Founders Imperial Stout - Founders Brewing Company

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BA SCORE
97
world-class
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3,218 Ratings

rAvg: 4.38
pDev: 8.9%
Reviews: 1403
Hads: 1815

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Brewed by:
Founders Brewing Company

Michigan, United States

Style | ABV
Russian Imperial Stout | 10.50% ABV

Availability: Winter. bottle (1325), on-tap (67), growler (9), nitro-tap (2).

Notes:
90 IBU

View: Beers (65) | Reviews (220) | Events (0)

Reviews

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Reviews by erickehoe:

erickehoe

Michigan

3.78/5 rDev -13.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

12 oz. bottle poured into snifter. Bottle date: 11/28/12.

Appearance: Mimeograph colored medieval-style crest on the front of the bottle. Pours like motor oil with bubbly coffee colored head. Little lacing. Attractive first impression.

Smell: A little smoke, alcohol, toasted/roasted cereal, bourbon. Definite scalded milk.

Taste: Rich and deep. Layered; starts smooth, some faint grassy notes. Malty, but the alcohol pervades. Dark bitter chocolate. Finishes with heat and an earthy bitterness that cleanses the palate better than any imperial stout I've tasted. A little rubbing alcohol in there?

Mouthfeel: smooth first sip, creamy, heavy. Alcohol bite at the end. Coats the mouth nicely.

Overall: A lot of complex flavors and interesting turns. Grassy notes? Hmm. Great lingering mouthfeel, typical of the style. A little too much alcohol flavor, however. Towards the end of the bottle I tasted rubbing alcohol. But the complexities and balance make up for that.

There are definitely better imperial stouts out there, but the fact that this is Founders automatically gives it an advantage to some. Give me 5 years, and I'll report back with the 2nd of 4 bottles.

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2013 23:59:46 | More by erickehoe

More User Reviews:

AaronBricking

Kentucky

4.75/5 rDev +8.4%

05-23-2013 05:04:40 | More by AaronBricking

dar482

New York

4.49/5 rDev +2.5%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

Bottle on neck says the beer was bottled on 12/6/12.

The color is a pitch black stout color with a chocolate brown half finger head. The head lingers, good amount of lacing on the glass. Beautiful color on the head.

The aroma has roasted malt, coffee, and deep rich chocolate fudge. It’s a very delicious chocolate aroma. There’s a bit of dark fruit in there.

The flavor is deep and rich. The first hit is just of dark roasted espresso, which leaves an aftertaste that salivates the mouth and asking for more. There’s also a dark bitter chocolate. However, the big flavor is that bitter espresso or French roasted coffee. It’s quite smokey at times. It’s almost like charcoal with how deep and burnt the flavor is.

As the beer warms up, you get some deep rich dark fruits like cherries or raisins, much like a Belgian strong dark ale.

The mouthfeel is just luscious and viscous, almost like drinking hot chocolate. It’s very creamy and the alcohol does not come through at all.

This is quite an exceptional beer, but for those who are interested in deep dark flavors. The bitterness in this does not let up. This is a good addition to Founders incredible line of beers. It pushes towards KBS instead of Breakfast Stout. I can definitely find some similarities between this and KBS, despite this not being the base beer.

For some, this would be too roasted, smokey, or almost burnt. I still think this is a wonderful beer, though I prefer a beer with more finesse or balance like Stone Russian Imperial.

Serving type: bottle

05-23-2013 04:17:54 | More by dar482

4balance

Oklahoma

4.5/5 rDev +2.7%

05-23-2013 02:12:48 | More by 4balance

Bauzen

New York

4.28/5 rDev -2.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Black as night, thick as motor oil. Head is tan, there isn't much of it.

Smells of roasted malt, chocolate, and molases.

Slightly bitter, very thick, and pretty much a meal in a bottle. This is the kind of beer that warms you up on a cold night, but drinks as easy as a hot chocolate without being 'flavored'. The hops add to the body and the texture, keep things smooth and buttery. Very little of the initial bitterness remains in the finish, instead, the heat from the 10.5% ABV gives you a tingle on the palate.

Overall, it leaves something to be desired from other comparable offerings from Founders, but it certainly stands its ground as an exceptional Russian Imperial.

Serving type: bottle

05-23-2013 01:30:44 | More by Bauzen