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

gr0g

New Jersey

3.75/5  rDev -10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

550ml bottle poured into a Samuel Smith pint glass. Impenetrably black in color with a nice, fat head that's about three fingers tall and leaves a fair amount of lacing. At 7%ABV, Sam Smith's Imperial Stout is diminutive compared to most current examples of the style, and the aroma reflects this. Molasses, licorice, and charred malt are among the many great aromatic notes present, but they're all too faint.

The same is true for the flavor, but in this case it's more forgivable because there's great balance and drinkability. It's quite possible to finish an entire pint, and enjoyable to boot. Great roast character, and good amounts of of bittersweet chocolate, molasses, and toffee. Nicely balanced between sweet/dry with a bitter finish. The mouthfeel is nice and weighty but could stand to be creamier.

Samuel Smith Imperial Stout is not a great RIS, but it's still a great stout. Flavorful and light enough to be paired with food without being overwhelming.

Serving type: bottle

01-23-2013 02:41:42 | More by gr0g

niday2288

Illinois

4.21/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

A-Pour is this and black with no light getting through. Head is dark tan and subsides quickly
S-Nose is molasses and sweet, roasted malt with faint hints of bittersweet chocolate
T-dark roasted malt, burnt marshmallow, coffee and caramel.
F-Taste is roasted malt and and slight hop bitterness. Other notes of toast and brown sugar.
O-One of my favorite RIS. Not as complex as the new takes in the style but an old standby that holds its own

Serving type: bottle

01-23-2013 02:32:50 | More by niday2288

Monkeyknife

Missouri

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

Poured from the bottle a deep, dark black with two fingers of creamy tan head. Tons of lacing left behind.

Aroma of of dark ripe fruit, raisins, and roasted malts.

The taste pretty much followed the aroma of dark ripe fruit, raisins, and roasted malts along with the addition of dark coffee and booze.

Full bodied and creamy with a lighter carbonation.

A nice RIS from Samuel Smith's but not amongst my favorites. A bit shallow IMO.

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2013 21:14:10 | More by Monkeyknife

mfnmbvp

Illinois

4.33/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

550 ml (1 pint) bottle poured into a Boulevard tulip glass. No bottled on date, just a code stamped on the side, which I'm not about to look up.

A - About as black as we can get it. No light shines through. The vaguest mocha colored foam disappeared within seconds of pouring. Tiny bit of alcohol wisping on the sides.

S - Raisins. Dark fruit. Alcohol. Whiskey barrels. This brew smells pretty intense.

T - Again, raisins, dark fruit, alcohol. Roasted coffee bean flavor. Tastes like some type of alcohol that I tried when I was a kid, as the taste seems to reverberate somewhere deep within my subconscious mind. I think the taste might remind me somewhat of this 18 year old bottle of Hermes Glogg that I drank last summer with some friends, which had fermented berries and nuts floating around in it, and which we all ate. Definitely some type of roasted fermented nut and dark fruit flavors are the main attraction of this beer.

M - Mouthfeel is wonderful. All the complex, subtle flavors of this brew seem to linger around for you to savor the taste of them all for a while. This is definitely one of the best stouts I have ever had, and like others have said before me, at $3.99 a bottle, this beer is so ridiculously underpriced, what are you waiting for? Pick a bottle of this up. Beers that aren't half this good are sold for twice as much money.

Overall, one of the most impressive stouts I've ever tried, and I was very impressed with the Samuel Smith's Organic Chocolate Stout also, as it was probably the best beer I've had to date. Therefore, I can't really urge you enough to go and pick up some of these fabulous beers so you can agree with me as well, because in my opinion, the fact that a 4 dollar bottle of imported beer can resemble the taste of an 18 year old bottle of wine is pretty epic in itself.

Samuel Smith's Imperial Stout ---4.5/5

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2013 05:13:06 | More by mfnmbvp

darky

South Dakota

4.71/5  rDev +12.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75

A: Opaque black. I've come to regard color as the least important factor when it comes to beer evaluation. It's a stout; It's black.

Smell: Alcohol initially... but then bread, touch of banana, hint of coffee...BEER.

Taste: Categorically, I'm not a fan of imperial stout's. THIS is by far my favorite example of the variety. While squarely an imperial stout, it has wonderful characteristics shared by some of the best Belgian quad's I've ever had. Subtle banana and bread, with the addition of coffee, none of which get overpowered by the elevated ABV. Very well balanced.

M: Parks itself firmly on the tongue. 'nuff said. Wonderful.

O: As I said, my favorite example of an Imperial Stout with a flavor profile exceeding it's price tag. A no-brainer selection if you find yourself indecisive at your beer retailer of choice.

Serving type: bottle

01-18-2013 04:31:34 | More by darky

SometimesIfart

Michigan

3.21/5  rDev -23.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

A - Pours pitch black with a thing mocha head. Leaves no lacing.

