Ultradestroyer Imperial Licorice Stout
Howe Sound Inn & Brewing Company

Ultradestroyer Imperial Licorice StoutUltradestroyer Imperial Licorice Stout
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From:
Howe Sound Inn & Brewing Company
 
British Columbia, Canada
Style:
American Imperial Stout
Ranked #1,766
ABV:
10%
Score:
88
Ranked #14,109
Avg:
3.93 | pDev: 13.23%
Reviews:
58
Ratings:
155
Status:
Active
Rated:
Nov 03, 2022
Added:
Jan 08, 2011
Wants:
  25
Gots:
  27
Formerly Megadestroyer Imperial Licorice Stout
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by FondueVoodoo:
Photo of FondueVoodoo
Reviewed by FondueVoodoo from Canada (BC)

4.45/5  rDev +13.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
A: Pours jet black with 1 finger of light tan head which dissipates into a thin cap. No light passes through even well held directly to the light.

S: Big blooms of black dutch liquorice with deeply toasted malt. Notes of cocoa powder, roasted coffee and the scent of sassafras, what you would find in root beer.

T: Taste follows the smell, black liquorice followed by cocoa and roasted coffee. Finish is very smooth with a slight bitterness left on the tongue, reminiscent of grapefruit rind.

M: Full bodied and oily smooth.

O: This is a well balanced stout, liquorice is very evident but not overpowering allowing the other flavours of bittersweet chocolate, roasted malts and coffee to come through. Alcohol is barely noticeable. A very enjoyable sipping beer. Will be buying a second to store and try again next winter.
Apr 07, 2012
More User Ratings:
Photo of TooManyGlasses
Reviewed by TooManyGlasses from Canada (AB)

4.07/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
16 ounce can of Megadestroyer (so a couple years old as now called Ultradestroyer). Last time I had was in a 1 litre bottle.
Pours a deep clear black with a half finger of mocha coloured head.
Aroma has a bit of cocoa, tobacco, but without a doubt the dominant aroma is of the licorice and anise.
Taste follows with anise, black licorice (and yes I like black licorice which I have learned is a divisive flavour), though not overpoweringly so; some coffee note, a faint caramel malt note, dark cocoa bitterness and a boozy kick.
Moderately full bodied though not thick, with decent carbonation and a warming booziness trickling down the esophagus.
Not a beer I would jump to daily, but an occasional nice sipper with a unique character.
Nov 03, 2022
 
Rated: 4.21 by JakerLou from New Hampshire

Apr 29, 2020
Photo of ChrisHLikesBeer
Reviewed by ChrisHLikesBeer from Canada (BC)

4.56/5  rDev +16%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Probably one of my all time top 5 beers. Dark, rich, huge black licorice smell and taste, yet incredibly smooth and not harsh at all, even though the alcohol content is so high. Even the higher IBU's go unnoticed here, (to me anyways) Definitely an acquired taste and you better like licorice, but overall just an astounding beer!
Apr 02, 2020
 
Rated: 4.53 by Shintetsuken from Canada (BC)

Jan 31, 2020
 
Rated: 4 by HKFrostyLips from Rhode Island

Apr 03, 2019
Photo of ChrisHBC
Reviewed by ChrisHBC from Canada (BC)

4.5/5  rDev +14.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Probably my favorite beer right now. I typically don't like higher alcohol beers, but this one just seems to go down so smooth, without that slightly harsh alcohol kick some others have. The licorice smell is stronger than the taste, though it is still the dominant factor, but it also seems to smooth everything out too...I you like black licorice you have to try it.
Just an update....the 2021 batch tasted really harsh and lacked depth when I first tried it just a month or so after its release. Please know it ages well in the can, smooths out, taste intensifies, just seems to get better and better with age. Just had one that is over a year old from my fridge and it was Amazing.
Mar 06, 2019
Photo of ChrisCage
Reviewed by ChrisCage from Canada (AB)

4.42/5  rDev +12.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
A- This one pours with a big frothy tan colored head that has an excellent retention....settling into a puffy dense cloud of foam that is a good two fingers thick after settling! The brew itself is an almost black color....deep dark brown for sure and is very opaque in nature....light is not escaping this one! Lacing is thick and modestly sticky, with small patches clinging to the inside of the glass. Overall this has a decent look!

S- Right away I get a whiff of the advertised black licorice, but it has a sweeter aroma that reminds me of the syrup used in a milkshake that i like getting from a local ice cream shop! Following this up are more traditional smells of milk chocolate, black coffee, dry toasty malts, perhaps some burnt brown sugar and really not a whole lot of anything else. Smells dessert like for sure!

