Southern Tier Choklat Imperial Stout

Brewery: Southern Tier Brewing Company
Style: Imperial Stout
ABV: 11.0%
Country: USA, New York

This was another find from the State Line Liquor Store, the first beer on this blog from Southern Tier, and the second imperial stout that I've personally reviewed. This came in a big 22oz bomber that will leave me weak in the knees by the end of the night. Poured nearly pitch black with only a small hint of caramel near the edges. Nice thin and tan head that settled into a nice and lingering lace. Aroma is full of plenty of types of different types of chocolate. Cocoa powder is the most prevalent along with some dark chocolate. Absolutely fantastic aroma, one of the best. The first sip was nice and smooth with plenty of chocolate. Chocolate flavor was not as pronounced as the aroma but still quite noticeable and plenty rich. Plenty of sweetness along with dark and roasted malts are quite potent. Mouthfeel is smooth and a bit syrupy. Finish was more roasted malts and a nice a lingering bitterness that wasn't overpowering. The most surprising aspect of this brew is that the 11% ABV is completely hidden. There are no astringent flavors at any point. Wonderfully chocolaty and absolutely delicious, I'd have this again in a heartbeat. A

Dogfish Head World Wide Stout

Brewer: Dogfish Head Craft Brewery
Style: Imperial Stout
ABV: 18%
Country: USA, Delaware

"A very dark beer brewed with a ridiculous amount of barley" proclaims this bottle. At 18% ABV, this is by far the most potent beer I've ever had. At 10$ for a 12 oz bottle, I wont be having this too often either.

Poured a dark black with some hints of caramel around the edges. No foam whatsoever with only a few bubbles around the edge of the glass. Smell had some chocolate to it along with some sweetness and plenty of alcohol.

The first sip was a kick in the mouth. Some chocolate and coffee present but those are quickly overpowered by a wave of alcohol. The first few sips were similar, but as I went on, the alcohol flavors subsided and more of the drinks character came out. This drank more like a port or a brandy than a beer; Small sips over a long period of time. There is a syrupy slickness to the mouth-feel. Great warming feeling going down. More roasted flavors as it reached room temperature. Typical stouts are servers at around 50 - 55 degrees. This one was better as it became warmer than that. This sort of beer is the kind that can be cellared for a number of years to improve the flavor. As it ages, some of the harsh notes from the alcohol mellow out and the drink becomes more smooth. Overall, as is, I thought it was a great sipper. Quite relaxing and perfect for a cold and dreary day. Still, at 18% ABV, one of these is about the same as 4-5 American light beers and enough to leave me feeling half in the bag. A

Stone Imperial Russian Stout

Stone's Imperial Russian Stout came in at #1 beer in the world over at www.ratebeer.com, so I decided that it was worth checking out. I was lucky enough to find this fairly rare beer at a Whole Foods in Vienna, VA.

This beer pours with absolutely no carbonation, and has an amazingly rich aroma. It has a very heavy body, and the taste of roasted malt is very abundant. The beer is however very strong, coming in at 10.5% ABV. It has a slightly alcoholic aftertaste, but the roasted flavor lingers as well.

It is definitely a beer that should be sipped in a small glass (I really need a snifter or a tulip glass). The picture above is of a small glass that I gave my wife, and my glass. My wife thought that this beer was terrible, but she just isn't used to high ABV beers, and also doesn't generally like roasty stouts.

This picture is also a reminder that I really need to stop using my cell phone to take these pictures. I promise that I'll get my digital camera out next time :)

Overall, I'd give this beer an A rating. I'd definitely drink it again, but I'd probably have it in smaller quantities, and I'd try to share with friends (that actually like stouts).

-Bo

Beers in Bo's lineup

I just got back from Whole Foods in Vienna, VA and am pretty excited as to what is currently in my fridge. Here is a quick peek at what will be reviewed in the following days:

Stone Russian Imperial Stout
St. Bernardus Christmas Ale
Mikkeller Santa's Little Helper
Gouden Carolus Noel
Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale
Fuller's London Porter

These are all highly rated beers, so maybe I'm stacking the deck a little bit here. I also have a penchant for Holiday Ales as you can see.

-Bo

Great Divide Yeti Imperial Stout

Great Divide is a brewery in Denver Colorado that has been putting out some amazing stouts. I don't like to check online ratings of a beer before I post my review, but I looked up Great Divide on www.ratebeer.com and found them to have 3 different varieties of their imperial stout that all score the highest rating of 100.

This particular version comes in at 9.5% ABV and an amazing 75 IBU's (for a stout). It pours like motor oil, and instantly gives off a strong and delicious roasted coffee aroma when you start to pour. It has virtually no carbonation or head to speak of. Initially this beer tastes typical of a roasty stout, but has a toffee-like quality to it. It is a very heavy bodied stout. This beer shines in the aftertaste. After having this delicious nectar in your mouth for a few seconds and swallowing it, you get an amazingly complex taste in the aftertaste. I actually couldn't put my finger on it at first, until I read that this beer has 75 IBU (International Bittering Unit's), which is high for a stout. I also hadn't realized that it was 9.5% ABV until I was half way through with it and was wondering why my body was instinctively telling me to take it slow with this beer :)

I had this beer with a spicy chili... which probably wasn't the best pairing for such a heavy beer, but it was a great experience nonetheless. I'd give this a solid A rating.

-Bo