S - Bitter dark coffee, roasted malt, alcohol.

T - Medium coffee, roasted malt, a bit of lactose.

M - Slick oily body with moderate carbonation.

O - Overall, I'd say this was closer to a regular stout than an RIS. I'm simply not a fan of this brewery. It was pretty average.

Serving type: bottle

01-14-2013 21:32:42 | More by SometimesIfart

sethcroisant

Nebraska

4.63/5  rDev +10.5%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75

A- 2 fingers of a dark, foamy head. sticks well to the side of the glass. even after several minutes, there's enough head left to where none of the actual beer can be detected, from a birds-eye view.

S- very fruity and sugary. alcohol is detectable right after and is very prevalent. hardly any roasted malts come through in it's scent.

M- incredible mouthfeel. feels better on the palate than maybe any beer i've had. very frothy and dense.

T- the fruitiness and alcohol are back and show up first. those flavors slowly fade after a few seconds and the roasted malts slowly grow into place. hints of chocolate, bread malts and coffee linger.

O- very interesting. one of my favorite beers to sip on. strangely, but magnificently unique.

Serving type: bottle

01-11-2013 22:01:01 | More by sethcroisant

beerme626

Kentucky

4.65/5  rDev +11%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bottle from Beltway liquors in Baltimore, poured in a weizen glass.

A: Very nice. Dark chocolate brown, with beautiful two-and-a-half head. Enticing.

S: Rich roasted malt. Nice.

T: Super tasty roasted malts, hints of chocolate. Superior stout taste.

M: Full, thick, without being sticky

O: An excellent beer. Even with a general distaste for Russian stouts, I really enjoyed this.

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2013 22:50:04 | More by beerme626

DaveBlack

Virginia

4.65/5  rDev +11%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: Dark as they come, with a finger and a 1/2 of fluffy tan head.

S: Incredibly chocolaty, dark fruit, espresso, and molasses. Really a great, rich smelling beer.

T: Complex, delicious brew. A lot of flavors going on in this beer. Rich chocolate, espresso, prunes, dark fruit, roasted malts, lemon rind, a slight oaky, smoky flavor and something reminiscent of soy sauce. All of these flavors are playing so well together, making this much more interesting than the average stout.

M: Not as heavy as I was expecting. Relatively medium body, with a rich, creamy texture. Low carbonation.

O: Great, complex stout. There's so much going on, but the flavors don't fight with each other, but work together. Lemon rind in espresso, soy sauce, typical stout flavors. They all compliment. Really a beer worth seeking out.

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2012 03:51:26 | More by DaveBlack

TheDinger

South Carolina

4.25/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from bottle into a pint glass. Great looking motor oil black pour with an inviting 1+ finger of mocca head. Retention was nice and decent lacing . Smell was true to RIS form. Deep/dark fruits (raisins, figs, molasses) with a bit of chocolate and coffee on the end. Not very strong on the nose, but adequate. Taste was very smooth with the blend of the fruits that faded into the coffee characters. A little burnt wood, earthy note to close out. Nice subtle hop aftertaste to keep you coming back for more. Feel was a bit light for a RIS. A bit on the watery side, but this improved as the beer warmed. Overall- I had heard great things about Samuel Smith and it didn't disappoint. I found this to be a very spot on RIS. Loved the combination of big dark fruits and hints of coffee and chocolate. Complex and tasty. A definite must try and perfect for a cold December evening-

Serving type: bottle

12-22-2012 15:14:00 | More by TheDinger

sevenarts

New York

4.08/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: Deep black with a hint of brown at the edges. Generous tan head that sticks around a bit and leaves behind nice strong bands of lacing.

S: Dark fruits, chocolate, molasses, lots of big roasty malt flavors. Smells real sweet and smokey.

T/M: Real big flavor. Kind of fruity at first, with plums and raisins, then some burnt woody flavors and bittersweet chocolate. Body is only moderate for a stout, it could stand to be a little thicker or creamier.

O: A great, rich, flavorful stout. Loses a little bit on the body/mouthfeel but otherwise this is just all around tasty. A lot of these Samuel Smith beers have a similar flavor profile, and with that in mind I'd probably go for the Oatmeal Stout or Taddy Porter over this, but it's still very good.

Serving type: bottle

12-12-2012 00:40:31 | More by sevenarts

Huhzubendah

District of Columbia

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

I've wanted to try this beer for a long time. Finally enjoying a mug of this while watching football. Ahh...

The beer is black with an inch of oily beige head. Lasting retention and plenty of lacing. The aroma offers molasses, malt, roast, dark chocolate. The flavor is chocolaty and rich with molasses and hints of dark fruit. The feel is velvety smooth and creamy with some light bitterness in the finish. Overall, this was solid and tasty. I would buy this again.

