Imperial Stout

Beer Name: Smuttynose Imperial Stout
Brewery: Smuttynose Brewing Company
ABV: 9.8%
Serving method: 22-oz bottle in a pint glass
Born/Bottled/Shipped on: Bottled-conditioned in 2011

Time for a beer lesson! Most beer that you get has a shelf-life on it, and if you don't drink it pretty close to that window of time, you are going to be drinking some pretty bad tasting beer. By bottle conditioning the beer, the brewer keeps the yeast alive, which fights against the normal breakdown that leads to skunky beer. When it's done correctly, the beer will keep much longer, often for several years. The moral of this story is that since this beer was bottle conditioned (and I assume done correctly since these are professionals), the date it was bottled is immaterial.

Smuttynose's Imperial Stout is a very dark beer, bordering on solid black. It pours with a thick head that fades very slowly and leaves a sporadic lacing pattern that is very heavy where it sticks. There's a whole lot going on in the aroma here, including a heavy dose of chocolate, some light hoppiness, and a whiff of alcohol. It also has some roasted scents, mostly coffee, along with a bit of malt. It's very complex for my poor nose.

Several of the scents that were apparent in the aroma are also present for the taste. There's a sweetness at the beginning of each sip, but there's also a little bit of bitterness from the hops. The aftertaste of the beer has a little bit of coffee in it. This beer feels very heavy as I drink it, so it's not one to drink quickly. It's got a little bit of carbonation, but I wouldn't want much more. Even though it's strong, there isn't really a noticeable alcohol taste. And that's a good thing.

Final thought - I had told Kate that I needed a good beer to relax with after I got drenched (again!) at today's track meet, and this beer fit the bill nicely. This beer is a sipper, and absolutely perfect for watching the Bruins attempt to give everyone in Boston a heart attack. It's also another good example of how to make a strong stout without having the alcohol dominate the flavor. Delicious.

-Jon