Plead The 5th Imperial Stout - Dark Horse Brewing Company

Plead The 5th Imperial StoutPlead The 5th Imperial Stout

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BA SCORE
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world-class
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1,573 Ratings
THE BROS
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rAvg: 4.3
pDev: 8.6%
Reviews: 669
Hads: 904

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Brewed by:
Dark Horse Brewing Company visit their website
Michigan, United States

Style | ABV
Russian Imperial Stout |  11.00% ABV

Availability: Rotating. bottle (617), on-tap (46), growler (5), cask (1)

Notes:
No notes at this time.
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Reviews

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Photo of TheBrewo
TheBrewo

Michigan

4.19/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

We crack the top and pour a brew of dark black into our Founders snifters It holds a two finger head of espresso colored bubbles, which show tight uniformity and nice retention. This is easily reproducible, leaving islands of lacing around the glasses, and a crescent moon of bubbles crowing the top of the liquid. No haze or sediment is appreciated, and carbonation appears to be moderate. The aroma is amazingly deep, with richly roasted and char-burned black, coffee, and chocolate malts. Milky vanillas, red cherries, plum, and the alcohol all add sweetness. Otherwise the nose is taken up in a whirlwind of complexity, with campfire ash, buttery diacetyls, faint pseudo-woodiness, cornmeal, vegetal metallics, chocolate wafers, light grassy hops, heavy vinyl plastics, and light apricot fruitiness. With warmth comes anise and black pepper spiciness. Our first impression is that the flavoring is wildly roasty and just as smoky as the nose would suggest, with big chalky dryness and surprising sweetness on the back. As we sip, the taste opens with deeply charred and roasted malts, smooth vanillas, sweet toffees, marmalade sugars, gingerbread cookie breadiness, dark chocolates, fruity cherry booziness, and green bark. The peak hits with continued dark pit fruitiness and booze, with that bitter char base, grass and bark, mineral, bittered muskiness, and chalky yeast. The ending wash comes with ash, tobacco leafiness, chalkboard, insanely roasted cereal grain, macerated strawberry fruitiness, brandy syrups, unsweetened dark chocolate nibs, banana esters, fiery booze, and fusel chemical medicinals. The aftertaste breathes of graphite and pencil eraser, burnt wood ash, roasted coconuts, chalk, bitterly roasted coffee and chocolate malts, lightly fusel booziness, mustiness, pear fruitiness, crumbling tree bark, and plastics. The body is full and syrupy, and the carbonation is medium, but with stark initial prickle. Each sip gives thick slurp, smack, cream, and froth, with pleasant finishing pop. The mouth is left heavily coated, but with quickly drying chalky astringency across the tongue and hard palate, with sugary stickiness to the corners of the mouth. The abv was appropriate, and the beer is a slow sipper.

Overall, what we enjoyed most about this beer was its aroma. This aspect was just so over the top robust, with woodiness from out of nowhere, char and ash, fruity sweets to match, and general complexity. The blend really comes through and each individual component finds its mate, striking harmony. The flavoring follows nicely, with just as much punch through the taste. Here, however, things did not strike as beautiful a balance, but rather just swam together in the same pool. The booze was way forward, even for the style, but it did offer some nice sweetness towards the front of the sip, contributing to the flavoring itself in a way that many beers lack. The sip was slurpy, creamy, and coating, helping to offset some of that brutal chalky astringency. This is a huge, impressive offering from Dark Horse, and we can’t wait to try the barrel aged version.

Serving type: bottle

06-14-2013 00:14:56 | More by TheBrewo
Photo of BobZ
BobZ

Massachusetts

4.28/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

12oz. Bottle poured into a Duvel tulip.

Appearance: Another pitch black imperial stout, a foamy tan head of about 1" forms initially but quickly dissipates.

Smell: Roasted coffee and chocolate, strong but not over-powering.

Taste: Following the smell, really rich bitter chocolate and coffee flavors, everything you would expect from a well crafted RIS.

Mouthfeel: Smooth and creamy the alcohol is completely masked.