Serving type: bottle

12-02-2012 22:38:19 | More by Huhzubendah

Etan

Illinois

3.3/5  rDev -21.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3

500ml into a pint glass.

A: Pours black with a nice light tan head. Good lacing.

S: Thick dried fruits dominate the nose - raisins, molasses, caramel.

T: Light dried peach, muted coffee and cocoa, roasted grain. Very dry.

M: Creamy, medium-bodied.

O: This beer is much too dry and muted, and the Sam Smith house yeast character almost totally eclipses the malt. Probably my least favorite Samuel Smith beer so far.

Serving type: bottle

11-24-2012 03:52:35 | More by Etan

h_lupulus

4.43/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Samuel Smith's Imperial Stout is a deep black beer and a good coat of beige foam intense, creamy and good length.

The aroma is sweet, roasted coffee presence, will appreciate nuances of chocolate. The malts are very present and overlay hops.

The flavor is sweet, shows the presence of coffee and chocolate, the end of the drink is stronger and more bitter.

The aftertaste is sweet not too durable. It has a low carbon and is well integrated alcholo.

Imperial Stout A very well made, tasty and very rich, highly recommended.

Serving type: bottle

11-14-2012 15:02:42 | More by h_lupulus

mooseo

Pennsylvania

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

550ml bottle into tulip.

A - Dark black brown with a large tan head.

S - Roasted malt, molasses, dark chocolate, slight dark fruit.

T - A wonderful mix of sweet roasted malt, caramel, chocolate, plum, and black cherries. Light earthy hops lend balance. Finishes slightly bitter with burnt malts, coffee, and dark fruit.

M - Exceptionally smooth and soft. Medium bodied. Dry finish.

O - A nice complex imperial stout with good balance. The plum and black cherry gives a distinct character to the beer. Very drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

11-11-2012 04:21:35 | More by mooseo

Ranz

Texas

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

A: In my snifter, this thing poured a ridiculous amount of head that looks more like mousse. Black as sin in color, it has that beautiful look any imperial stout ought to have.

S: Milky malts, french coffee, and slight caramel notes waft first. It's actually got a nice acridity to it. Is there even the faintest hint of lemongrass, too?

T: Roasted malt, toffee, earthy barley and spelt, all leading to a nice creamy thickness at the end.

M: It lingers on the palate, and it's smooth as butter going down.

O: This is pretty solid, and I got it for cheap at my local Central Market. This might have to be a go-to stout.

Serving type: bottle

11-11-2012 01:45:15 | More by Ranz

jwhancher

Pennsylvania

4.58/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Poured into tulip glass. Looks black with rocky tannish-brown head. Smells roasty with notes of molasses, coffee, vanilla, cocoa & dark cherries. Tastes great with waves of chocolate and vanilla. Nice lucious mouthfeel - tastes like a grown up milkshake. Just superb. Nice sharp hop bite which evens out malt sweetness. Does have an odd smell that's appealing in the same regard. Maybe treacle or old dusty wood. Seems to have some wood character but I'm not even sure if this was aged in barrels or not. A great brew nonetheless. Glad to have finally tried this one.

Serving type: bottle

10-29-2012 02:25:42 | More by jwhancher

Goblinmunkey7

Massachusetts

2.98/5  rDev -28.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Appearance: Relatively clear super dark brown. Almost black. Pours with a higher than expected carbonation. Head is tan, wispy, and bubbly after a few seconds. Drops to a tiny cap with some points of lacing. Looks a but thin overall.

Smell: Sweet, chewy, burnt chocolate, but more sweet than burnt. Loaded with dark fruit. Plums, ripe cherry, even fig. Super fruity. Lingering alcohol on the back. Hints of vanilla and something that reminds me of oak, but it can't be. Mild earthiness buried in the back. Chocolate malts. Loads of roasted barley. Vague sense of minerals from the water. Soy sauce.

Taste: Roasted. Sharp snap of cocoa and burnt malt. Some minor sweetness. Roasted barley. Chocolate edge is so bitter it's almost acrid. Mineral. Rocks and some sense of earthy hops. Some dark fruit (mostly cherry) mixed with soy sauce and some caramelized sugars. Vaguely nutty. Burnt and sweet as it warms. So much barley.

Mouthfeel: Significantly thinner than I would expect. Carbonation is high and contributes to a body that runs on the light side of medium. Lingering dryness.

Overall: Are we sure this is imperial?

Trying not to compare this to the absurd American Imperial Stout/American RIS is hard. This drinks thinner than most standard American stouts and the British water and yeast are distracting.

Serving type: bottle

10-27-2012 20:45:51 | More by Goblinmunkey7

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

flyingpig

United Kingdom (Scotland)

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

Dark and thick looking black with a two finger sized, bubbly head that is a tanned brown colour and slowly reduces in sized leave a pinky sized, slightly more foamy looking head than before.

