Imperial Stout Appreciation Thread (2022)

Immmmm baaaaack!! its Imperial Stout time again! Friday night and time for some big beer to end a long and good week.
This is Fox Farm Votive #2. Im honestly surprised I hadnt reviewed this one before. Another big barrel aged stout from FF. I kinda think these guys dont miss, regardless of the style that the make. This one proves to be an easy drinkin complex tasty brew.

Onto my review:

And the deets on this bottle.

Sampling a cellar temp 500 ml bottle poured into my snifter. Ive had this beer in the cellar since purchase about 1.5 years ago at the brewery. This is a 2020 vintage and is batch No 2.
the beer pours jet black color with no light passing through the glass. I also get a dense brown head of 1 cm that fades to a sturdy edge layering and leaves scattered lattice after each sip or swirl.
The edging sticks around throughout the sampling.
Aroma on this beer is roasted malts, dark chocolate, some bourbon notes, some dark fruit notes of fig and prune and a bit of fusol alcohol too. Not really any hop character that I can pick up at this point.
The first sip reveals a velvety soft and smooth textured beer with gentle rolling carbonation. the physical traits of this beer make it very easy to drink.
Flavor is similar to nose advertisements. I get dark chocolate, roasted notes, some fig and bourbon, and a good dose of boozy warmth after the swallow. Not really any hop character here either. I also get some general bitey bitterness on the finish, which I also attribute to booziness. This is a big imperial stout with boozy notes and some deep complexity. Its nice to drink this and not be compounded with sweetness and various candy flavors, just big malty, boozy stout notes. FF for the win once again!
4.54 in the BA DB

 

Holy crap this is good. Blessed from Anchorage. Stout aged in bourbon with vanilla and coconut. Massive beast that has a great mix of vanilla, bourbon, coconut, and base stout.

 

Its Saturday, went to a soccer game with the children drove home and its time for a big beer to make up for lost time. This is Little House Brewing Big Bear Imperial Stout. 9.1% ABV and something I picked up at the brewery a few months ago.
Figured it would be fine, with the higher ABV and being stashed in my fridge. I cant believe I get to add this one to the BA DB as I review it! Probably my only brew tonight, what with the higher volume and solid ABV. read on for details on the beer!

onto my review:

Sampling this beer from a cold crowler picked up at the brewery. Canning date was 3/19, and the beer has been in my fridge since then.
The beer pours a dark cola to black coffee color with no light passing through my glass. A spongey and fluffy beige and tan head foams up 2.5 cm in my glass, but fades to almost nothing a few minutes after the pour.
The aroma is heavily roasted malt and black coffee with bits of charred wood and some dry bakers chocolate. no hop notes on the nose and I dont get any ABV hints either.
First sip reveals a medium body and very fine and spacious carbonation. Very smooth silky soft texture. Does leave a little bit of a coating on my lips with each sip.
Flavor is similar to the nose, Roasted malts and bakers chocolate with a bit of black coffee too. Not really any sweet flavors and not boozy, even though I know its got some kick.
I enjoy this beer as it seems to be a throwback to olde school american imperial stouts with no additives, not sweet and simply a malt driven beer with some hidden booze.
Glad to have tried this one from a little brewery in central Connecticut!
4.16 in the BA DB

 

Am in Asheville today, where I've had a less than stellar impy stout experience. However.... Am now at Burial Brewing, where I'm having a couple of really good ones. The BA seasoned skillet is outstanding, and the portal into non existence is almost as good. Plus the wife is out enjoying herself at an art fair.

Life is good.

 

Another big beer and another late night for me. This is Fonta Flora Appalachian Barrel-Aged Society Blend #2 from 2021. this 14% beast is a gift from @Mbgreg as part of BIF 33 winnings....go Dallas!! Excited to finally have this bottle and share with this awesome Imperial Stout thread. read on for deets on the beer!

onto my review:

Sampling a cellar temp 750 capped bottle. Beer is courtesy of @Mbgreg as part of BIF 33. Thank you!
this bottle has been in my cellar since January 2022, and it seemed like tonight was a great time to open it.
Pouring into my snifter the beer pours jet black in color and a dense creamy tan head of 1 cm foams up. I try to let the foam build, but it never gets very large and I end up totally filling my glass. This foam also subsides to a sturdy edge layer that leaves scattered lattice as I sip from the glass.
Aroma is deep chocolate fudge and hints of bourbon with some charred wood mixing in for complexity. I dont get a lot of maple character from the maple staves/bark mentioned on the label, but do get very faint hints of vanilla.
No hops and the nose isnt really boozy either.
First sip reveals a medium to thicker body with smooth texture and very fine carbonation that gently rolls across my palate.
the flavor is similar to the nose, with chocolate fudge leading the way and hints of vanilla and bourbon coming through mid way on the sip.
I never get any hop character and the fudge flavor definitely carries the day for me with hints of bourbon. This beer drinks with no impression of the 14%, which is a little dangerous.
This is a tasty big stout that is well worth the sampling if you like bigger beers, definitely has a bit of sweet note with the bourbon vanilla that shows up for the party.

4.39 in the BS DB