Derailed Imperial Stout
Red Star Brewery & Grill

Served with a medium tan nitro head, this beer is virtually black with hints of mahogany around the edge. The aroma is principally sweet roasted malt. The taste is sweet, with the alcohol evident. There is also a good roasted coffee component followed by a hint of chocolate. Excellent bitterness is noticeable throughout. The mouthfeel is very creamy and smooth. The aftertaste is bitter coffee with a touch of sweat cream. The drinkability is good on this beer, but don't have too many before trying to drive home. Another excellent stout from Red Star.

Another in the new limited addition stouts that Jeff the brewer has added to the line up. They just keep getting better. Iron Horse was the original, a medal winner but too dry for me. This Imperial has the quintessential stout head, over an inch of creamy, dense, incredibly thick foam exploding with chocolate and coffee and a intriguing bit of pine and grapefruit. Nose is sweet with plenty of dark, ripe fruits upfront and the aforementioned hops restrained but tantalizing in the background. Heavily roasted grains are in the forefront with chocolate coming to the fore, but the mouthfeel is curiosly light without the syrupy qualities of some Imps. I don't know the ABV, and it's not that noticeable until the second or third pint, but it packs a punch. The finish is relatively short with a bit of unexpected hop complexity coating the palate. I was a bit derailed by this Imperial.