Imperial Milk Porter - Stranahan Whiskey Barrel Aged - Cigar City Brewing

adam42381

Florida

4.88/5  rDev +14.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Poured from a 750ml bottle into a Cigar City snifter. Bottled on 7/3/11 printed on bottle. Purchased at Cigar City sometime in the summer of 2011.

Appearance: Pours almost pitch black with a 1/4 finger foamy light tan head which settles, leaving a nice ring around the glass and a little bit of pooling in the middle. Nice lacing.

Smell: Sweet malt, molasses, lightly roasted malt with a nice touch of sweet whiskey coming through in the background. Smells amazing.

Taste: Sweet roasted malt and molasses up front followed by a distinct sweet whiskey flavor in the middle before ending with the perfect blend of oaky woodiness to go along with a touch of toasted malt. Aftertaste is roasted malt and woody with a just the right amount of sweetness. The alcohol is extremely well-masked. The age (almost 17 months since it was bottled) has really done wonders from those compared to the reviews I read when it was fresh that said it was very hot.

Mouthfeel: Full-bodied with just the right amount of carbonation. This one really coats the tongue.

Drinkability: Excellent drinkability. The alcohol is so well-hidden that I'm tempted to drink the entire 750ml bottle by myself. I'm putting a wine stopper in it and saving the rest to share with my wife tomorrow evening.

Overall: Excellent beer overall. I can't say enough good things about this one. I decided to crack this one tonight after my wife and I spoke with a realtor who will be listing our house for us. I figured that good news deserves a good beer. For those that drank it fresh and won't get the chance to try it with this kind of age on it, I'm sorry. This beer has come as close to perfection as I could imagine. There is almost no room for improvement here. This is the best Cigar City beer I've tried, and I've had well over 50 of their beers. If you ever have the chance to try it, make sure you do. It's a world class beer.

Serving type: bottle

11-30-2012 00:21:54 | More by adam42381

BRoss242

Louisiana

4.5/5  rDev +5.9%

05-10-2013 09:37:13 | More by BRoss242

Rogorama

Indiana

4.75/5  rDev +11.8%

05-09-2013 00:50:04 | More by Rogorama

tourdot

Wisconsin

4.25/5  rDev 0%

04-06-2013 21:19:24 | More by tourdot

BAsbill

California

4.25/5  rDev 0%

03-30-2013 04:34:13 | More by BAsbill

imperiallibations

California

4.5/5  rDev +5.9%

03-20-2013 19:58:32 | More by imperiallibations

manutdfan

Florida

4.5/5  rDev +5.9%

03-18-2013 19:19:03 | More by manutdfan

fo1ksguitar

Missouri

4.5/5  rDev +5.9%

02-01-2013 17:22:40 | More by fo1ksguitar

Arbitrator

California

3.5/5  rDev -17.6%

01-28-2013 07:10:50 | More by Arbitrator

yourefragile

District of Columbia

4.25/5  rDev 0%

01-27-2013 04:31:26 | More by yourefragile

MikeMoriendi

Florida

4.25/5  rDev 0%

01-24-2013 19:58:48 | More by MikeMoriendi

DangerDawg

Ohio

4.25/5  rDev 0%

01-19-2013 23:00:37 | More by DangerDawg

MordorMongo

Indiana

4.25/5  rDev 0%

01-14-2013 00:01:16 | More by MordorMongo

spycow

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev 0%

01-13-2013 20:32:01 | More by spycow

iemailjack

Florida

4/5  rDev -5.9%

01-07-2013 23:26:42 | More by iemailjack

Alieniloquium

Florida

3.93/5  rDev -7.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

750 mL bottle poured into a tumbler. Bottled 7/3/2011. Reviewed from notes.

Appearance - Black, duh. Off-white head. No real head retention, but the single layer of foam lasts forever.

Smell - Whiskey. Really nice whiskey aroma, actually. Oaky with milk chocolate behind it.

Taste - Whiskey and chocolate roasted malts. Oaky as the chocolate fades. Lactose is hidden by the barrel, which I appreciate, but it's still there. Finishes with the slighest tang.

Mouthfeel - Dry and oaky in the finish. Sweet from the lactose, but not overpowering.

Overall - I wish it didn't have lactose, but oh well. It is what it is. Maybe a little one-dimensional in the malt profile, but what it has is good.

Serving type: bottle

12-25-2012 20:56:24 | More by Alieniloquium

onix1agr

Pennsylvania

3.58/5  rDev -15.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A bottle poured into a snifter shared with some friends.