Overall: Excellent example of an RIS. This has me very excited to try the BA version!

Serving type: bottle

05-26-2013 13:35:24 | More by BobZ
Photo of Flounder57
Flounder57

Massachusetts

4.23/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

12 oz bottle was poured into a snifter.

Appearance: This beer poured a small mocha head that reduced to a thin layer. It is a pitch black color with no clarity, but bubbles can be seen at the top of the glass. Nice lacing on the glass as the beer was drank.

Smell: Roasted coffee, chocolate, burnt molasses, and smoke.

Taste: Same as above with some malty sweetness and booziness.

Mouthfeel: Smooth, full bodied, low carbonation, boozy, and a little chewy.

Overall: Pretty solid RIS. Happy to have finally enjoyed it.

Serving type: bottle

05-24-2013 02:21:46 | More by Flounder57
Photo of smooth_aleing
smooth_aleing

Pennsylvania

4.26/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Poured into over-sized wine glass.

Pours coal black with a thin head the dissipates to a fine mocha ring. Lacing dissolves quickly.

The nose is a bit lacking. Expected big chocolate malts and espresso, but they were faint to the nose. Suggestions of smoke and dark cherry liquor. Alcohol is certainly detectible at 11% ABV.

Taste - immediately roasted chocolate and bitter coffee (in a good way). Smokiness and light bitterness throughout the tongue. Dark, roasted malts, and cherry/brandy-type liquor.

Mouthfeel is good, decent carbonation. Well balanced throughout the tongue.

Was excited to try this beer, since it's so highly rated on B.A. A great stout, but not the best. But, maybe the expectation let me down slightly. Would still drink it again, tough.

Serving type: bottle

05-16-2013 01:03:42 | More by smooth_aleing
Photo of hopspine
hopspine

Colorado

3.45/5  rDev -19.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured to a snifter.

A- Motor oil, thick black. Dark espresso head dissipates quick, leaving some chocolate lacings on the glass.

A- Cocoa, lots of roast, char, oak. The char was a little dominant for me... stingy, thick booze. A little metallic to my nose.

T- Roasty, with some chocolate on the tongue. A lot of booze, again, like the nose, a metallic flavor is there. Not dominant but there. Really smokey and lots of ashy, char in the finish. Flavors don't seem to meld well.

MF- Very thick. Sticky. Chewy.

O- I've had this a few times and my experience always seems underwhelmed. Too boozey for me, and just don't dig the roast/char combo it has. I'm a little alone on this one I think.

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2013 01:41:58 | More by hopspine
Photo of jzeilinger
jzeilinger

Pennsylvania

4.24/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

A - Pours a dark, engine oil black with a toffee colored head the quickly dies off to leave a a nice toffee colored lacing, sticky with legs as it clings to the glass.

A - Dark roasted chocolate/cocoa, black anise, light oak, and light smoke.

T - Dark roasted chocolate, coffee, some oak character, light smokey char, anise/licorice, and light sweetness that finishes with a char/dark chocolate roast bitterness.

M - Thick, full bodied, viscous, velvety on the tongue, sticky on the lips.

O - A very well brewed stout and every bit as worthy.

Serving type: growler

05-11-2013 22:36:27 | More by jzeilinger
Photo of RonfromJersey
RonfromJersey

New Jersey

3.59/5  rDev -16.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

$4.00 single from Abe's.

Body is a total black hole. Not a highlight to be seen. Three fingers of dark tan dense foam.

Heavy chocolate aroma. Licorice and alcohol in the background. Some dark fruits.

Taste features chocolate up front. A smoky note. Dark fruits. Alcohol in nose not noticeable in the taste.

Mouthfeel is medium plus, a bit thin for an imperial stout.

There is a lack of depth throughout this beer. There is not anything really wrong, but everything seems to come up just a bit short.

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2013 04:36:21 | More by RonfromJersey
Photo of bishopdc0
bishopdc0

Maine

4.18/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Bottle from a trade.

