D-8 Imperious Stout
Willimantic Brewing Co.

 

 

Appearence: Has that nice black stout look. Very little head. Takes away from the stout look but not from the taste.

Smell: Lovely. Coffee? Hops? My nose has a hard time identifying smells in a stout but I liked its odorrr.

Taste: Like your first ride in a Jeep on a nice Summer day with the top down. Loved it!

Mouthfeel: Felt good. Very smooth.

Drinkability: Very.

German-style refillable growler filled at the brewpub.

First pint glass pours with a 1/4" dark dark brown head, which went away rather quickly, leaving a few bubbles around the rim, and minimal lacing. Deep coffee and roasty malts aroma over the opaque dark brown/black brew. Taste is coffee bitterness coupled with a bit of dark malt sweetness upfront, light fruitiness and twinges of hops in the middle, and back to the car repair shop coffee for the close. Alcohol is hidden well. Mouthfeel and drinkability are good in the context of the style, in that you wouldn't be (not usually anyways) chugging down pitchers all night of this one. A bit low on the carbonation for me, but that possily is due to the growler presentation. Also, even though the alcohol wasn't apparent initially, the warmth is starting to be felt, especially on my cheek where I biffed it on the driveway in the ice this afternoon. And that was clean and sober from work all day....

I am sampling from a 2L growler poured into a snifter. Splitting with Stopper.
THe beer is cold and pours a pitch black color with creamy tan head of 1 cm foaming up nicely. NO light passes through my glass. The aroma is rich and malty with rich chocolate and some roasted coffee as well. QUite appealing.
The first sip reveals a fairly thick body with very fine carbonation that is spacious almost like a cask.
Flavor is a little more mild than the nose advertised but the expected roasted malt is present and some mocha coffee as well. I get just a hint of dark fruitiness in the middle before the roasted coffee notes come back. The coffee notes leave a slightly bittersweet finish in my mouth.
The beer is VERY easy to drink with no hint of ABV anywhere to be found. Quite a tasty concoction from WIllibrew!

silky black with tan cloud and thin lace-attached ring. nose is a perfect balance of roasty malt and creamed coffee.. peanut shells and toffee emerge with warmth. starts out with a hoppy teeth-coating and continues with sweet chocolate hand-in-hand with smoky, bitter malts. something in the middle of the sip lets go of its russian imperial stature... this beer is pregnant with a light, fizzy, fruity jolt. youth or inadequacy... relief or complexity.. i guess it kinda works. didn't want to like the 'homebrewed' offering from willi but it's really damn good. overall traditional with good drinkability and only mild issues with the mouthfeel & taste.

A- Thick dark opaque with chocolate brown frothy head. Thick lacing and good retention.

S- Dark chocolate

T- Slight chocolate sweetness and first, evolves quickly to dark chocolate and slightly roasted malt gradually finishes with a light hop bitterness. Alcohol shows itself between the flavor transistions, but not on the finish.

M- Medium to heavy body, thick smooth mouthfeel, lighter than you’d think from appearance.

D- Fairly drinkable despite rich flavors and alcohol content. At least half a meal at 12oz.

A thin caramel colored head that lingers throughout the goblet. Thin and spotted brown lacing with decent strength. Opaque blackness in color.

Big dark chocolate, roasted malt aroma. Hints of semi-sweet caramel and toffee. Whaffs of alcohol.

A mouthful of roasted malt; rich, dark chocolate with a touch of bitterness up front. Flavors of dry nuts: almond, peanut, light hazlenut; with hints of oak. Vinous fruits: ripe grape, dark cherry, and plum. Noticeable alcohol that makes for a full and pleasantly dry finish. An aftertaste of dark chocolate, almonds, and warming alcohol.

Full bodied; very chewy, big malts and the hop bite is almost coarse. The alcohol presence makes this Russian almost vaporous on the palate.

This is a meal on its own, and the alcohol presence comes through a little bit too strong. Good flavors, but not the best choice for a session Imperial Stout.