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

Gavage

New Jersey

4.18/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Clear black in color with a thick 2" tan head. Some thick lacing develops thorugh the drink. Nice combination of coffee, chocolate, caramel, and alcohol in the aroma. The flavor follows the nose, as chocolate, coffee, licorice, dark plums, and roasted malts are well balanced. Mild bitterness and light alcohol rounds it out.

Mouthfeel is crisp at the start, and mildly crisp at the finish. Finish is also rather short in the aftertaste, as the flavors disappear from the tongue quickly. Superb drinkability.

Serving type: bottle

10-09-2005 18:15:32 | More by Gavage

jwc215

New Jersey

4.83/5  rDev +15.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Wow.
poured BLACK with fairly thick, tan head that became a well-retained lace.
It had aromas of sweet chocolate, coffee, and anise. Robust smell.
The taste was extraordinary. Very complex and robust. Chocolate, anise, coffee tastes were well-balanced. Just the right balance between sweet and bitter. Very invigorating.
Left a nice bitter-sweet mouthfeel.
This beer is exceptionally drinkable. It's silky smooth with a slight alcohol finish. It's characteristics are god-like. Well worth the price for this one!

Serving type: bottle

05-16-2006 02:39:20 | More by jwc215

tempest

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -10.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Dark ruby, but not quite opaque like a good impy. Nice looking tan head, unfortunately it disappears pretty fast. No lacing, not a bit.

Smells like dark, fruity alcohol and lacks any roasty notes. Tastes is smooth with dark ester qualities. No roasty or smokiness, fairly simple profile and subtle, but still good.

Easy drinking for an impy stout and feels nice. Its a good RIS, but I find this, like I've found some of the other Sam Smith beers, to be overrated. A good beer, but one of the last RIS's I'd choose if I had a good number of choices. There is better, bolder stuff to be found at America's own craft breweries.

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2005 06:24:26 | More by tempest

akorsak

Pennsylvania

4.28/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

This is a 550 mL bottle served in a weizen glass. The stout is near room temperature.

A: The stout is pitch black, no ruby red hints, no nothing. There is a light brown head that is fairly small.

S: The ale has a strong chocolate aroma with hints of lactose sweetness.

T: The flavor here is very reserved, completely unlike any US RIS beers. There is a semi-sweet lactose flavor and hints of chocolate, both of which provide a pleasantly strong flavor. Hops are practically non-existent.

M: The stout is a very refreshing take on the RIS variety.

D: The stout is very drinkable with a mid-range abv. This is a good stout for those who don't like the American over-hopped types.

Serving type: bottle

08-17-2006 02:30:36 | More by akorsak

WVbeergeek

Ohio

4.35/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: Great same massive sized head as most Samuel Smith's brews out there, but this one has a deep brown amber black dark chocolate hue to it allows minimal light to pass through with a streak of prune hue purple deepness, lacing nice thickets of tan lacing clinging to my imperial pint. Aroma: Once again deep chocolate and coffee tones are present with fruit edges there fermented prunes or figs with chocolate sauce englazoned uone them how wonderful every dark roasted stout should smell this magnifcant. Minimal hopping in the aroma for the fruit and deep flavoful roasts mean to steal the show. Tase: Alcohol infused deep roasted malts with fruit remaninsce leaving their mark upon this heavenly dark ale, I really think this is one of the best imperial stouts on the market maybe not extreme or over the top but most flavorful and consistent the Sam Smith's reportoire get's the gold. Mouhfeel: A bit fuller than most Sammy Smith's this one packs quite the body keeping each sip not only flavorful but chewy. Drinkability: Is incredible for the amount of alcohol and flavor coming through I can't believe they allow this type of beer out there in this semi prohibitional state this country sometimes seems to be stuck in.

Serving type: bottle

10-02-2003 00:36:57 | More by WVbeergeek

smcolw

Massachusetts

4.4/5  rDev +5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Not even opaque, this is a dark, dark mahogany brew. This features a truly awesome head for a bottle. Deep tan in color, the head leaves an impressive sticky lace throughout the tasting.

Strong oily alcohol fullness in the aroma. Powerful dark malt richness--chocolate, black patent malts.

