Imperial Stout Appreciation Thread (2023)

All of my California Imperial Stout lovers know that this goes out to them!!

 

Both are rather quite reasonably priced here in SEPA! Speedway is actually more prevalent than Narwhal!

 

Hell ya, keep this thread and the Barleywine thread also. Spent a couple more days in the hospital, docs trying their best, got acouple stents foor Xmas.

 

This beer has delicious chocolate and caramel flavors. It is really smooth. Thank you, @Danmullens1!

 

Cross posting this from NBW and I'm sure a familiar beer to this thread given it's been 1126 messages since I last read

Epic - Big Bad Baptist



Release #157

Purchased from the dabc for $5

12oz can poured into a snifter glass at about 45°F and let warm.

Pours a deep inky black with whiskey brown edges and a dark mocha head. Very reflective deep black body that is nearly mirror like. Fine ring persists after the head dies down. 4.5

Off the can the aroma is big and hot whiskey while off the glass I get raw cocoa, semi-sweet bakers chocolate, and tobacco with a hint of well burnt malt. 4.75

Taste follows, whiskey takes a back seat in favor of the chocolate, cacao nibs, medium roast coffee, and tobacco. It's truly delightful, and holds up exceedingly well at room temp for an extended time. 4.75

Hardly any boozy warmth for this batches 11.4%abv. Lingering chocolate and lightly earthy hop oil finish. Very moderate nearly light for the style which makes this dangerously drinkable. 4.5

Overall I have seriously under appreciated this year round BCBS equivalent and a fraction of the price. Enjoyed significantly more than BBBaptista and will certainly make a return to my fridge regularly. 4.75

 

can you literally just take pulls from imperial stouts while taking a breather in between drills or matches?? i’m fascinated by this gym if so

 

Damn good base brew makes BBBaptist one of my very favorites!
Get to the brewery downtown SLC one of these days.,. Cheers!

 

Just bought several. Drinking the Obsidian right now and had a north coast last night. Both were good but I’m looking for more vanilla and chocolate. Which is why I will open a 2023 Goose Island Boubon Barrel next.

 

O’clock Brewing (France) ‘Baden Power’ Calvados BA Stout

33 cL can, poured into my Firestone Walker taster’s snifter, in Toulouse, France, at 50°,..
Flat birth, -/-:-:-:-/-, with nary a whimper of enthusiasm., just.,. darkness.,
Interesting nose whispers (shhh.,.) “dark toasty malt and grape juice”.
Taste is confknfounding. Maybe the base Stout carries little roundness and volume., and the aging in Calvados barrels adds nothing but a fleeting vinegar tone. I chewed on it for several minutes.,
Mouth is competent, there’s mid carbonation that can’t hit second gear.
Overall, I’ve tried Calvados (an apple brandy from up Normandy way) here in France. But, with so many versions and techniques involved, it’s hard to tell what the brewer is actually trying to tell me. Thus, it may be better than my t-budz say.,. and I hope for a lesson in what is actually in the glass.,
Props for using 4 ingredients and a French oak barrel though.,,

 

I've seen enlisted people smoke after a 10K

 

Mob Craft Padishah Tequila BA Stout checks in at a sessionable 11.0%. Not much of a tequila guy anymore, except for an occasional margarita. I would like to try some of the other variants, this is tasty....

 

Bourbon County Brand Stout Reserve (2023) - Eagle Rare 2-Year



4.47/5 rDev -0.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Ba review #2400

Brewers notes: Stout aged for two years in Ten-Year Eagle Rare

With a heritage rooted in authenticity and a commitment to craftsmanship,  Eagle Rare captures the essence of American history with its Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey. Just as bourbon is a uniquely American product, Bourbon County Brand Stout is distinctly Chicago. From the carefully selected American oak barrels sourced from Eagle Rare in Kentucky to the distinct combination of our unique climate and original imperial stout recipe crafted here; Bourbon County Eagle Rare Reserve Stout epitomizes a proud American legacy. ⁠
⁠
Aged for two years in extraordinary Eagle Rare 10-year-old barrels, each sip is a culmination of our passion, intricately woven together with the nuanced flavors imparted by these remarkable barrels. Eagle Rare Reserve is an incredibly complex and boldly rich stout that celebrates the essence of American brewing at its finest.

16.9 oz Sleeved bottle , chilled and poured into a snifter , pitch black liquid , no foam , slight brown ring

Aroma is bourbon, tobacco, raisins, dark fruits ,

Taste is bourbon, tobacco , raisins, dark fruits, cocoa powder , brown sugar ,sweet

Thick viscous mouthfeel , boozy without too much heat , rich

Good beer

 

Fifty Fifty Brewing ~ 2017 Eclipse Apple Brandy

Loads of port wine/sherry notes with some chocolate cherry and nuanced caramel coated green apple.
Low carbonation and a thinner mouthfeel for an Impy Stout makes this very approachable actually. drinking more like an old ale imo...

As a good friend commented to me on these older bottles...they are definitely no longer improving
Cheers

 

Zipline BBA Calavera Imperial Stout, 13.4% ABV. Pours black with a 1.5 finger medium-brown head that left no lacing. Aroma is light cinnamon, vanilla, chocolate, and a slight vegetal smell of the peppers. Taste follows, plus slight bourbon, followed by a fairly light chili-pepper flavor and burn, slightly sweet, moderately bitter, with chili on the close. The peppers are far more subtle than many chili beers. Decent mouthfeel, overall very good to near-excellent.

3.87/5 rDev -3.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75