Founders Imperial Stout - Founders Brewing Company

JohnnyChicago

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev -3%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 64oz growler into a snifter.

A: This is about as perfect a picture an RIS can paint. Pours like melted black chocolate and forms a beautiful brown head that refuses to fall. Beautiful.

S: Rich chocolate and maltiness. Hops are citruscy, medicinal and earthy.

T: Bakers chocolate, tobacco, toffee. Hops are big here and balance the rediculous malt flavours very nicely.

D: For a beer this big, the does not drink like it. Mouthfeel is full and velvety.

Overall: This is a remarkably good beer. One thing you can say about Founders is that they know their stouts. Smooth and balanced, yet assertive and extreme. Damned good beer.

note: I also had this in bottles. I saw no change between the two containers; same great beer.

Serving type: growler

01-27-2012 23:57:04 | More by JohnnyChicago

DoubleSimcoe

New York

4.6/5  rDev +5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Founders Imperial Stout, one of my favorite beers of all time. 64-oz growler filled at New Beer in Manhattan for $18 plus tax.

Appearance: I love how this looks and pours, thick and intense and rich. The way every Imperial Stout should look! Black and dense, with just over one finger of café-con-leche head. Good retention, beautiful lacing.

Smell: Roasty-toasty goodness! Kalamata olives, smooth anchovies, balsamic vinegar. Cold coffee, bitter chocolate, some hops… gasoline. Strange and alluring.

Taste: Follows nose, with a more pronounced chocolate and coffee taste. The savory part is still there, pickling liquid and olive oil. Smoke and a tad of wood. Prickly hops at the end and freshly-made choco truffle. A bit of booze and gasoline, reminds me of smelling gas right out of the nozzle. Fairly simple, but so outrageously delicious! I can’t get enough of this.

Mouthfeel: Smooth, creamy, rich but not overwhelming. Slightly dry at the end but not overtly so. Superb chocolaty feel all around. Full body, medium-to-full flavor and perfect carbonation. A great mouthfeel indeed.

Overall: This thing is amazing. On tap, bottle or growler… it is THE perfect example of the quintessential Imperial Stout. Drinks beautiful, tastes great, so well balanced. Hard to find a flaw. I seize any and every chance to drink Founders Imperial Stout. Had it last year on a 32-oz growler from Whole Foods Columbus Avenue, but this time around (January 2011) I liked it even better.

Serving type: growler

01-21-2012 22:50:14 | More by DoubleSimcoe

Holland

Pennsylvania

4.15/5  rDev -5.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a growler into a pint glass. Got the growler from Founders, and it traveled thousands of miles in a cooler. I taped the top with packing tape, so it had a better seal. Left it in the refrigerator for a month, had some one day and some the next. This review is from the growler, though I tried it on tap too.

A: beautifully syrupy and thick. Looked like used engine oil as the cliche goes, except it didn't have nasty sediment. The head was small, about a half inch at first, but as it warmed the lacing was nice and left bits of head on top with each sip. Not as sticky as I thought.

S: smells of wood, earthiness, roasted malts. This is certainly a malt bomb, and I love it.

T: yes, it's still a malt bomb. Here I get some chocolate and coffee, but not much. The heft of the beer taste and smell are the malts, but you can even detect some of the hop bitterness. Beautiful.

M: thick, coats your mouth nicely, and has a crisp hop to it that is almost drowned out by the roasted malts.

O: a pint is a lot to have of this, but it was worth it. It was only slightly better on tap - the growler keeps forever!

Serving type: growler

08-09-2011 16:27:33 | More by Holland

sendsilk

Florida

4.9/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

This beer is freaking awesome. No, they don't have a special release for this beer like Dark Lord or Darkness or Hunahpu. But if they did this beer would be completely sought after and considered rare.

Awesome mouthfeel, delicious chocolate flavor assault the palate and nostrils upon first sip. There's nothing that can be done to improve on this beer. On of my top 5 favorite stouts of all time.

Thanks Founders, for making this accessible to people without having us have wait in a line at 8am for a 1 day only release.

