Imperial Stout
White Elm Brewing Company

White Elm Imperial Stout, 12.1% ABV, 65 IBU. Pours black, with a slight tan head. Nose is roast malt and slight coffee, taste follows, a bit tangy, and a moderate bitter close. Smooth but dry, overall very good.

 

a really delicious imperial stout, apparently brewed with figs, coffee, and cocoa nibs, although those ingredients are awfully well integrated here, and it ends up seeming like more of just a really well made, nuanced and complex stout than it does an adjunct one, either way, its sensational and one of the best beers i had while i was in here. its just short of black, drip coffee dark brown, with a short but persistent little mocha colored head on it. aroma here is burnt coffee, charred black barley, subtle brown sugar, raw dark chocolate, and a neat sweetness, molasses maybe, all well layered and not smelling boozy at all. the flavor shows a little dried fruit which must come from the figs, raisin-like, and sort of gummy and sugary, but it serves to balance the intense roasted bitterness in here from the dark grain, a really nice touch and my favorite of several cool relationships within this beer. coffee flavors finish it out, bitterness still, and a wonderful smooth full body and glides right down. still not much showing of its strength. overall a really nice stout, with quite a bit more going on than most of its peers, but not so forward on the additives that it looses itself. great brew from one of my favorite breweries i have been to recently!