T- The licorice is there, but is much softer on the palate than the aromas would have suggested....for this i'm actually quite happy! Sweet cooked brown sugars/molasses and a toffee richness round things out here....the finish lingers heavily on the palate long after the swallow and is sticky sweet, yet dry astringent black malt bitterness....it's interesting to say the least but nothing that I don't like about it flavorwise.

M/O- Creamy medium/full in body, and the carbonation is quite smooth on the palate, giving this complex stout time to coat the tongue with heavy flavor. Im surprised at how hidden the alcohol is on this one and is actually quite a social brew for such a big beer. I have always liked these Howe Sound offerings and think this one is right up there in terms of quality and uniqueness! Cheers!
Feb 03, 2019
 
Rated: 4.04 by sdm9465 from Canada (NS)

Jan 20, 2019
Photo of polloenfuego
Reviewed by polloenfuego from Canada (NB)

3.63/5  rDev -7.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
This is one I probably should have passed on, as I do not normally like licorice or anise. This beer is full on with both of these ingredients. It is a good beer, but I just found those flavors overpowering, and there was not much else that I could discern from this beer. Admittedly, this is more my fault than the beers fault, so I would encourage folks to give it a try.
Nov 02, 2018
 
Rated: 3.85 by RickyBfromCT from Connecticut

May 26, 2018
 
Rated: 4 by paulish from New York

Feb 26, 2018
 
Rated: 4.5 by 1971bernat from Virginia

Jan 01, 2018
Photo of filthyhabits
Reviewed by filthyhabits from New York

4.03/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.5
Considering I enjoy black licorice and molasses, I thought I'd give this a try. First pour looked good, pouring smooth with no head until halfway through, then forming a nice, thick beige. A very dark stout indeed.

Smell is mostly licorice and molasses, somewhat like the cookies made with the same ingredients.
One would think that this might have that somewhat heavy and dark stout taste, but it is actually mellow and very smooth, with overlapping overtones of licorice and molasses, with a nice malt to round it out.

Overall a good stout (if you enjoy the ingredients), a smooth drinker, albeit at times too smooth if you don't mind the ABV.
Oct 22, 2017
 
Rated: 4.19 by rab53 from Washington

Aug 24, 2017
 
Rated: 4 by AaronLamb from Canada (AB)

Jun 12, 2017
Photo of opieo
Rated by opieo from Virginia

3.99/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Black, thick, no carbonation from my bottle. Licorice was heavy. Burnt grains. Don't think i could drink this often. A bit too sweet for me.
Mar 05, 2017
Photo of ScruffySouthpaw
Reviewed by ScruffySouthpaw from New York

4.11/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Served in a snifter glass from the bottle. Appearance: Somewhat thin body for an imperial stout, heavy dark colored brown to black body with a tan head rising maybe half a finger's length. Drops quick to nada after two sips or so with sticky lacing. It's missing a bit of body which I looking for or I would've scored a bit higher.

Smell: Seriously smalls like dessert, brown sugar and molasses.

Taste: Sweet sugar and licorice, complex bitterness which definitely adds quite a unique flavor to imperial stouts.

Mouth: Sticky brew after it warms up, thin body with medium to heavy carbonation.

Overall: great pickup, gave me more than what I asked for. Drink with lust my friends. Salud!
Mar 01, 2017
 
Rated: 3.78 by Gkruszewski from New York

Dec 05, 2016
Photo of avalon07
Reviewed by avalon07 from South Carolina

3.85/5  rDev -2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
L: Poured from a bottle to a pint glass. Had a black color and a thick consistency. There was a massive, foamy, tan-colored, long-lasting head. Pretty good lacing.

S: A fair aroma of malt, licorice, dark fruit, molasses, and a little bit of chocolate.

T: Tasted of a good shot of the advertised licorice, some light malt notes, a bit of dark fruit (plums and raisins, in particular), a hint of molasses, and very definite boozy quality. This is an interesting flavor, but it's certainly flawed. Its booziness is a little overpowering, but the other elements are not bad.

F: A good amount of carbonation with a smooth finish. Medium-bodied.

O: While this beer has its flaws, it's nonetheless drinkable. A big, interesting beer.
Nov 09, 2016
Ultradestroyer Imperial Licorice Stout from Howe Sound Inn & Brewing Company
Beer rating: 88 out of 100 with 155 ratings