Serving type: growler

06-03-2011 04:04:05 | More by sendsilk

Vdubb86

Illinois

4.3/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Served in a mug

Thanks to The Stretch for sharing the growler I got for him at the brewery with me.

This is my second review of this beer, because IT GOT BETTER. This has the blackness of the abyss of space with a brown foam that is amazing. The smell is rather vacant, but has hints of coffee and molasses. The taste is a combination of lots of molasses, some star anise, coffee and lots of cocoa powder. This is really smooth going down. I can't believe it lasted this long in the growler (4 months). It's really really tasty. Overall this is one of the better imperial stouts that I have had the good fortune to have. It goes to show that at the right temperature Imperial stouts can be one of the best styles around. I love this thing.

Serving type: growler

05-28-2011 22:24:02 | More by Vdubb86

CHickman

New York

4.78/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Pours pitch black in color with a 1/2 inch creamy brown head that looked like a chocolate milkshake and faded slowly to average and left a ring around the top of the beer with good spotty lacing sliding down the glass slowly; there was an oil slick/spill appearance on top which looked like the Gulf of Mexico a few years back.

Smells of roasted coffee, cocoa, chocolate, rum or bourbon, light vanilla, burnt wood, molasses, burnt grains, sweet roasted malt, caramel, toffee, and a syrupy sweetness that reminds me of a coffee pot spiked with booze that was left on the stove too long in an old coffee pot. With that being said, this aroma was delicious and so inviting to me that as I was sipping the beer I was savoring the aroma at the same time. An excellent smelling beer, and what I had hoped for in an Imperial Stout from Founders.

The taste was equally as impressive as the aroma, with the same components in the flavor: it starts out with sweet roasted malt, roasted coffee, molasses, cocoa, toffee, chocolate, and then come the syrupy sweetness that then leads to a slight bitterness from what tastes like citrus hops mixed with a burnt Starbucks French Roast. It felt like there was a chalky residue on my tongue after the swallow, like I had just licked dry charcoal but it left a sweet cocoa powder instead of burnt wood; really quite an odd sensation that was a pleasure on my tastebuds and very tasty. Then there are the flavors of bourbon, light vanilla like it was aged in wood or a barrel, burnt wood, brown sugar, hot fudge, and some light dark fruits that were so repressed by the toasted coffee and roasted malts that I couldn't even make them out. As this beer warmed it got better, more complex, and yet stayed true to all of the sweet roasted flavors that made the initial taste blast so delicious. Quite simply, this is an excellent tasting beer and one that I slowed down to enjoy more so I wouldn't finish the whole glass so quickly.

Mouthfeel is creamy, slick and smooth, to the point of being almost watery; the body is medium to heavy, but the carbonation is almost non-existent and flows down like water, or as easy as a Guinness in beer terms.

Extremely high drinkability, as the 10.5% ABV barely peeks through, even with the slight bourbon flavor coming through in waves throughout this masterpiece. For any stout lover or coffee lover out there, this is a must try beer which I thought was excellent overall. A very high recommendation and a beer that I hope to have again soon.

Serving type: growler

05-05-2011 03:32:46 | More by CHickman

antoines15

Indiana

3.48/5  rDev -20.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Poured from a growler after visiting the brewery on the KBS release day. The beer pours as dark as oil with a 1/2 inch head that remains throughout. Also, it has good lacing even though my glass wasn't cleaned properly. The taste is dark chocolate and coffee. The alcohol is pretty well hidden and the aftertaste is not bad. Overall, it's another good offering from Founders, but not one of my favorites.

Serving type: growler

03-19-2010 18:32:43 | More by antoines15

HeyItsChili

South Carolina

4.38/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Picked up a growler of 08 vintage Founders Imperial Stout from the Charleston Beer Exchange.

A - I poured this into a tulip glass. Pours an almost midnight-black brown with a thin, microscopically bubbled dark khaki head and quickly slips away to the edges of the glass.

S - Mellow coffee; perhaps was bitter at one time but has been mellowed by aging. Dark chocolate and cocoa, and a hint of hoppiness.

T - Up front it is like gourmet dark chocolate with a touch of added sweetness. Really faint hop bite in there. Ends with a really rich, cocoa filled, alcoholic bite to the aftertaste. Really, really nice.

