Samuel Smith's Imperial Stout - Samuel Smith Old Brewery (Tadcaster)

Jparker37

Wisconsin

4/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

550ml bottle poured into a snifter glass.

A - Tall caramel colored head holds a small cap of foam. Very tight bubbles. Pitch black in color. Left a little bit of lacing.

S - Bittersweet chocolate along with a helping of biscuit malt. I'm getting a touch of some earthy hops. Some cherry like fruitiness from malt not yeast.

T - Chocolate malt here comes across very dark and roasty. Cherry smell carries over into a pleasant and common ripe red fruit sweetness. Has a brief glance of some hop flavor to balance. Nice bitter character passes the torch to a mild alcohol warmth that finishes somewhat dry. Has a moderately long lasting unsweetened chocolate aftertaste.

M - Full bodied, medium carbonation, semi-sweet.

O - This brew looks great, smell has a good complexity to it. Taste was very straight forward and typical of an Imperial Stout, it hit every tenet of the style. Full bodied but not over the top. Great representation of the style that I appreciate to be able to find easily.

Serving type: bottle

10-24-2012 02:01:24 | More by Jparker37

PaleZombie

Arizona

4.25/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a wine glass.

A - Dark brown color with some ruby tinges coming through all around the glass. About a finger of nice creamy tan head.

S - Bittersweet chocolate malt, lots of dark fruit (rains and figs) mild hints of coffee. Mild hint of alcohol as it warmed.

T - Big on the dark fruit followed by pleasant sweet chocolate malts, a tad bit of coffee bitterness in the finish.

M - On the light side of medium, not as thick as I expected from an Imperial Stout. Good amount of carbonation.

O - Great representation of an Russian Imperial Stout on this one with the dark fruits shining through. This will be a go to for a lighter RIS and is not too pricey.

Serving type: bottle

05-25-2013 04:26:47 | More by PaleZombie

Absolut

California

4.25/5  rDev +1.4%

05-23-2013 19:37:15 | More by Absolut

kvnstfrd

Missouri

4/5  rDev -4.5%

05-23-2013 04:31:00 | More by kvnstfrd

Rdc67

Kentucky

4.25/5  rDev +1.4%

05-22-2013 20:30:33 | More by Rdc67

bf7

Pennsylvania

4.75/5  rDev +13.4%

05-22-2013 17:05:46 | More by bf7

Kingcurio

Oklahoma

4.25/5  rDev +1.4%

05-21-2013 01:58:20 | More by Kingcurio

johntfox

Florida

4/5  rDev -4.5%

05-20-2013 21:59:17 | More by johntfox

mfigueroa713

New York

4/5  rDev -4.5%

05-19-2013 00:15:19 | More by mfigueroa713

Photekut

Azerbaijan

2.75/5  rDev -34.4%

05-18-2013 22:21:19 | More by Photekut

mattsucks

Ohio

4/5  rDev -4.5%

05-18-2013 14:30:01 | More by mattsucks

Honus1

Ohio

4.25/5  rDev +1.4%

05-18-2013 02:38:30 | More by Honus1

carlosega

Ohio

4/5  rDev -4.5%

05-17-2013 19:28:48 | More by carlosega

datalager

Connecticut

4.75/5  rDev +13.4%

05-16-2013 21:06:02 | More by datalager

Roman5150

Michigan

3.84/5  rDev -8.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

bottle into pint glass, aged for 1 year

appearance: pitch black with 2 finger tan head, aggressive pour

smell: smokiness, roasted malts, espresso and really black coffee, dark chocolate

taste: Heavy smokiness, almost like a German Rauchbier, lots of dark chocolate and a dry roasted espresso flavor in the middle. Ends with a beef jerky, earthy finish.

mouthfeel: not much carbonation but a huge thick creamy flavor

overall: A great example of an English Stout. However, i'm not a huge fan of English beer. I studied there for 3 months with hopes of getting into their style of beer, but it never grew on me. WHile a great stout I can drink all day, and will buy again, it in no way compares to it's US counterparts such as Stone IRS, Bells Expedition or Black Note, Founders KBS, BS, CBS, and many more. It's a great brew that I can respect, just not my style.

Serving type: bottle

05-16-2013 04:56:20 | More by Roman5150

Weas

Arkansas

4.5/5  rDev +7.4%

05-15-2013 03:46:09 | More by Weas

creal92

Kentucky

3.75/5  rDev -10.5%

05-13-2013 06:48:24 | More by creal92

jl28r1

Texas

4.25/5  rDev +1.4%

05-12-2013 13:55:58 | More by jl28r1

MatterOfOpinion

Michigan

5/5  rDev +19.3%

05-11-2013 00:15:26 | More by MatterOfOpinion

Cvescalante

Texas

3.5/5  rDev -16.5%

05-09-2013 21:06:22 | More by Cvescalante

thatdewguy

North Carolina

5/5  rDev +19.3%

05-09-2013 05:14:04 | More by thatdewguy

trxxpaxxs

New York

3.54/5  rDev -15.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Pours a pitch black with one full finger of dark khaki colored head. The foam is think and frothy, and takes forever to diminish. There is a ton of lacing left on the glass as it drinks.

S: The nose is caramel, chocolate, raisin, and soy. Uhh ohh. I'm in for a bad time. It smells a touch sour and just off. How long has this been sitting on the shelf at my local beer store?

T: It starts out sweet with roasted malt, caramel, and toffee. I get some milk chocolate in the middle, but nothing that dominates. I'll tell you what does dominate, though... sour. I get soy sauce and lacto throughout. Bummer man. The finish is more lacto and toffee.

M: Full bodied beer. This one has some good heft. It's coating but not syrupy. The flavors seem to be ok (minus that brutal sourness). I'm actually a bit taken aback by the toffee notes in this beer.

O: Not a fan. The off flavors really ruin this beer. I hope it's just a bad bottle, but who knows. I will try this again sometime down the road, but will prefer to seek this out on draft.

Serving type: bottle

05-07-2013 20:42:24 | More by trxxpaxxs

WillCarrera

Illinois

4.05/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

550 ml bottle, no bottled-on date that I can find, poured into a pint glass.

A- Pours black with a huge, fluffy brown head, has very good retention and leaves awesome lacing.

S- Chocolate, roast, dark fruit, vinous aroma. Smells nice, a pretty fruit-forward stout aroma.

T- Lots of dark fruit, some roasted grain and light chocolate. Finishes with more fruit and maybe some vinousness.

M- Medium-bodied, it's about what you'd expect for a 7.00% stout, but it's pretty thin for the style.

O- A solid imperial stout, it's tasty, and although the flavor isn't massive and the body is a bit thin, it's still a great beer for the price point.

Serving type: bottle

05-07-2013 02:23:10 | More by WillCarrera

jpaulsen

California

4.25/5  rDev +1.4%

05-06-2013 01:37:35 | More by jpaulsen

kylehay2004

Florida

4.25/5  rDev +1.4%

05-05-2013 12:38:28 | More by kylehay2004