Rich and oily, this is a beer to be consumed slowly. Strong chicory coffee flavors. Unlike pale ales, the hop is used strictly as a spice. The aftertaste is long lasting and bitter in an espresso way (the hop is quietly present as a touch of counterbalance) . This is a big beer in every way.

Serving type: bottle

06-19-2004 17:55:11 | More by smcolw

rhoadsrage

Illinois

4.15/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

(Served in an imperial pint glass)

A-This beer has a nice deep dark midnight brown body with no visible sings of carbonation it is so opaque. The head is a boiling mat of light brown that settles to a nice even layer.

S- The deep dark aroma has notes of graham cracker and nuts with some caramel notes and a dark roasted malt and barley with some faint slightly bittersweet chocolate in the finish. As it warms I start to get a hint of banana milkshake in the finish.

T- The taste of dark malt has a slightly sour earthy quality. The finish is dry with some slight hints of honey oddly enough. The taste of bittersweet chocolate comes through with more fruity flavors of raisins as it warms. The notes of fresh bread and alcohol hints come through in the finish also.

M- This beer has a full body with some velvety texture to it. The alcohol warmth is very soft and helps finish the taste of the beer.

D- This beer has nice big dark flavors but the secondary flavors were a bit strange with banana and bread seemed to take over. I would have liked some more malt complexity and maybe a bit more alcohol or hops to balance out this big beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-07-2005 02:25:03 | More by rhoadsrage

Wasatch

Utah

3.88/5  rDev -7.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a dark brown color, nice carbonation, small creamy tan head, some lacing afterwards. The nose is of sweet malts, slight hops, some chocolate/toffee. The taste is sweet malty, nice chocolate/toffee, slight alcohol. Medium body. Drinkable, a nice stout, but a Imperial, not quite.

Serving type: bottle

01-04-2007 04:37:15 | More by Wasatch

jlindros

Massachusetts

4.08/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A: The crazy bottle neck on the bottle's neck forces a huge head on the pour that rises up for 2/3 of the glass. A thick frothy dark colored hear that is. The beer itself is almost pitch black, but not quite.

N: Tons of malts hit first. SOme roasted malts, caramel malts, and a few others. Some caramel aromas and sweetness, a little oatmeal, some dark fruits, and a little bitter English hop aroma tops it off. A little chocolate as well.

T: Very fruity actually. Tons of malt as well, again with lots of dark malts, caramel, a little roast, I think even a nice bit of Marris Otter as base. Creamy milk chocolate, oats, dried fruits, hints of spicy hops. A little bit of juicy hop flavors as well.

M: Creamy and semi thick, with lots of carbonation.

F: Semi bitter with more English hops, and lingering hot roast and dark malts. Some sweetness on the finish as well with more caramel and brown sugar.

Serving type: bottle

03-07-2010 03:56:30 | More by jlindros

jdhilt

New Hampshire

3.93/5  rDev -6.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a two-fingered light tan head that goes slowly and leaves traces of lace. Black as the ace spades. Moderate carbonation. Molasses/malty nose. Starts malty with sweet licorice, finishes malty. Sweeter than a Guinness. Medium to heavy bodied, very good imperial stout. $3.89 for a 550ml bottle. $1.50 for a 12oz bottle from Capitol Convenience.

Serving type: bottle

08-14-2007 22:26:32 | More by jdhilt

Jason

Massachusetts

4.08/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Top notch brew, some the best stuff on this planet. Worth the price ... a cold weather beer for me paired with a cigar.

Serving type: bottle

11-19-2001 22:54:11 | More by Jason

mdfb79

New York

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

Poured from a 550ML bottle into my Duvel tulip.

a - Pours a dark brown color with one finger of tan head and high carbonation evident.

s - Smells of dark fruits, roasted malts, and chocolate. Hint of toasted malts and grain.

t - Tastes of roasted malts, toasted malts, chocolate, dark fruits, and a hint of alcohol and coffee.

m - Medium body and moderate carbonation.

d - A pretty good imperial stout that is heavy on the dark fruits in both the smell and taste. Would try again.