M - Viscous, slightly more than medium bodied, decent carbonation.

Fantastic.

Serving type: growler

01-15-2010 00:31:27 | More by HeyItsChili

kbutler1

Minnesota

4.35/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured form a growler my brother brought out to me from MI.
A: Pours a deep brown/black color with a reddish tan color head with small bubbles. Head slowly goes down forming a very small head on this beer
S: Bittersweet chocolote, malt, and coffee smell
T: Very heavy coffee/espresso flavor turing to bitter on the tongue. Very complex taste
M: Heavy, which I think is appropriate for this style
D: very drinkable. Definately a sipper that gets better as it warms up a little bit.

Bottle. 2009 vintage, it's been sitting in my cellar for a while. Poured into a tulip glass a very dark brown/black color with a big, think fluffy dark tan head that slowly settles down the glass. Nice left from the head. A big whiff yields some very strong notes of dark chocolate, molassess, coffee, and a slight hint of booze. The mouthfeel is surprisingly a little lighter than I thought with a nice medium, velvety feel. Dark roast coffee flavors mix really well with dark chocolate. There is some sweetness that is really nice in this. Some licorice notes as well. Very nice beer my only knock would be the mouthfeel, wish is was just a little heavier.

Serving type: growler

04-13-2009 00:22:31 | More by kbutler1

da_beers

Vermont

4.45/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Got this for my wife for mother's day (her favorite beers are Stouts and Porters) and I had to get one for myself.

A - Poured a gorgeous dark black with a beautiful tan head of about a finger. Poured thick like a syrup almost (exaggerated), was beautiful in the snifter.

S - Smelled of molasses, dark chocolate, and a nice smokey/roasted malt.

T - Exceptional. Warmed the body on its way down. Had obvious chocolate and malt flavors through and through, as well as that molasses again. Was pleasantly surprised at the hop bitterness with this stout coming it at 90 IBUs.

M - Was definitely full bodied and a meal. Every glass has a sandwich in it! Very full flavored and buttery, coating the palate with its components.

O - Overall a great stout, Founders nailed this one. One of my top stouts for sure.

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2013 01:38:12 | More by da_beers

StonedTrippin

Colorado

4.51/5  rDev +3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

truly exceptional stout right here. I love the fact that it isn't sweet at all, and it doesn't try to hide what it is. very straightforward stuff. the pours is almost jet black, just the darkest shade of brown in there, with a patient but excited mocha colored head that swirls right back up as soon as it settles. the nose is very alcoholic, but its not aggressive or cheap vodka style, its there as a reminder, or maybe a warning. I pick up some good wood in this too, maybe birch or maple, something lighter than oak for sure, more fresh. there is a cocoa bitterness throughout the flavor, that climaxes toward the finish. lots of dark dark roasted barley here, and a certain earthen quality that fills in for the usual residual sugar. it makes the beer more drinkable than it should be. I love the mouthfeel, soft as crushed velvet, but with enough carbonation for its huge body not to get filling. it also finishes fairly clean for a style that usually clings to the teeth for ages. alcohol is warming but not offensive, and the absence of sweetness is astounding and really quite unique in the big stout world. I can finally see for myself what all they hype is about, and this is a beer for the ages. hard to imagine kbs and cbs being even better, but I will find that out for myself as well...

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2013 20:06:34 | More by StonedTrippin

BurgeoningBrewhead

Pennsylvania

4.78/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

Poured into pokal. Jet black with a thin brown head that fades quickly, leaving incredibly fine lacing. Smell is coffee and roasted malts. Taste is huge; coffee, chocolate, roasted everything, all over the tongue. Delicious bittersweet chocolate aftertaste. Alcohol not noticeable for how much it is; mouthfeel full and creamy. Awesome stout!

Serving type: bottle

05-01-2013 20:29:15 | More by BurgeoningBrewhead

emyers

Illinois

4.3/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

12 oz. bottle poured into a Founders snifter. Bottled on date 12/07/12.

Appearance: Pours black with a half-inch dark brown head., which dissipates quickly into a thin lacing. Leaves lacing down the glass.