Pours black with a dark tan head forming. The head dissipated quickly leaving only a jet black colored beer.

The nose is is pleasent notes of cocoa, cherries, a slight tart roasted nose.

The taste is very nice. The start is sweet and chocolate but the taste of cherry comes in. The finish is roasted and drying. The mouth is smooth and pleasent. The only notice of alcohol is a slight numb on the tongue. very nice.

Serving type: bottle

05-05-2013 01:11:11 | More by bishopdc0
Photo of rhoadsrage
rhoadsrage

Illinois

4.03/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

(Served in a snifter)
A- This beer pours a jet black inky body with a thin broken film of bubbly tan.
S- There is a soft creamy roasted black chocolate malt aroma with some dark toffee notes coming through as it opens.
T- The chocolate malt blends with some full dark roasted black malt finish. Some tootsie roll flavors underneath turn more into dark chocolate milk and some dark roasted coffee bean taste come through in in the finish. There is no real bitterness in the finish just a mellow black malt flavor lingers after a slightly sweet finish.
M- The medium mouthfeel has no real alcohol heat noticed.
O- Nice full chocolate malt flavor with more dark roasted black malt character for support with no bitterness and very smooth and creamy.

Serving type: on-tap

04-30-2013 18:25:57 | More by rhoadsrage
Photo of FanofHefe
FanofHefe

Illinois

4.06/5  rDev -5.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle version poured into a Duvel tulip. Deep black-colored body, no light penetration, with about a one finger dark tan head. The head dissipates fairly quickly with very little lace, as expected.

The aroma consists of dark fruit, roasted malt, and light licorice. I get a sense the taste will be sweet based on the aroma.

The flavor is typical of the RIS style - dark, roasted malt flavor, mixed with dark fruit, molasses, a bit of coffee and some sweet caramel-like notes. This does have some complexity and definitely improves as it warms.

Thick texture in the mouthfeel and only a little warming from the alcohol. A very solid Imperial Stout and I would definitely recommend it.

Serving type: bottle

04-29-2013 01:14:26 | More by FanofHefe
Photo of GarthDanielson
GarthDanielson

New Hampshire

4.45/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a bottle into a snifter, the beer is a very dark, oil-like black coloring with a thin, low profile, dense, light tan colored head. Aromas of dark, bittersweet chocolate, black cherry, peat and earthy tones, and a touch of ginger. Pretty interesting nose. Flavors are heavily roasted, with a warm, cocoa and sweet chocolate backbone supporting a touch of bitter coffee and some subtle fruit sweet highlights. Rich and smooth in mouth...almost creamy. Bitter and creamy aftertaste, with hints of baker's chocolate and a hint of booze. Rich, smooth finish, with a slight bitter linger. Very solid, robust brew.

Serving type: bottle

04-27-2013 01:14:21 | More by GarthDanielson
Photo of BlurryVisi0n
BlurryVisi0n

New York

4.29/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Served in an over-sized wine glass.

Appearance: Pours motor oil thick, seriously opaque with a tan head that rose to just below a finger's length.

Smell: Light coffee and a little chocolate, sticks to you after the third or so sniff.

Taste: Incredibly complex, all over the place with this brew, sweet bitter chocolate and hardcore espresso. You feel the malts like as if drinking beer for the first time, is it the best stout ever....little room for improvement.

Mouth: A rough coffee bean feel in the end that is almost forever lasting.

Overall: A F'n masterpiece. Quality over quantity and this brew delivers. I got a lot more than what i bargained for and was fortunate enough to pick up a 4 pack of this gem. Salud!