Serving type: bottle

08-16-2010 02:08:18 | More by mdfb79

Billolick

New York

4.47/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 ounce clear bottle, Pours deepest of mahogony, ruby highlights at the edges. Active expresso froth colored head, showing good retentive powers. This one leaves blotchy thick and sticky lacing. Nose is coffee, dark chocolate, alcohol and dark malts. Heady, strong, flavorful Impy stout. Notes of more chocolate, lots of burnt coffee, vanilla, burnt fruits and grains, smoke. Bold flavors, but still somewhat subdued and subtle, basically this is still British style and its not over the top. World class sipper. A must for stout lovers

Serving type: bottle

06-17-2005 12:24:38 | More by Billolick

weeare138

Pennsylvania

4.1/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appears a deep, rich black with caramelized, dark brown edges when held to the light. A fluffy, 2 finger, creamy tan head slowly fades out in a minutes time. Scattered spots of lacing are left all around the glass.
Smell is of plums, raisins, molasses, roasty malts, cream, baker's chocolate, English toffee, slight butterscotch, anise, and mild coffee with dusty notes of wood.
Taste is of the mentioned aromas highlighted by a fruity, prune and raisin flavor that mixes creamed coffee and roasted oats with a touch of caramelized sugar that borderlines the path of cloying but remains along the spectrum of balance.
Mouthfeel is rich, medium-full bodied, slight thinness like the OG started off very high but was watered down to make the volume greater. The brew starts off sweet at first with roasted malt sticking in the middle of the tongue.before fading to a gently hopped, semi-dry roastiness.
All in all, this is a British classic that shouldn't be missed. There are other styles emulated by the Americans that I feel have gone a step above this pioneer of Imperial Stouts but consider this the "Old Guard" of the style that should be revisited every now and again out of respect, if not for the delicious aromas and flavors.

Serving type: bottle

10-19-2006 00:30:50 | More by weeare138

Zorro

California

4.78/5  rDev +14.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a dark black brew, this is in fact clear, IF! You have a 500-watt bulb to hold it up too.

Smell is sweet and malty, reminds me of a doppel bock. Solid fruitiness to this beer, and a touch of sourness. Toffee and brown sugar smells are here too. There is a solid chocolate smell to this.

Taste is very rich, to many flavors to catch on the first taste, strong chocolate flavor. Complex toffee, and then smoke and then, milk, and then coffee and then chocolate. Caramel is in here, Vanilla, Nuts, and many more. A VERY big brew.

Mouthfeel is thick like I like it.

Very drinkable to me, but will probably kill a Budweiser fan. A Master brew unlike the "Hop Monsters" that just overplay a single aspect. GREAT brews have 10-20-30+ Different dimensions of excellence, not just one. I like this company’s Oatmeal stout a bit better than this one, but this is a world class brew none the less.

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2004 04:15:15 | More by Zorro

Kegatron

Pennsylvania

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

12 oz bottle into a pint glass.

Pours a deep cola brown, with a couple fingers of milk chocolate head. This retains with a nice looking thin creaminess, leaving back a thick cascade of lacing that hangs in sticky rings around the sides of the glass. The aroma smells of coffee, chocolate, toffee, ripe earthy citrus, dark fruit and just a smidge of alcohol. This has a nice smoky twang in the nostrils.

The taste is more of the same, with smoky roasted coffee flavor, dark fruit, chocolate, tangy caramel notes and earthy green citrus. The overall flavor profile here is equal parts ripe stickiness and bitter roast on the palate. This is dry and burnt feeling on the finish. The mouthfeel is fuller to full bodied, with some crispness on the tongue that then gives way to a big chewy thickness that fills the mouth. The alcohol presence is very well hid, with just a touch of spicy dryness that lingers on the tongue a bit after each sip.

This is one of those beers that after you finally have it, you wonder where it’s been the whole time! This was just a really nice take on an English Imperial Stout with a well balanced complexity to it and a solid chewy feel in the mouth that feels bitter than its only 7% ABV. I will be returning to this down the road.

Serving type: bottle

08-07-2012 14:27:50 | More by Kegatron

Viggo

Ontario (Canada)

4.18/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Was really looking forward to trying this one. Poured from a 550 ml bottle, very black with a light beige head and minimal lacing. Smells very sweet and malty with a heavy alcohol presence. Tastes like it smells, heavy, thick and sweet with alcohol and a bitter finish. Very thick and chewy. I enjoyed this one, but I found it very sweet so the drinkability was knocked down some. Recommended though.