Smell: Dark chocolate, roasted malt, maltose.

Taste: Once again, very strong with the dark chocolate and roast flavors. Herbal, earthy hops come through along with a nice bittering hop presence. This is definitely on the bitter end of the imperial stout spectrum,and I love it. The bittering hops definitely help keep the strong malt base in check. Excellent.

Mouthfeel: Nice and thick, appropriately low carbonation level. Bittering hops have a drying effect on the palate.

Overall: Excellent imperial stout. Packs in a ton of dark chocolate/roast flavor.

Serving type: bottle

04-30-2013 03:45:46 | More by emyers

jrenihan

Ontario (Canada)

4.26/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Beer is jet black with a good-sized tan head. Good retention.

Nose contains roast malt upfront, with chocolate and anise there behind. Strong and deep smell. Nothing unusual but very nice.

Taste is similar to the nose. Roast malt, black licorice and chocolate are all there. Slightly smoky. Quite bitter for the style. A bit of a coffee flavour. All of the expected RIS flavours, bold and strong.

Full bodied, very low carbonation level. A bit oily, but also very smooth and silky. Nice mouthfeel. I like the low carbonation level.

Overall, very good RIS. Tasty stuff indeed.

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2013 02:24:33 | More by jrenihan

MrRutan

Iowa

4.01/5  rDev -8.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Good beer overall I'm fairly new to stouts (enjoying them that is). The aroma is a little lack luster I expected more from as rich looking of a beer. The flavor is fantastic has great taste up front with a little bite that I enjoy. It isn't as coffee flavored as alot of other stouts I have had. The finish is quite good however about 20 seconds after you take a drink it does leave a slightly bitter taste far back in the throat. All in all a very good stout, I would order it again!

Serving type: bottle

04-26-2013 00:42:29 | More by MrRutan

erialbill

New Jersey

4.95/5  rDev +13%
look: 5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Never considered myself a stout man but this beer changed my opinion of stout's. Was like drinking an extremely smooth dark chocolate/espresso milkshake. What a beer... maybe the best I have ever had. Poured thick with no immediate head but a nice 3/4 inch amber head formed at the top. Nice lacing on the glass. Honestly was sad to finish the glass now I am on a crazy search to find more. Great job Founders!

Serving type: bottle

04-24-2013 14:31:52 | More by erialbill

Immortale25

Florida

3.99/5  rDev -8.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a Due South Brewing Co. snifter. Bottleneck says Bottled 12/22/11.

A- Pours an intensely opaque black color with no head but instead just a thin brown ring around the edge of the glass and no surface foam. Minimal spotty lacing.

S- Heavily roasted malt of the dark chocolate variety with a bit of nuttiness and molasses. Some alcohol fume.

T- Big attack of dark roast and some booze that just pounds down on the palate. Moderate hop bitterness plays second fiddle to all the charry molasses notes. A bit of dark chocolate but there's not much sweetness to it. Pretty boozy overall. Small note of oak.

M- Chewy and slightly creamy with the most robust of bodies and low carbonation.

O- A bit one-sided. I was thinking this would be fantastic since there's a good amount of age on it (and it has been cellared properly) but I'd be more interested in trying a fresher one.

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2013 01:44:17 | More by Immortale25

fx20736

New York

4.59/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

Given to me as a gift by a BA on 4/16/13.

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a Sam Smith's Pint glass, served at room temp.

appearance: black as crude oil with a 3 finger mocha brown head, The Lacing is magnificent.

aroma: rich roasted malt, chocolate, some black licorice.

mouthfeel: sinous, silky, velvety, seductive.

taste: thicky, syrupy with chocolate and coffee. Charred bitterness and alcohol on the fade.

notes: Another Founder's masterpiece! Again, a Founder's beer scores high on all criteria. Beautiful to look at, wonderful aroma, amazing mouthfeel and outstanding taste. Little wonder that they are one of my favorite breweries. Like all beers I love this balances rich maltiness with a strong bitterness. In this case the bitterness comes from the charred/ roasted malt rather than the hops. The chocolate and coffee are thick and rich. Probably the best Imp. Stout I've ever had.