Serving type: bottle

04-25-2013 07:07:15 | More by BlurryVisi0n
Photo of StonedTrippin
StonedTrippin

Colorado

4.26/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

first of all, thanks yet again to thebrewo for hooking this up via the best trade of my life, I definitely owe this crew some beers! been aching for this beer, and finally here it is, sort of a hybrid between the west coast hugies and the Midwestern Russian imperials, a real treat. this pours an impossibly dense shade of black, brutal and old oil sludge looking, just not that thick. the head is though, cappuccino color, lasting, frothy. its got an understated nose for the style, come bitter espresso beans, and an oaty, boozy magnitude. the flavor is different than most, not sweet or roasty up front, but ashy, tobacco heavy, like the first puff of a cigarette before the tar gets on your lips and the chemicals really concentrate towards the filter. its got a roast bitterness that comes in for a second, but it doesn't manifest. earthy chocolate and coffee notes round it out, before a subtle residual sugar and alcohol warmth bring it home. also a backing touch of gingerbread, out of nowhere. its deep and rich and complex and close to perfect as far as taste goes, I could not imagine the barrel aged versions of this, just too much to process mentally for me! thick as hell on the body, but not teeth coating and filling and lasting and dental work necessitating. its cleaner than that, although not clean by any stretch. the alcohol is present, but its right in step, not too intrusive, not invisible, this is a very conscious beer, self aware, no identity crisis here. overall this is an exceptional piece of art, by a brewery I need to get more involved with. really truly a brilliant offering. thanks again to thebrewo for hooking it up!

Serving type: bottle

04-25-2013 04:05:43 | More by StonedTrippin
Photo of HattedClassic
HattedClassic

Virginia

3.91/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75

Appearance:
Pours an opaque black with a hint of very dark brown. The lacing is a dark tan.

Smell:
I get hints of dark chocolate, toffee, and some coffee notes. The smell of the beer tends to be a little dull and not very distinct. Additionally, the smell does not mix well and feels as if they are there because the beer has to have a smell.

Taste:
I get hints of dark chocolate and coffee and slight hints of roasted malts.

Mouthfeel:
Very smooth for an imperial stout and heavy bodied.

Overall:
I think that this an okay imperial stout. My main beef with this beer is that it tends to fall up short in terms of flavor. Kinda of like that little engine that almost but didn't quite make it.

Serving type: bottle

04-24-2013 20:31:08 | More by HattedClassic
Photo of BeerBuckeye
BeerBuckeye

Ohio

4.75/5  rDev +10.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75

A - Pours a dirty motor oil black, plenty viscous, a nice mocha colored head that fades quickly leaving behind very little lacing.

S - Very chocolatey, hints of dark fruit, licorice, coffee, and oak. Man this is a good smelling brew.

T - Oh man, hits you with a ton of bitter, dark roasted coffee. Nice, bittersweet chocolate, a hint of that fruity sweetness. Touches of vanilla, oak, and almost like smoked charcoal. Delicious.

M - Sticky, full, roasty. Perfect mouthfeel.

Overall - Blown away by this one, truly outstanding.

Serving type: bottle

04-24-2013 00:14:04 | More by BeerBuckeye
Photo of themind
themind

New Jersey

4.68/5  rDev +8.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

This stuff is black as night! wow! poured into a goblet this stout has a small head with a faint aroma. PT5th truly hides the ABV with an awesome mouth feel and super high drinkability. This is the first Dark Horse beer I have tried and I am truly impressed. The taste is legendary to me for the style. I would buy this any time I could and will trade for it again. I can only imagine how good the BA version is.

Bottom Line: Incredible stout worth seeking out!

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2013 03:55:05 | More by themind
Photo of stercomm
stercomm

Ohio

4.08/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Got a growler of this brew at the local Whole Food, had a small sample when I got home so poured into a small sampler tulip glass from Left Hand.

A - Pours an inky and oily black with a small, tan head that quickly recedes leaving a slight ring around the glass.

S - Lots of roasted malt, some brown sugar and a real deep smokiness

T - Sweet and roasty maltiness, some prune, very smooth, definitely coats the mouth leaving a nice long finish

M - Creamy with mild carbonation

O- Not being a big Imperial Stout drinker have no real comparison. Will say this is a very tasty brew, alcohol is there but not in your face, great balance of flavors

Serving type: growler

04-20-2013 19:14:01 | More by stercomm
Photo of Beerandboards
Beerandboards

New Mexico

4.44/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

12oz bottle received in a trade with brees. Not sure on vintage but looks to be a couple years, judging by looks of the label.