Serving type: bottle

12-07-2004 22:26:26 | More by Viggo

Rifugium

Pennsylvania

4.22/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

First had: bottle from Total Wine, Cherry Hill, NJ

Pours a dark cola brown-black with bronzed tints, and a pillowy beige head. Roasty malt aroma, sugary, with coffee notes. More dark roasted malts in the taste, molasses, licorice, coffee bitterness. Not quite full-bodied, but quite rich and tasty, and a very drinkable stout.

Serving type: bottle

06-17-2011 21:10:57 | More by Rifugium

Bighuge

Minnesota

4.5/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 5

This near opaque brew throws out a thin creamy brown head that retains nicely. This Imperial has a sweet toffee-like aroma mixed in with the usual roasted and burnt tones. The body of this beer is a little light for an Imperial Stout in my opinion (as is the a/v which is a mere 7%). The body is medium at best. However, this lends to a very easily drinkable Imperial Stout. There are no hints of alcohol in the taste. And the taste is very pleasant. Nice chocolate tones. Nice bittersweet tones. Nice subdued burnt malt flavor. And some bitterness to boot. Dark fruits surface halfway through and molasses seems to be mixing things up a bit too. A highly drinkable and flavorful Imperial Stout. Things could get messy if you lined up a few 4 packs of this for me.

Serving type: bottle

08-12-2002 21:33:02 | More by Bighuge

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

3.65/5  rDev -12.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

The very first RIS I ever drank.

A deep dark black, not the used oil you might see recently, but before those kinds of beers, this was about the darkest.

Smell, too much alcohol in the nose, especially for only 7%. Taste, nice, coffee, choco licorice. Mouthfeel, gets rid of the alcohol smell blast, some toffee or something along for the ride. Drinkable, but a little pricey. Too much dark fruit notes, alcohol for my tastes these days.

Serving type: bottle

02-09-2010 22:01:08 | More by Beerandraiderfan

corby112

Pennsylvania

3.25/5  rDev -22.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Serving type: bottle.

Pours a dark black color with a thick coffee-colored head. Aroma of malty chocolate, roasted coffee and toast. Flavor is similar to aroma with lots of roasted chocolate maltiness, caramel, coffe, toffe and oatmeal. A bit watered down though with a dry finish.

Serving type: bottle

11-28-2008 07:43:57 | More by corby112

lacqueredmouse

Australia

4.5/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Lovely cascade out of the bottle, a very dark black-blood-red hue, just giving a glimmer of ruby when held to light. Head is a creamy crest of beige bubbles. Good lacing. Just delicious looking.

Dark chocolate-sweet notes on the nose. Not huge but tasty and sweet. Hints of something slightly tannic as well, like tea leaves or red wine cork. Nice.

Very solid, roasted and smoky characters on the palate. Dark and bitter - everything implies fire and charcoal, except that it has this wonderful airy sweetness that never drags it right down. Back palate is quite ashy, but in a pleasant drinkable dryness. Mouthfeel is creamy and thick, but with a pleasant levity. Very nice.

Extremely drinkable, despite the darkness. Just creamy, rich, sweet, and slick. A superbly balanced and extremely well made brew. This beer cements Samuel Smith's reputation for me.

Serving type: bottle

03-26-2009 07:16:20 | More by lacqueredmouse

DoubleJ

California

4.4/5  rDev +5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

550 ml bottle purchased from BevMo, on to the beer:

Poured inot a Guinness pint glass, the appearance is black with brownish hues on the edges and a thick tan head on top the body. The aroma has a pinch of alcohol, then followed by smoked chocolate and coffee. The taste begins sweet and smokey like tobacco and cocoa. There's some roasted characeter as well in the form of sweet malt. Alcohol is a little heavier than expectations, which makes things a little fruity. There's some chocolate fudge cake that appears briefly before being knocked down. The ABV is on the low-end for RIS's, but this beer has a full bodied taste that should be respected with slow sips.

Serving type: bottle

01-23-2008 23:09:04 | More by DoubleJ

glid02

Georgia

4.4/5  rDev +5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Got this from Green's in Atlanta.

Pours a black color that has a dark brown fringe when held up to the light. Head is about one-finger of milk chocolate colored foam. Head recedes slowly until there are patches with different thicknesses. There's a thick ring around the glass throughout. Really good looking beer.

