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

Samuel Smith's Imperial StoutSamuel Smith's Imperial Stout

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BA SCORE
93
exceptional
-
2,348 Ratings
THE BROS
99
world-class
-
read more »
rAvg: 4.19
pDev: 11.93%
Reviews: 1585
Hads: 763

Ratings Help


Brewed by:
Samuel Smith Old Brewery (Tadcaster) visit their website
United Kingdom (England)

Style | ABV
Russian Imperial Stout |  7.00% ABV

Availability: Year-round. bottle (1582), on-tap (2), nitro-bottle (1)

Notes:
No notes at this time.
View:  Beers  (25) |  Events  (0)

Reviews

Sort by:  Latest | High | Low | Top Reviewers | Read the Alström Bros Beer Reviews and Beer Ratings of Samuel Smith's Imperial Stout Alström Bros  | Show Hads:
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Reviews by camelgar:
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camelgar

Arizona

2/5  rDev -52.3%

02-12-2013 02:25:20 | More by camelgar
More User Reviews:
Photo of Honus1
Honus1

Ohio

4.25/5  rDev +1.4%

05-18-2013 02:38:30 | More by Honus1
Photo of carlosega
carlosega

Ohio

4/5  rDev -4.5%

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

Connecticut

4.75/5  rDev +13.4%

05-16-2013 21:06:02 | More by datalager
Photo of Roman5150
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
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Weas

Arkansas

4.5/5  rDev +7.4%

05-15-2013 03:46:09 | More by Weas
Photo of creal92
creal92

Kentucky

3.75/5  rDev -10.5%

05-13-2013 06:48:24 | More by creal92
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jl28r1

Texas

4.25/5  rDev +1.4%

05-12-2013 13:55:58 | More by jl28r1
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MatterOfOpinion

Michigan

5/5  rDev +19.3%

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

Texas

3.5/5  rDev -16.5%

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

North Carolina

5/5  rDev +19.3%

05-09-2013 05:14:04 | More by thatdewguy
Photo of trxxpaxxs
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
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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
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jpaulsen

California

4.25/5  rDev +1.4%

05-06-2013 01:37:35 | More by jpaulsen
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kylehay2004

Florida

4.25/5  rDev +1.4%

05-05-2013 12:38:28 | More by kylehay2004
Photo of mactrail
mactrail

California

2.71/5  rDev -35.3%
look: 4 | smell: 1.75 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 2.75

The smell is really peculiar. I finally realized, since we had been painting, it smells exactly like house paint. It's that damp, fumey smell of water-based paint that's different from other solvents.

The appearance is quite attractive, with a dark amber brown color and ample off-white head, and loads of lacing in the small globe glass. The flavor continues on the strange trip. It makes me think of prune juice, with the same sweet and tart flavors. Not that sweet, but dark and fruity. I can't get that smell out of my mind, it's back with every sip. I taste pomegranate, bubble gum, and some charred grain.

On the positive side, it's quite a creamy carbonation with a substantial mouthfeel. From the 500 ml bottle bought at a random liquor store.

Serving type: bottle

05-05-2013 04:50:58 | More by mactrail
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ZEB89

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +7.4%

05-04-2013 23:19:27 | More by ZEB89
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Kreaux

Texas

1/5  rDev -76.1%

05-04-2013 00:02:20 | More by Kreaux
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InfragilisBrew

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev -10.5%

05-03-2013 23:21:09 | More by InfragilisBrew
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McBraniel

Virginia

4.25/5  rDev +1.4%

05-02-2013 03:59:02 | More by McBraniel
Photo of StonedTrippin
StonedTrippin

Colorado

4.11/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

a fantastic rendition of an English version Russian imperial stout. textbook really. the pour is thicker and darker, but some light can still enter, and the head is sudsy and lasting, just off white. the nose is bittersweet, with plenty of chocolate malt and pushing burnt bitterness. in terms of flavor, the first sip or two are by far the best. vanilla and cocoa together, but not as intense as some American versions. the malt is really allowed to shine here, and glorious woody bitter notes come through thick and creamy. it gets a little thinner and washed out as it moves along, but its still damn good. chocolate and light bittering hops kick in on the back end. plenty drinkable, at a lower abv for the style and a really smooth texture. not nearly as full bodied as they come on this side of the pond, this is a brew I could have several or more of, and could easily be a regular in my refrigerator. I have no complaints other than a slightly underwhelming carbonation presence and it getting a little watery as it warms, but that's me being annoying. one of the best sam smith beers, which is definitely saying something.

Serving type: bottle

05-02-2013 00:22:30 | More by StonedTrippin
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mendvicdog

Maryland

4.5/5  rDev +7.4%

04-30-2013 22:34:36 | More by mendvicdog
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BDF2000

Virginia

5/5  rDev +19.3%

04-30-2013 20:07:21 | More by BDF2000
Photo of barczar
barczar

Kentucky

3.84/5  rDev -8.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75

Pours a clear deep brown with garnet highlights and a frothy one inch tan head that lingers, eventually leaving sheets of pillowy lacing as it dissipates.

Licorice, dark fruit, roast malt, chocolate, and floral hops form the initial aroma. Notes of soy, tar, acetone, and light medicinal phenols add complexity. Dark cherry and vinous tones are surprising, as well as minerally qualities.

Flavor reveals acetone, vinous, dark cherry, minerally undertones initially, which fade to rich roast malt and dark chocolate mid palate, with light char surfacing in the finish, adding slight bitterness. The malt profile is truly rich.

Body is fairly full, with low carbonation and soft alcohol warmth.

Not what I recall from this brew. The vinous, minerally, and soy characteristics
must've eluded me in the past. Either that, or I got an odd bottle. Great malt character, though. Not overly bitter, by any stretch, nor overly sweet. Well balanced. But that acetone character is offputting. Minus that, it's an excellent beer.

Serving type: bottle

04-30-2013 19:41:08 | More by barczar
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DarthGuitarHero

Minnesota

4/5  rDev -4.5%

04-30-2013 12:29:40 | More by DarthGuitarHero
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Samuel Smith's Imperial Stout from Samuel Smith Old Brewery (Tadcaster)
93 out of 100 based on 2,348 user ratings.