Strong chocolate, cocoa and roasted malts to kick things off giving the beer a rather rich and slightly sweet aroma. There is some sugar and a background fruits. There is some raisins too.

A rich and sweet blend of chocolate and roasted malts with a warming alcohol taste and some coffee backing this up. There is a little brown sugar, figs and raisins giving a fruity flavour to the middle of the beer with the finish being quite chocolatey again.

Medium to full with a rich and warming alcohol feel and plenty of depth. There is a creaminess to the beer with a light bitter finish and low carbonation overall.

One of the better stouts that I have tried. Obviously not as strong as the Brooklyn Double Chocolate but it did remind me of it a little. Creamy, rich and warming together with good drinkability and and a nice depth to it. Towards the end it seemed a little stronger than the 7% abv. suggested but it was a very nice drink and one that I would have again.

Serving type: bottle

10-13-2012 13:19:29 | More by flyingpig

VncentLIFE

North Carolina

4/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Now this smells sweet. Sweet slick malts dominate, doesnt even smell like a stout at all. Lots of creaminess and sweet lactose. Almost reminds me of a milk stout.

The flavor, is well a British take on a Black Ale. Super sweet plums, thick lactose sweetness, and a bit of a tingle from the carbonation. I love how the British malts really make the bitterness go away. There is a touch of bitterness, but its not a bad thing.

This thing is drinkable, and feels slick and sweet.

Serving type: bottle

10-03-2012 22:51:24 | More by VncentLIFE

beesy

Ohio

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

Poured from a 550ml bottle into a Stone CaliBelvique. No bottle date to be found but assuming at least a year as it was sitting in the back of a Giant Eagle cooler.

A - pours a fairly clear brown that builds to an opaque black in the glass. A somewhat rocky, frothy head of three fingers deep and medium brown colored builds and maintains for the entire glass. Some lacing exists.

S - chocolate, roasty, sweet, fruity, molasses, brown sugar

T - maybe a touch oxidized but wow - a nice compliment of many stouty profiles. It's fairly sweet throughout with. Fair amount of yeast fruitiness. It's slightly roasty with a fair amount of chocolate. Surprisingly malty. A roasty bitterness exists on the back end.

M - full bodied but very creamy and lucious. I think this bottle is a few years old and hence the mouthfeel is just starting to water down.

D - fairly easy to drink for being full flavored.

Overall. Damn fine stout I was glad to try. Creamy, roasty and chocolaty with a nice English yeast makes it tasty.

Serving type: bottle

10-03-2012 02:58:45 | More by beesy

keithmurray

Louisiana

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

Appearance - dark brown color with mocha color head

Smell - chocolate, fudge brownie, hint of soy sauce

taste - chocolate, roasted coffee, tootsie roll, fudge brownie

mouthfeel - smooth and sweet beverage upfront, medium bodied, medium carbonation, this is a solid beer without being heavy,aftertaste is almost better that the front, the flavors linger on this nicely too, I love the back of the body on this, that whole tootsie roll/fudge brownie taste that lingers makes me yearn for another sip, no booziness is apparent

overall - this is a classic right here, probably how the style is supposed to be done, without all of the boozy heaviness that is present with other entrants of the style

Price Point - $9.99/4pk 12oz bottles

Serving type: bottle

09-29-2012 23:36:05 | More by keithmurray

gunther1205

4.65/5  rDev +11%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Really good beer. Pretty big fan of stouts and this was one of the better ones I have had. Nice strong flavour with a great aftertaste. Would recommend this to any looking to try a good stout. Nice alcohol content, nothing too strong, but enough for you to know that its not a non-alcoholic.

Serving type: bottle

09-29-2012 02:14:02 | More by gunther1205

claspada

New Jersey

3.85/5  rDev -8.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a dark brown color with about a inch worth of tan colored foam sitting on top.
Dark ruby hues along the edges with some spotty lacing as the head recedes.

Aromas begin with chocolate and roasted malts for the most part, with some definite dark fruit notes. As it warms you get hints of toffee and perhaps a little bit of caramel.

The tastes begin with roasted barley maltiness with touches of unsweetened chocolate and caramel. As it warms you get some slight fruity undertones in the background.

The mouthfeel is medium bodied with medium carbonation. Finish is semi-dry with a typical English yeast fruity, metallic twang in the finish.

Overall this is a good example of an English style Imperical Stout. It was not very robust and would not stand up against some of the other heavyweights in its style. However, I feel it does have a nice place there as a good "sessionable" RIS. By no means Samuel Smith's best offering (seek out Oatmeal Stout and Nut Brown over this for sure).

Serving type: bottle

09-28-2012 17:14:44 | More by claspada