Imperial Stout Appreciation Thread (2023)

That's one of my favorite barrel aged coffee stouts as well! Has a great barrel and real nice coffee presence. Quality stuff especially for the price.

 

i’m a bit unhinged

 

Transient Buckley Select #3 (2021). Imperial Stout with Tugboat Coffee, Vanilla, and Michigan Maple Syrup aged in Eastern Kille Coffee Liqueur Barrels for 21 months.

Pours pitch black with a half finger of dark mocha head that dissipates quickly.

Despite the age, the aroma is still brimming with coffee. Some maple, a touch of vanilla, slight oak, and some booze in the background. Slight caramel and fudge too.

Taste is coffee-forward as anticipated. It's slightly acrid compared to when this was fresh, but not enough to turn me away at all. It's mostly a good gourmet dark roast presence. The maple and vanilla are there, but in much smaller quantities compared to when this was fresh. The oak/liqueur presence hasn't seemed to lessen with age, but it isn't overbearing at all. Some molasses, big dark chocolate, char, and roasty malts round it out.

Medium to high medium body. Could use a bit more body to it. Slick, oily, slightly sticky. There's definitely residual sugars there, but between the oak tannin and the coffee with the reduced presence of vanilla and maple, this is quite dry.

I'm a huge coffee stout fan, so this really hits the spot for me. A stout aged in a coffee liqueur barrel is an interesting concept and it's executed well. A bit more maple and vanilla would be welcomed since that's the intention of the brewer, but that's on me for aging this one so long. Originally gave this a 4.5 when it was fresh and I'm keeping it close to that (4.4) at this point in time. Transient knows their way around a barrel aged stout.

 

It’s party-time! I found some 2023 SN, “Narwhal” today at my local distributor (****)! @Resistance88 and @RaulMondesi , this one is going out to you!

 

Been missing you on this thread!

 

My kryptonite: SN, “Narwhal “ Imperial Stout!

 

36 months in Blanton’s barrel version. That’s the one I hope you let aerate for a long time.

 

“Can” of Fyodor? Oh, the humanity.

 

I’m not sure what I expected this be to be, but I surely did not expect this to be a hardcore RIS. Creamy but with all the RIS notes. $10 for 500 ml.

 

Fresh? Nice. I think I have 4 or 5 2018 bottles on the shelf.

 

It was a heavy, wet-wood drink as I recall, so like 30 minutes to let it open seemed appropriate.

I’m trying to find some peanut butter AJ, but they aren’t good at email responses. They closed their second tap room (after a major renovation ), but I know they had a magnum or two left. Even you wouldn’t mind that adjunct.