Serving type: bottle

04-19-2013 22:54:07 | More by fx20736

facundoCNB

New Jersey

4.03/5  rDev -8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

one of the thickest black pours i've ever seen, topped off with 1/4" of dark brown head. lots of licorice and dark chocolate hit the nose immediately, sugary sweet, dark fruits. the flavor is that of bitter dark chocolate at first but after a second turns into sweet milk chocolate with a slight lingering bitterness throughout. tastes of brown sugar, mocha-latte, toasted grains, slight licorice.

a full body stout with a slight amount of carbonation. creamy on the lips, slightly chalky after feel. this is an excellent stout that you shouldn't pass up trying. sure, it's not as good as their barrel aged stouts, but it's still DAMN good.

Serving type: bottle

04-19-2013 06:13:03 | More by facundoCNB

Craigory

South Carolina

4.7/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

12oz bottle with 11/29/2012 bottling date, poured into a Libby's stout/porter glass.

A: Pours black, with only a thin, mocha head that quickly recedes to a ring on top of the beer. Holding this up to the light, I don't even get ruby tints; this is just black and beautiful in the glass. Leaves some splotchy lacing as I drink it down.

S: I smell bitter chocolate, bitter roasted malt, bitter coffee, a hint of alcohol, and a bit more bitter chocolate.

T: Follows the smell exactly. The alcohol doesn't poke through too much, but I do get lots of bitter chocolate, typical RIS roastiness, a hint of coffee, and more bitter chocolate. A light vanilla sweetness shows itself here and there on the finish.

M: Full and creamy, with moderate carbonation and a bit of astringency.

O: I take this and Ten Fidy to be the best instantiations of the Platonic Form of a non-BA RIS. This beer is just a fantastic example of the style and would satisfy me any night of the week, any season of the year.

Serving type: bottle

04-13-2013 00:18:13 | More by Craigory

drrone

Arizona

4.3/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.25

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a snifter.

A - Pours a completely black flow of fluid. It produced little head that was a light brown color and it disappeared quickly. It left a light amount of lacing.

S - I could start to smell it as soon as I began to pour the glass. It produces an intoxicating wave of cocoa, malted barley, slightly bready, with slight notes of vanilla and molasses. Initially you can pick up a light amount of booze, but as it warmed the booze really became strong.

T - Definitely a strong coffee presence right off the start, with a bitter chocolate and toasted/burnt malt. I pick up a little licorice, just slightly. It was much more bitter than I would have expected. Although, I love coffee and this delivers whole-heartedly.

M- For a dark and thick as it is looks it drinks wonderfully. It is full bodied, but I thought it would be more "chewy". It leaves a pleasant residual taste and it covers the 10.5% quite well.

O - I do like this beer. It is has a pronounced coffee presence and the chocolate is tasty, but more bitter than I anticipated. I think I like Ten Fidy a better, it has more of that wow factor. I have an extra bottle that I am going to hang on for a while and see how it matures.

Serving type: bottle

04-10-2013 16:37:57 | More by drrone

mikeg67

New Jersey

4.1/5  rDev -6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 oz bottle. Thanks Samp01 for sharing. Pours dark brown with short lived, creamy, brown head. Aroma is of bready malt, raisins, plums, cacao, vanilla and brown sugar. Body is full and creamy. Taste is burnt grain, bready malt, herbal hops, dark fruit, brown sugar and some alcohol. Finish is long and bitter. Very nice RIS.

Serving type: bottle

04-05-2013 21:24:07 | More by mikeg67

spointon

Illinois

4.78/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75

I poured this one from a stubby 12oz brown bottle into a short fat snifter.

A= This ale poured a deep dark black-brown color with nearly zero light penetration. Maybe a hint of ruby color near the edge when held up to light. The dense, light brown head rose about an inch and a quarter with a solid pour, and the head lasted a loooong time, leaving behind some nice lace when it did eventually fall.

S= A lot going on here. I smelled coffee, chocolate, roasted barley, toffee, some dark fruit, and maybe even a hint of smoke and leather. Really complex and wonderful in the nose.