Imperial Milk Porter - Stranahan Whiskey pours in the glass a very dark night black color that is black. A sturdy body, a healthy pour yielded a quarter inch of brownish foam up top that left fairly quickly, no stick on the glass. Smell is sweet sided, vanilla, cream, chocolate, roasted malt, with a nice sniff of whiskey and wood, alcohol as well. Taste is on the sweet side, lactose, vanilla, peat, whiskey, roasted malt and some faint dark fruit, reminding me of some aftertastes of some Jamaican stouts. The whiskey pops out and was more inviting as this warmed up, as the sweetness was large to say the least. Body is approaching full/thich and the carb is not that high. A good bottle to share as the sweetness is a tough one to chew. Interesting beer from a reputable brewer, not sure on the ABV, but I could sense it throughout.

Serving type: bottle

11-16-2012 05:06:21 | More by onix1agr

sendbeer

Georgia

5/5  rDev +17.6%

10-27-2012 15:50:23 | More by sendbeer

AndyAvalanche

Massachusetts

4.65/5  rDev +9.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

According to the bottle 1 pint 9.4 oz bottle poured into a Duvel Tulip style glass. Liquid portion comes out black in color. Not like thick motor oil or anything like I expected, but the liquid is totally black and the slightest of slight amber to brown highlights at the top. Nice tan colored that absolutely erupts after the initial pour and takes a long time to dissipate. Better than average lacing and there's a ring of froth around the edge of the glass the whole session.

Smell is really good. Nice heavy roasted grain notes coming from this guy. I guess there's some slight milk/lactose aromas coming, but really the nice strong point is from the whiskey. I don't always like the smell of whiskey, but this one is nice, gives some slight vanilla and woody tones. Really good smelling beer.

Taste is very good. Again there is a huge grain and malt backbone here. The classic porter porter flavors of coffee and chocolate, not too strong, but present. Again the whiskey comes out, but it's not hot or overwhelming at all. Some slight vanilla/oak flavors and whiskey. Well blended and super delicious, very well balanced.

Mouthfeel is perfect. Full bodied and perfect carbonation, thick without being too thick. Whiskey is warm but not hot. For a "milk porter" it doesn't really feel that milky. Drinks like a stout without being too "stouty." Nice warming finish on it, perfect sipper on a cool fall evening. I can't even describe the drinkability on this one, it's perfect. Any beer drinker could punish a bottle of this by themselves.

Thanks Gtreid for the trade, this was a great beer that I'm glad I got to try!

Serving type: bottle

09-24-2012 01:51:37 | More by AndyAvalanche

t0rin0

California

4/5  rDev -5.9%

09-15-2012 21:33:11 | More by t0rin0

TMoney2591

Illinois

3.5/5  rDev -17.6%

09-03-2012 00:32:22 | More by TMoney2591

neobob187

Florida

4.75/5  rDev +11.8%

08-27-2012 15:31:25 | More by neobob187

UCLABrewN84

California

4.03/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Thanks to mthomas84 for sharing this one at NoSignsOfPain's birthday bottleshare hosted by mrbubbler.

Pours an almost opaque super dark brown with a foamy dark khaki head that settles to a film on top of the beer. Small dots of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of dark roasted malt, cocoa, vanilla, wood, and whiskey. Taste is very much the same with an alcohol kick on the finish. There is a medium level of roasty bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp and medium bodied mouthfeel. Overall, this is a good beer but I think this one smells better than it tastes.

Serving type: bottle

07-01-2012 06:05:48 | More by UCLABrewN84

johnnnniee

New Hampshire

4.23/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A big thanks to MeadMe for spoiling me with Cigar City goodies in our last trade, I owe you one!
Pours a solid dark brown/black color with a bubbly tan head that slowly dissipates to a ring on top. The aroma is sweet with sugar and whiskey with lots of char, roast and caramel in there for good measure. The flavor is a bit on the sweet side, lots of sugar and caramel mixed with some roast, oak and a sweet whiskey flavor. Medium to thick body with a light level of carbonation and a sweet almost sugary mouthfeel. I enjoyed the hell out of this beer. If I had to fault it I would say it leans a bit on the sweet side, but I like em like that.

Serving type: bottle

06-26-2012 22:58:37 | More by johnnnniee

JohnQVD

New York

5/5  rDev +17.6%

06-02-2012 16:53:09 | More by JohnQVD