A - pours inky thick black. Very little head, but expected.

S - lots of chocolate, dark and milk varieties, little bit of roasty/coffee type notes. Some darker ripe fruits.

T - leads with the dark fruit and almost a black licorice type note. Coffee and chocolate back this up. Mild sweetness. But loads of complex dark fruit/licorice is the main element.

M - thicker, low carb. Could have used a tad more carbonation to liven up the flavors a bit. But quite good.

O - my best comparison would be a better version of TenFidy. The flavor profiles are similar and I think Pt5 is a little more refined. Overall an outstanding stout. I prefer a little more coffee and chocolate in my stouts, so the only demerit from anything higher is based purely on personal preference.

Serving type: bottle

04-20-2013 14:59:44 | More by Beerandboards
Photo of facundoCNB
facundoCNB

New Jersey

4.38/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

2011 bottle

a very thick looking pour, black like motor oil, with 1/4" of dark brown head which quickly dissipated. a sweet mellow campfire-like scent comes off at first.. roasted marshmallows, chocolate, subtle smokiness.. smells very sweet and pleasant.
MMMM! up front this tastes like sweet pecans, then the subtle choco-mallow smore reminiscent taste, a hint of coffee, maybe some macadamia nut.. this is just fantastic. something so sweet yet so perfectly balanced by the roasted grain profile of the stout.

full body with a very creamy silky mouthfeel, low carbonation.

this is an excellent stout. lucky enough to get this via trading, had no idea it was already aged properly in the guy's cellar beforehand. it is just fantastic, and i can't imagine what the bb version is like. to compare this to something else, think central waters peruvian morning.

Serving type: bottle

04-20-2013 10:36:53 | More by facundoCNB
Photo of kangarooAdam59
kangarooAdam59

Wyoming

4.46/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Thanx Damian74Shensky!

Into a nonic:

A: a jet black pour leads to the same color body, one finger tan foamy head stays level and dies within a minute to a film coating the top of the glass, no lacing

S: sweet and rich through caramel malts, some brown sugar, light vanilla, light raisins, and licorice, think there was some light bourbon as well

T: sweet through all of the previously mentioned flavors, and well balanced, the bourbon is there but stays pretty much where it should be, sweet dry aftertaste and finish

M: medium to maybe heavy, nice how as high as the ABV is that this one doesn't necessarily hit one that hard, good sipper

O: this is a very well done beer or maybe I'm just having it at the right time, I'd have this one again

Serving type: bottle

04-20-2013 02:56:22 | More by kangarooAdam59
Photo of Damian
Damian

Massachusetts

4.33/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Drank on-tap at Saloon, Somerville, MA
Served in a snifter

The beer poured completely pitch black. Super oily, shimmery and viscous in the glass. No visible head. Spotty, mocha color bubbles dotted the liquid and eventually formed a lasting halo.

The aroma was fantastic. Rich, sweet and robust. Boatloads of roasted and caramel malts. Strong brown sugar notes. Some vanilla. Lots of dark fruit goodness. Raisins and prunes came through strongest. Hints of molasses. Touch of licorice. Even though this beer was not barrel aged, I swear I picked up some bourbon notes as well.

The flavor profile was similar to the nose but perhaps darker and roastier. Caramel and roasted malts appeared up front. French press coffee and dark fruit notes came through strong in the center. Lots of brown sugar-like sweetness. The finish was roasty and slightly bitter with some alcohol heat. At 11% ABV, however, the alcohol seemed quite restrained.

Super rich, creamy and slick on the palate. The beer was thick and viscous and contained a finely beaded, moderate effervescence.

Plead The 5th Imperial Stout is an extremely well crafted beer that fires on all cylinders. I cannot wait to try the bourbon barrel aged version of this.

Serving type: on-tap

04-14-2013 03:54:44 | More by Damian
Photo of sleuthdog
sleuthdog

Illinois

4.29/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

2013 vintage from bottle to Kuhnhenn glass

Pour: Oh so black with minimal half finger dark milk chocolate colored head. Falls to a fairly large collar along the edges.