T= Much like the smell, complex and intriguing. I found the coffee/chocolate flavors to be in balance with each other but not overpowering the rest of the nuances in the beer. There was also a slight smoke character that I assume came form the use of black patent malt, and which was subtle/well done. The dark fruit flavors added complexity with out overpowering. Bitterness was high, both from hops and the sheer amount of astringent/roasted grains in this stout. Overall it was all in balance for the style and quite delicious. This had a long chewy aftertaste that made me want it more and more.

MF= Heavy bodied, with a firm carbonation. Spot on in my opinion.

D= Really a nice beer to sip while reading a good book. Very drinkable despite the abv and the big bold flavors.

Serving type: bottle

04-04-2013 01:24:27 | More by spointon

Chrysostom

Ohio

4/5  rDev -8.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 4.25

As always, this beer is reviewed live, not from notes. As always, it is reviewed to style (ala BJCP), modified by personal taste (contra BJCP), unlike the "hedonic scale" of certain beer-review sites. If I reviewed solely to taste, certain beers, poor exemplars of my preferred styles, would receive consistently higher marks than excellent exemplars of styles I do not favour.

Presentation: 11.2 fl oz/330mL stubby bottle, 4 for $10, I believe, poured in to a Samuel Adams' imperial nonic (it barely fills the glass half-way) at around 40ºF (too cold), warming as I write.

A: Pours a dark, thick, engine-oil - or chocolate syrup in consistency - opaque black - absolutely opaque, not even a hint of highlight - and with an apparent high viscosity. On a very vigorous pour, one small finger of head is produced - did I mention this beer is THICK? like unto used engine oil - which has little retention, and recedes in to a scum on the face of the beer and a ring around the edges of it, leaving a spotty, patchy, bubbly-looking lacing as it goes.

S: Toasted and burnt malts. The "ten malts" advertised by the brewer come through strong. Some alcohol. Bitter baker's cocoa. An almost-peaty, soapy aroma peeks through occasionally. Not very complex for the RIS style: it's generally vaguely "stout-y". Avery's Czar - hell, even Leinenkugel's Big Eddy and Guinness' Foreign Extra - all have more going on in the nose than this.

T: Plum, prune, liquorice, sour grapes, vinous alcohol, dry, toasty, pumpernickel bread, southern buttermilk biscuits, bitter chocolate, whole coffee beans dipped in dark chocolate, undefined-yet-present hopping. Most of those flavours are from malts, so, it can not be said this beer lacks complexity on the palate.

M: Smooth and creamy, lacking carbonation, as is standard for the style. Thick in body, as in appearance.

D: Low-Moderate. Alcohol is well-hidden, but drink is very thick, and quite intense with the roasted flavours.

O: A pretty good imperial stout, a fine example of the style, but not up there with the likes of Avery's Czar, which is similar in ABV, or with the weaker RIS examples such as Barley's Alexander or Guinness Foreign Extra (not technically an RIS.. I digress). The lack of carbonation leaves something to be desired, as the beer feels a bit flat, and the flavours never pull together in an ideal way, although they do pull together in some way. Not adventurous or new; somewhat pedestrian, standard RIS (what can be said of a beer-drinker, when he believeth a 10.5% ABV beer to be "pedestrian"?).

Comparable to a coffee/cocoa-forward counterpoint to the liquorice-forward Leinenkugel's Big Eddy Russian Imperial Stout.

To style: 84/100
To taste: 72/100

Serving type: bottle

03-29-2013 12:54:27 | More by Chrysostom

nimrod979

Maryland

3.85/5  rDev -12.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Bottled on 12/20/12. Poured into a standard pint glass.

Appearance: Pours a thick black with no carbonation. No head, no retention. Bummer.

Aroma: Roasted malt. Dark chocolate. Lacking complexity.

Taste: Big bad ass boozy Russian. Dark bitter chocolate and roasted malts.A little coffee bean. Getting a little black licorice flavor that I don't really dig.

Mouthfeel: Thick viscious mouthfeel, full body. Silky oily. Smooth, No carbonation at all really.

Wasn't overly impressed by this one as I have been towards other Founder's beers. I prefer FBS over this..

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2013 21:32:06 | More by nimrod979