Smells good. Very biscuity with a tiny amount of roasted aroma while it's cold. As it warms there are more and more dark fruit aromas.

Tastes great. A biscuity malt is most prevalent in the beginning, with the dark fruit taste taking over as the beer warms. As the fruit taste becomes more apparent so too does a tinge of sourness. There's a solid bitter finish throughout. Not even the slightest hint of alcohol.

Mouthfeel is good. Thickness is great with a good grainy carbonation. Goes down very smoothly.

Drinkability is up there. This does not taste like 7%. I think it's a bit more drinkable when it's colder, the biscuit flavors are smoother than the dark fruits.

Overall this is a great deal. It's not as robust as other RIS's - it's all about the subtlety, but everything works perfectly together. Definitely worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

09-07-2008 02:49:10 | More by glid02

wl0307

United Kingdom (England)

4.38/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Revisiting this lovely ale 3 years since my last encounter; BB 05/2009, served cool in a tulip-shaped sniffer (Gulden Draak's branded glass). NOTE: the packaging has changed from the clear bottle to the dark brown one now - good to see some improvement with presentation!

A: pours a jet black hue, coming with a well-lasting tan frothy head and very light carbonation.
S: oily and thick, full of dark malts' aroma but shy of more pronounced coffee-ish aroma - jammy plums (but not sweet), fat black prunes, a faint touch of licorice, focused edge of oily black syrup, gristy malts, a fine touch of lightly toasted nuts and Fuggles hops. Deep, semi-complex, oily and malty.
T: not as thick as the nose suggests, the foretaste is soothingly carbonated, packed of toasted walnuts, fat black prunes, burned malts, grassiness, then a wave of delicious prune-ish and winey fruitiness expands along with earthy hop bitterness that intensifies to render a semi-dry palate, while black malts and a rather light roasty hint lend a bit more complexities in the end.
M&D: soft on the carbonation and pretty fresh for the full flavour. The consistent, mildly winey-sour hint becomes almost the most important key to connect different flavour elements. Comparing this bottle with my previous notes, I can say that the performance this time is equally good overall. Delicious, lighter than the abv. suggests, even quaffable!

* Tasting Date: 19/05/06
Got this bottle at just 1.79 pounds at the Nelson Wines, South Wimbledon, London. Bargain! Served cool in a large Burgundy bulb wine glass.
4.5 A: jet black hue; the effervescent tan beer head comes creamy and tightly frothy, only slowly settling while tight and even sheets of lacing emerge on the tracks... Elegant!
4.5 S: sour-sweet and "jammy" dark fruits (raisins+prunes+dried longan-fruits) prevail upfront... leather-ish, chewy and slightly roasty dark maltiness gradually join force, resulting in a "sticky plum pudding"-ish aroma with coconut-shavings on the top; an impossible-to-miss and profound treacle-ish note stays deep and low, which, not as thick and sweet as in other samples, rather gets a refreshing sour edge attached to it at every step. Overall, aromatic, fruity and sweet--complex and inviting~~
4.5 T: aromatic, black-sugary maltiness hits the palate upfront, backed by an intensifyingly black-prune-ish, slightly winey, and smoked fruity+malty mid-flavour; the initially creamy palate gradually turns drier and drier, where the sour-sweet, juicy, chewy and slightly woody-tannic vinous dark fruits provide a solid backbone and attach to the deep end of the palate, joined force by bits of roasted grainy elements with a tinge of licorice lingering towards the very end.
4.5 M&4.5 D: velvety smooth yet full-bodied for a 7%abv. Imperial Stout, without falling thick or hard on alc.; the softly carbonated body is ideal, which, along with a constant sour-fruitiness, keeps the thicker malty elements in check, so as to ensure a balanced palate. Slightly on the weak side for a preferably heavier roasted-malt input and also aromatic hoppy presence. But if one places this beer alongside Harvey's Imperial Russian Stout, there's an idea how a genuine English "RIS" might have tasted some hundred years ago... For me this Imperial Stout is utterly easy-drinking in this category--really worth seeking out this one! (Yet I still don't get why SS can't make it bottle-conditioned?)

Serving type: bottle

06-12-2009 19:35:04 | More by wl0307