Smell: Dark roasted and bittersweet cocoa. Some black licorice and dark fruit/fig notes. A touch of caramel sweetness and a fairly big hit of booze.

Taste: Intriguing in that there is a push and pull between big roasty notes and sweetness that compete with each other at the front end. I've actually never had a stout that had this initial complexity at the very front. The roasted bitterness wins out taking hold and continuing through the swallow. There are some of the dark fruits mixed in but this is a very big well balanced beer.

Mouthfeel: Super creamy and smooth. Not as viscous as the dark appearance would suggest but yet still somewhat palate coating. A little sticky.

Overall: I have not had anything like this. It is quite complex and a well crafted big complex RIS. The BA version of this is simply outstanding while this is highly enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2013 01:29:42 | More by sleuthdog
Photo of JEdmund
JEdmund

Kansas

4.01/5  rDev -6.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Deep black color with a rich, dark, tan head that’s made up my minuscule bubbles. Head looks like it was fluffed up with nitrogen. And it has staying power.

Aroma is nothing out of the ordinary for style; typical scents of dark roasted malts, chocolate, and booze. There is a hint of bourbon, making me wonder if this was barrel aged. (Website gives no indication it was.)

Taste is again fairly typical for RIS (I’m clearly getting spoiled)—just a huge roasty malt presence and a good, biting and dry hop finish. Some boozy heat in the finish, too. Fairly well balanced; nothing jumps out that it’s overpowering another component.

Enjoyable and well done, but somewhat forgettable, too. Maybe I’ve just had too many RISs lately, but this just doesn’t strike me as being something that stands out. It’s certainly not a bad example of the style, nor does it seem like brewers skimped on ingredients. Points for high drinkability for sure. I should stop quibbling and just enjoy the rest of it!

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2013 01:26:48 | More by JEdmund
Photo of gcamparone
gcamparone

Rhode Island

4.46/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a snifter. Acquired in a trade with spambum, thanks man!

A- Pours a jet black, motor oil colored body with a beautiful 2 finger mocha colored head that reduces fairly quickly to a brown ring. Little lacing.

S- Lots of dark roast coffee, milk chocolate, french vanilla, booze, some subtle dark fruit, heavily roasted malt.

T- The taste of this beer changes drastically with temperature change. It's the best at warmer temperatures, the last few sips were the best. Fresh out the fridge it has a lot of coffee and semisweet chocolate characters. As it warms it turns into a chocolate milkshake - milk chocolate, vanilla, coffee, heavily roasted malt. Virtually no booze which is good for the high abv.

M- Thick and creamy. Low carbonation.

Quite an impressive beer. Drink it at cellar temp - my rating for taste went up .5 points at cellar temperature than right out of the fridge. Very drinkable for the high abv. Overall excellent. Recommendable.

Serving type: bottle

04-13-2013 23:36:24 | More by gcamparone
Photo of beerpirates
beerpirates

Belgium

4.19/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

12 oz bottle poured into my CBS snifter

A: Almost a pitch black body with a half an inch head of dirty brown color. Head disappear very quickly.

S: Very chocolaty. Chocolate malts, sweet molasses, fruitiness and distant vinous notes.

T: Bittersweet chocolate, roasted coffee, some vanilla. Starts very sweet and finishes with a prickly leather-like sensation, which lingers for a while. And then turns bittersweet and lasts even longer.

M: Moderate to low carbonation. Very warming, creamy and silky, very silky. Medium to full body, chewy and heavy, but not too thick. Alcohol is hidden extremely well hidden !

O: Extremely pleasant beer, very easy to drink, perhaps dangerously easy. Quite feeling, almost like a meal. Not much more to ask of a Russian Imperial Stout.

Serving type: bottle

04-13-2013 16:26:05 | More by beerpirates
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Plead The 5th Imperial Stout from Dark Horse Brewing Company
96 out of 100 based on 1,573 user ratings.