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Imperial Stout
Samuel Smith Old Brewery (Tadcaster)
- From:
- Samuel Smith Old Brewery (Tadcaster)
- England, United Kingdom
- Style:
- Russian Imperial Stout
Ranked #224 - ABV:
- 7%
- Score:
- 93
Ranked #3,946 - Avg:
- 4.16 | pDev: 11.3%
- Reviews:
- 1,870
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Feb 17, 2024
- Added:
- Feb 27, 2001
- Wants:
- 256
- Gots:
- 596
Brewed at Samuel Smith's small, traditional British brewery with well water, best barley malt, roasted barley, yeast and hops to create a rich flavorful ale; deep chocolate on color with a roasted barley nose and flavor that is a complexity of malt, hops, and yeast. Fermented in 'stone Yorkshire squares'. This distinctive type of ale was originally shipped to Imperial Russia; it was a favourite of Russian nobility.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by hunteraw:
Reviewed by hunteraw from China
4.33/5 rDev +4.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
4.33/5 rDev +4.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Presentation: great label, "contractors to her majesty's forces," perfect for an imperial stout.
Appearance: pitch black, one finger dark tan head - probably the darkest colored head i've seen in a beer. good retention, but little lacing.
Smell: roast, chocolate, perhaps a little sourness in the aroma. from the aroma, i anticipate some bitterness as well. a little sweet-smelling towards the end.
Taste: wow, that's good. lots of complexity, picking out individual flavors is going to be tougher than usual: slightly sweet/fruity at the tip of the tongue, bitterness in the middle. some caramel character. dark fruit finish, resolving to a dry, bitter aftertaste. very enjoyable. this is a stout where the bitterness is from hops, not burnt grain. it's roast, but not charred. surprisingly fruity, maybe that's because it's an english rather than american yeast.
Mouthfeel: lighter than I expected, medium body, not particularly thick. this definitely isn't what i expected from an "imperial" stout, but i like it. i'll need to try another one soon to compare.
Drinkability: A highly drinkable stout, though a bit surprising! Best i've had so far (still many good ones to go, though!)
Jul 21, 2006Appearance: pitch black, one finger dark tan head - probably the darkest colored head i've seen in a beer. good retention, but little lacing.
Smell: roast, chocolate, perhaps a little sourness in the aroma. from the aroma, i anticipate some bitterness as well. a little sweet-smelling towards the end.
Taste: wow, that's good. lots of complexity, picking out individual flavors is going to be tougher than usual: slightly sweet/fruity at the tip of the tongue, bitterness in the middle. some caramel character. dark fruit finish, resolving to a dry, bitter aftertaste. very enjoyable. this is a stout where the bitterness is from hops, not burnt grain. it's roast, but not charred. surprisingly fruity, maybe that's because it's an english rather than american yeast.
Mouthfeel: lighter than I expected, medium body, not particularly thick. this definitely isn't what i expected from an "imperial" stout, but i like it. i'll need to try another one soon to compare.
Drinkability: A highly drinkable stout, though a bit surprising! Best i've had so far (still many good ones to go, though!)
More User Ratings:
Reviewed by twage04 from North Carolina
4.53/5 rDev +8.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
4.53/5 rDev +8.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
Pours a dark black with normal carbonation. Chocolate, molasses, bourbon on the nose. Taste is the same with some caramel, fig. Very rich and flavorful for the ABV.
Jan 29, 2024Reviewed by DoctorRobert1969 from California
4.25/5 rDev +2.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.25/5 rDev +2.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
This was surprisingly smooth for an imperial beer, although I haven’t had many. The taste is something like a quad. Samuel Smith can do no wrong. Perfect for a cold night.
Jan 22, 2024Reviewed by MNJR from Illinois
5/5 rDev +20.2%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
5/5 rDev +20.2%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
Rich and satisfying with the unmistakable Tadcaster magic that cannot be duplicated, ever. In the history of beer, with the physical, spiritual, and human limitations of the art form of making beer, nothing can ever be better than this, So... this is it, The Best. Try to outdo it, try and fail, maybe someday a stout beer can be better, maybe, but maybe not. Delicious flavors of earth, raisin, cocoa, fruit, vanilla, brown sugar, forest, mountains, and sea. Best stuff, best you can get. Lovely and remarkable in every way a beer can possibly be. 100%. Something has to be, and this is it.
Jan 15, 2024Reviewed by Tom-o-Bedlam from Texas
4.42/5 rDev +6.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
4.42/5 rDev +6.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Burnt coffee, bitter dark chocolate, toasted bready malt, and hops on the back end.
Has the same undefinable funkiness that all Samuel Smith beers have (I’m drinking this one after having their Oatmeal Stout, Tadcaster, and Organic Chocolate Stout earlier this week). I guess it’s the well water.
There’s something hard and mineral-y that undergirds the flavor and the feel.
Good stuff.
Dec 21, 2023Has the same undefinable funkiness that all Samuel Smith beers have (I’m drinking this one after having their Oatmeal Stout, Tadcaster, and Organic Chocolate Stout earlier this week). I guess it’s the well water.
There’s something hard and mineral-y that undergirds the flavor and the feel.
Good stuff.
Imperial Stout from Samuel Smith Old Brewery (Tadcaster)
Beer rating:
93 out of
100 with
4048 ratings
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