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Interboro Spirits and Ales

Undated bottle; drank 12/25/22 @ Pokemon Communion.

Black appearance. Small tan head; almost no lace.

Whiskey, cream, oak & mild dark chocolate notes in the nose.

Medium thick mouthfeel.

Whiskey heat, cream, oak & bourbon flavors.

Hot, a bit thin & not too enjoyable. Not one to seek out.

 

From a 500ml bottle with no obvious bottling date. Label says “imperial stout with lactose added. Aged in apple brandy barrels for 13 months.” Label also says 12% abv. Very flavorful if understandably quite strong.

 

 

Pours an ink black color with hints of brown. A moderately large creamy dark tan head displays surprisingly good retention for its high ABV.
I’m really digging this milk and dark chocolate nose, as well as its vanilla bean aromas; both complimenting each other perfectly. Additional notes of cocoa powder, roasted malts, coffee, bright citrus hops, mint and a touch of pine.
Rich malty flavor that evokes chocolate fudge, nutty malts, vanilla bean, and coffee roast. I’m loving the fact that this is neither sweet or boozy. The reason being that the alcohol is wonderfully masked and the hops presence is so significant and balancing. A developing bitterness from the hops and espresso roast aids drinkability. Bright hops flavors evoke pine, resin and a hint of citrus.
Full bodied, creamy and amazingly smooth. The finish is sticky and dry, with a roasty/charred malt linger.
I loved this brew, especially on a freezing winter night.

 

 

 

 

Canned 11/30/16 with "Yer Not Just A Number" printed on bottom, it pours pitch black looking color with a 2-3 finger foamy light brown colored head that was packed with tiny bubbles and dissipated very, very slowly, leaving decent spotty lacing.

Smells of dark chocolate, cocoa powder, sheet metal, bakers chocolate, piney hops, hot fudge, brownie batter, burnt coffee grinds, charred wood, smoked grains and more chocolate. It has some trailing dark fruit and a lot of complexities, but the chocolate is dominating, followed by the burnt coffee accents.

Tastes just like it smells with rich dark chocolate, bakers chocolate, piney hops, vanilla, cocoa powder, sheet metal, burnt coffee grinds, ash or even campfire smoke, fudge brownie batter, charred wood, smoked grains, chocolate covered raisins, dark fruit and some more chocolate. The flavor brings some booze like a dark rum to the party, complete with some minor heat which validates the 11% ABV. The finish is earthy and seems to get more hoppy with floral notes before getting washed away by bittersweet chocolate.

Mouthfeel is smooth and velvety across the tongue, sliding down with ease even while the high ABV drops some heat. The feel is heavy and thick, with some texture, mild carbonation and a mid-level of bitterness. Hops are present, the roasted malts quite evident and the chocolate and coffee sweetness round this out for a fine complicated brew. It's still potent after 2 months in the can so I assume some age may mellow the alcohol, but it was spot on to drink at this stage in this can's life.

Overall I thought this was really tasty and enjoyable, masking the 11% ABV extremely well. It made the booze an accent and part of the enjoyment. Thanks to "Mikefriedman90" for hooking me up with this.

Picked this up last week when it was released, as the date on the bottom was 11/30 with "Yer Just Not Another Number" written above it. Like the Mad Fat Fluid, this had the newer-style labels that gave this beer a polished look. Thankfully, what was *inside* of the can was on the same level as this went down so easily for a beer of this potency. This didn't seem like a Russian Imperial Stout until I looked at what this was categorized under!

This had a nice pour to it, as the beer was a dark brown that nearly bordered on black, with a tan, bubbly head that settled just as nicely as Guinness. Lots of bitter chocolate, coffee, cocoa nibs, and Roasted Malt in the nose as all of those were present in the taste as well. More raisin and bitter chocolate sweetness were found in the taste along with a strong alcoholic presence. This was a bit sticky like a Scotch Ale but with plenty of chocolate and booze as to not be mistaken for any other style than a Russian Imperial Stout. The Columbus and Chinook Hops gave this a very earthy feel with some dark fruit and raspberry juice tossed in for good measure.

This was a strong beer and felt it but at least the potency was able to match up with the body and range of flavors found here. Sticky and roasted, this almost felt like a Porter as it was not as smooth and creamy as other Stouts that I've had. A solid brew that's worth a go and another example of how Interboro has quickly risen to the exalted status of other startup New York Breweries. Easily worth seeking out for the colder weather!

 

The beer comes in a black color with a medium brown head.

The aroma comes off hoppy and intense with raisin, bittersweet chocolate, coffee roast.

The beer follows with a rich complexity of dark chocolate, huge sweetness, raisin, prune, char, roasted malt, with an underlying intense bitterness with licorice and spicy and herbal finishing off the brew. Mouthfeel is rich and chewy, without pushing towards oily and mouth coating.

Poured from a 16 oz can.

Pours pitch black with a 2-finger caramel head. The head settles into a ring around the top of the beer, leaving plenty of lacing along the way.

The aroma brings tons of dark chocolate, cinnamon, char, and some earthy hops.

The flavor follows the nose. Bittersweet dark chocolate, toffee, char, some leather, finished with a kiss of cinnamon spice. The hops dance around the palate from beginning to end. Nicely balanced.

The feel is full bodied with lower carbonation. Creamy and smooth, yet a bit sticky with some light alcohol warmth.

Overall, a very good imperial stout. This is definitely a heavy one. The alcohol is definitely present but it's a well balanced beer that is worth taking your time sipping.