Silver Series: Impetus Noir
Pühaste Brewery

Bottle: Poured a pitch-black color stout with a large dark foamy head with good retention and some lacing. Aroma of black chocolate notes with discreet residual sugar notes and cinnamon notes is quite enticing. Taste is also a great mix of cinnamon notes with balance notes of sweet black chocolate notes with some bourbon and vanilla notes though not as dominant as expected. Body is full with nice creamy texture and good carbonation with no real discernible notes of alcohol. Complex and well balanced barrel-aged imperial stout.

Pours a pitch-black coloration with a small, fluffy, quickly receeding head. Smells of slightly roasted, caramel malt, chocolate, cinnamon and lighter notes of vanilla and licorice. Taste is an excellent balance of slightly roasted, caramel malt, distinct, but not overbearing, cinnamon, strong milk chocolate and lighter notes of coffee, vanilla, tobacco and licorice, with hints of dark fruit and earthy oak as well. Finishes bittersweet, with a light bitternerss and some chocolate, cinnamon, vanilla and licorice lingering in the aftertaste. Full mouthfeel with a rich body and light carbonation.

This makes for a very enjoyable Bourbon barrel-aged Imperial Stout with a great cinnamon and barrel presence that never feels too ovberbearing though, as is often the case with cinnamon additives in my experience. The base Stout offers some very nice roasted and caramel malt, tobacco and licorice notes, which are enhanced, but not drowned out, by the cinnamon and vanilla presence here. Overall, this makes for a rather complex brew with a great balance of sweet and roasted, bitter and spicy notes, as well as a good barrel presence. While it may feel just a tad too sweet and boozy for my personal taste, there's still a great overall balance to this, with the chocolate, cinnamon, vanilla and licorice notes standing out particularly.

Batch 124. Black, dark brown foam, pours syrupy thick. Smells strong, light cinnamon. Heavy, rich mouthfeel. Taste is pretty dry spicy first, big cinnamon there but not fully in your face. Pretty bitter. Toasty coffee, bit of licorice, bourbon. Heavy one.

 

Bottle at Las Buenas Pulgas, served in a balloon glass.
Black colour, small brown head with short retention and no lacing.
Aroma of varnish cinnamon, chocolate, bourbon, molasses, caramel, prunes.
Full body, creamy and thin palate, flat carbonation. Sweet boozy finish.
Taste follows the aroma.
Great, evocative, suggestive
Makes you thing of drinking it by the fireplace.

 

Bottle from CraftandDraft. Good but not as good as I hoped. Barrel doesn't really come through. Nice nose of cocoa and toast but flavor and body isn't there. Boozy and a bit thin, over attenuated.

L: Dark brown to almost black color, barely any head, not much of a lacing either, no visible carbonation. Like engine oil :)

S: Chocolate, cherries, vanilla, alcohol. Smells wonderful.

T: Cinnamon, chocolate, cherries, alcohol. Delicious!

F: Full bodied, full flavored.

O: A very good, Christmasy, imperial stout.