Dank Imperial Red - O'so Brewing Company

Bighuge

Minnesota

4.1/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4.5

Dusty looking deep auburn toned body. Thin and bubbly beige head leaves little lace. Thick caramel malts on the nose with a hint of alcohol and some tropical notes as well. Smells like a malt forward barleywine. Body is medium full, but the carbonation is quite low. Bordering on flat, but not quite. Could use a little more carbonation. Flavor is solid. Caramel malts meld with a hint of breadiness. Hops add a little spice and alcohol adds a little heat. All in all, a solid Impy Red that could us more CO2.

Serving type: bottle

07-07-2010 04:50:53 | More by Bighuge

Wisconsinality

Wisconsin

3.48/5  rDev -10.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured from 12oz bottle into SA Perfect Pint.

A- Pours a nice, deep red with bits of sediment floating about. After a nice pour, there is about a finger's worth of head that leaves pretty decent lacing.

S- Some caramelized malt, a little bit of hops and a little sweetness that I can't put my finger on. Smells like a decent scotch ale. Almost a butteryness.

T- I don't know if the bottle(s) I got a past it's prime but it is pretty muted. Some sweet malt, a little bit of malt, some caramel and a bit of an earthy tone. Again, like the nose, there is some buttery notes in there as well.

M- A medium bodied brew that has very little carbonation but has a nice smooth feel to it. No bite to speak of from the hops.

D- A pretty good, rich tasting beer that I feel doesn't really fit the style too well. Reminds me more of a scotch ale/wee heavy than a red ale. A decent beer that I think would be better fresh.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2010 03:20:44 | More by Wisconsinality

beerwolf77

Wisconsin

3.25/5  rDev -16.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Poured inot my pint glass the beer is a very cloudy orange brown. A half finger of head attempts to form before fadind rather quick to leave a milky white lace ring.

The aroma is sweet with just hint of hops. There's a dicytel buttery thing going on as well. I worried at this point.

The flavor is sort of redeeming. Sweet malt followed by a sharp hop bite. The alcohol hits you right away with every sip. Maybe a touch boozy for my tastes.

Medium to full creamy body with light carbonation.

Overall this just sort of falls short for me. I had real high hopes and they simple weren't met.

Serving type: bottle

03-13-2010 03:07:23 | More by beerwolf77

blackie

Virginia

4/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

part of dirtylou's package

a: snifter serving, deep reddish amber beer capped with a light head

s: huge candied red malt aroma with caramel apple and butterscotch, lots of rich caramelization here, sweet crusty baked goods, vanilla pulls out after warming, nice booze, mild tealike hops, really dig this

m: medium-full bodied with a light carbonation

t: baked apples and caramel brought on by a big dose of heavily caramelized red malt, dark pie crust, butterscotch middle, leaning heavily towards the sugary malts with a light bitterness in the finish

d: quite easy given the strength

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2010 03:42:11 | More by blackie

WJVII

Wisconsin

4.2/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a pint glass this brew has almost a iced tea color with browns and purples, semi transparent. There was a 1 finger off white head that dissipated into nothing, but left nice lacing on the glass. The aroma is sweet with vanilla and has some hints of grassy hop and mild clove. The taste is thin and very smooth, with little to no carbonation. There is a nice vanilla after taste and a good roasted chocolate feeling in the back of my throat. I have been very critical of Oso's based on the few brews I have tired (for the price of them as well) but this is a very good beer. May bring me back to trying more of their selection. Thanks to my BA bud CdKrenz for this sampling.

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2010 02:55:34 | More by WJVII

Mora2000

Texas

3.68/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to exiled for sharing this bottle.

The beer pours light brown with a minimal head. The aroma is very sweet, with malt and caramel. The flavor is sweetness with some light hoppy bitterness at the end. Lots of toffee and caramel. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation. Not sure of the date of this bottle, but there was not hardly any hop presence in this beer at all. Still good, just not what I expected.

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2010 18:28:24 | More by Mora2000

dirtylou

Washington

4.03/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz single, Riley's

appearance: poured into an imperial pint - dark amber body, murky mahogany, creamy beige head with decent retention

smell: nicely hopped, caramel, citrus and pine

taste: nice take on the style - creamy and rich, piney hops, light citrus, lots of caramel and toffee, mild waves of alcohol, vanilla, maple, a touch of oak

mouthfeel: creamy and medium bodied, light hop bitterness rings through

drinkability: good

Serving type: bottle

01-31-2010 00:47:32 | More by dirtylou

crossovert

Wisconsin

3.38/5  rDev -12.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

12 oz bottle.

Pours a dense dark cherry red with an off white head that leaves some healthy lacing behind as it recedes.

