanks to ActonBrewer for sending this bottle to me back in the day. Reviewed from (very) long-standing notes. Consumed on 1/21/18. Poured from the 2011 vintage 750 mL bottle into an El Catador Barrel-Aged glass.

A: Very dark brown, almost opaque, but has retained quite a good bit of visible carbonation. Forms a solid finger’s worth of brown head with good retention. This is very, very pretty.
As an aside, but related to appearance - amazing label. I appreciate the tongue in cheek approach to what I'm sure was a C&D letter from the movie people.

S: Roasted malts and chocolate. Caramel and tobacco. A good bit of roastiness to the malts. Nice roasty aroma. As it warms, maybe a touch of cola-like smell?

T: Roasted malts, chocolate, and caramel. A fair amount of bitterness here as well. There’s a mild amount of cardboard oxidation unfortunately, but it does stay mild. Some tobacco and a bit of old library books. Sweet roasted malts with a moderate roast (maybe some hop bitterness too?) at the swallow.

M: A nice thick body for style. Alcohol flavors are surprisingly well-hidden. Carbonation has maintained at a good level despite the nearly seven years aging.

O: This was pretty tasty. The oxidation doesn’t detract much at all, though it is noticeable in this bottle. Strikes a nice balance between sweet and roasty flavors, and enough of the tobacco earthy flavors to add to the complexity. Pretty darn good - glad I had the chance to try it.

 

Poured from a 12oz can stamped "PUT CAPTAIN SOLO IN THE CARGO HOLD 11/20/19" to a diagonally cut tumbler.
Black opaque body with a brown frothy head that fades to a ring within about two minutes.
Aroma is mild, sweetened dark chocolate, mild coffee.
Taste follows nose. Its a little sweeter than I like in a stout, but the coffee finish is nice. The 9.5% is not sensed until about 5-10 seconds after swallowing.
This is an oily stout with a firm body.
Overall, not bad, not great.

 

 

 

Poured on draft at the brewery.

Pours a pitch black color with 2 fingers of creamy tan head. The head leaves a beautiful crown of lacing as it settles into a thin layer of foam.

The aroma brings notes of rich dark chocolate, dark roasted malts, and fresh coffee. Simple but pleasant.

The flavor is more bready and malty, but there's plenty of chocolate notes as well as coffee and a touch of caramel. Like the nose, it's relatively simple but very pleasant.

The feel is full bodied with soft carbonation. Exceptionally creamy, chewy, and smooth. The alcohol is non-existent.

Overall, a great imperial stout that's not overly complex but everything it does is top notch. Very flavorful and surprisingly drinkable.

 

 

 

Pretty good stout. Normal dark stout appearance, thick foamy head. Smell of rosary dark malt. Taste is malty, hints of chocolate and coffee. Medium body, no oiliness. Definitely worth trying. Thanks @PatrickCT.