The smell is pretty hoppy but with a nice malty background. The malts smell birchy, syrupy, and sweet. The hops smell danky and slightly medicinal.

The mouthfeel is noticeably thin. The flavor is rigid with some sweet malt and almost a barleywine feel but with some hop bitterness. I feel it is too sweet and too bitter, and the difference between the two is too rigid.

This is an ok beer, but nothing special, this brewery does, and can do better.

Serving type: bottle

01-09-2010 04:24:42 | More by crossovert

cokes

Wisconsin

3.73/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Dark crimson wood color with a trim capping of beige that quickly relocates to the rim. Lacing is spotty, but decent.
Upfront, the nose it hit with pineapple juice and pine needles. As it warms, the malt steps forth with black cherry, buttered toast, hazelnuts, oak, and vanilla. There also a fairly evident booziness given by its steady vinousness.
Caramelly once it hits the tongue, building towards black cherry. Some toastiness is dragged along, and will be revisited later when the oak materializes. The middle sags under O'so doughy, brown paper bag-esque yeastiness. Now the oak emerges, with some subtle vanilla and hazelnut, and buttered bagels, a touch of cocoa is in tow. Hops are sturdy with their tropical and resiny tones, but not outright loud in and of themselves. Some late port-like booziness, but not flagrant given its potency.
Slick, medium bodied. The carbonation comes in trickling waves upfront, but peters out over time. It never drinks big, but it starts to drink flat.
If O'so ever get their yeast to toe the line, this could be very good, if not downright special. It suffers similarly to their other offerings, but this has the girth to partially obscure its flaws.

Serving type: bottle

01-04-2010 09:02:19 | More by cokes

billyzoom666

Wisconsin

4.18/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12 oz bottle poured into a pint glass. This pours a nice light red color with some sediment quickly dropping to the bottom. The smell draws me in, candied malts, perhaps. Super bold taste on this! Hoppy upfront, reminds me of an IPA almost. At the same time, there's no bitterness, despite a bit of an alcohol feel on the back end. Drinkability on this is pretty high, which could cause trouble if you get four or five. My first O'So beer. I'm hoping this is the little brewery that can!

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2010 04:28:36 | More by billyzoom666

rhoadsrage

Illinois

3.9/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

(Served in a dimple mug)

A- This beer has is almost clear with a dense body of dark amber liquid and a thin tan head that fades to a spotty film for a bit. There is a good carbonation of tiny bubbles gliding up the sides to the surface.

S- The faint aroma of caramel malt and fusel alcohol have a light musty cold smoke quality to it that turns to a wet wood hint as the beer warms. When the beer is pretty warm oaky notes start to come through.

T- This beer has a smooth brown malt flavor with notes of cream and darker toasted malts. There is a light tart hint to the oak that comes through when the beer is really warm with a dark roasted quality aswell. The finish is a soft bitterness that lingers softly for a moment and is almost resiny and a bit pungent.

M- This beer has a medium-full mouthfeel with a creamy texture and a very slight alcohol heat when it is pretty warm.

D- The malt and oak flavors are a bit soft especially for the hop pungentness that is all by itself without much hop aroma and flavor either.

Serving type: bottle

04-08-2009 15:53:05 | More by rhoadsrage

UncleRandy

Wisconsin

4.43/5  rDev +14.2%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a dark mahogany, with a thick head. Smells of brown sugar and raisins.

Tastes of maple syrup and vanilla. Alcohol is present, but not overwhelming.

I had not heard of this brewery prior to this pour, but I will be back. Very easy to drink considering the high alcohol content. I strongly recommend this beer. Nice job, O'so! One of the better beers I've had in a while.

Serving type: bottle

02-27-2009 22:57:06 | More by UncleRandy

kickapoodude

Alaska

4.5/5  rDev +16%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Printed on the back of the bottle: "It's time to unveil some of the things we've learned over the past year. This brilliant mahogany imperial red is a meduim bodied ale, rich in caramel sand vanilla notes brought on by aging in wood during conditioning with just enough alcohol to keep you cozy this winter. It's fitting that the first beer ever brewered at Os'o was a red ale given away to our faithful folowers who believed in us. Thanks for sticking with us through the good and bad beers. This one's a preview of many good things to come. Please ewnjoy the future!"

That about says it all. It pours like thier regular red ale, but the head it about three fingers and it lasts for days. The mouth feel is smooth and impressive. The use of oak chips is obvious because of the vanilla and caramel tones mixed in with subtle cherry and smokyness. Very drinkable, and the 1 pint, 6 oz. bottle will get you whgere you need to go at 9 %. This brew shows how far O'so has come, and where thier imagination can take them.

Serving type: bottle

12-18-2008 15:29:03 | More by kickapoodude