Catherine's Passion - Swamp Head Brewery & Tasting Room

mikesgroove

South Carolina

4.47/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

generously provided by calton i was very, very happy to be able to try this one, used it as my night cap last night, and poured into a snifter.

Huge big creamy frothy head, colored dark brown that would not fade on me, had to stay around and hang out. Black as night with big lace, looked perfect for an Imperial Stout, had to give it a 5! Smell was complex, albeit not as strong as I would have liked, but Chocolate, caramel, and coffee all were able to come through for me. Hint of alchol, but the taste was ...yummy! Totally coffee and chocolate duking it out to predominate this one. Alcohol definatly there s well, but not bad at all, just enough to let you know to watch out. Hint of chocolate came through as it warmed, big dry hoppy finish, very nice! This is a very thick drink, like a chocolate milkshake, very warming a it goes down, very creamy and great late at night before bed!

Serving type: growler

05-25-2011 18:18:40 | More by mikesgroove

thagr81us

South Carolina

4.47/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Massive thanks goes out to my boy Jefe73 for hooking me up with one during the Swamp Head CCB tap take-over during ACBW! Served from growler into a Green Man snifter. Poured pitch black with a minimal dark brown head. There was no lacing evident throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of roasted malt, toffee, dark chocolate, and coffee. The flavor was of sweet malt, roasted malt, toffee, dark chocolate, coffee, and a subtle hint of vanilla. It had a heavy feel on the palate with mild carbonation. Overall this was a really good brew. If I'm honest, I really wasn't expecting too much from this one but it gave me quite the surprise. Really excellent flavor and aroma going on here. The flavor was toned back a little bit, but in a good way. If all of this would have hit you at once it definitely would have been overwhelming for most. Really glad I got the opportunity to try this one, thanks again Jeff!

Serving type: growler

05-23-2011 16:45:02 | More by thagr81us

oline73

Maryland

4/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I had this on-tap while I was in Key West. Poured into a standard pint glass.

Appearance: Pours almost black with a finger of dark brown head that fades to a layer on top of the pour.

Smell: Bitter cocoa and roast. Full of dark fruit. This isn't a very sweet smelling beer.

Taste: This tastes just like a cop of coffee. Not too sweet. I'm getting dark chocolate, dark fruit, and tons of roasted malt. The finish is bitter and roasty.

Mouthfeel: The body is on the thick side with lots of carbonation and a dry finish.

Overall: This isn't a very sweet imperial stout, but I really enjoyed the coffee flavor. Not super balanced, but quite good. I'd have another.

Serving type: on-tap

09-15-2012 18:11:47 | More by oline73

CampusCrew

Florida

4.1/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

appearance: pitch black with a solid head retention

smell: loads of coffee aromas

taste: Russian Imperial Stout infused with organic cocoa nibs and Midnight Oil coffee
a decent impy stout with heavy coffee flavor, chocolate and dark fruit flavor. lots of alcohol kick though

mouthfeel: medium bodied to full bodied

drinkability: I tried this at the kickbacks Swamphead dinner among many others. This brewery in new and going in the right direction. Solid beer from a solid brewery. I would love to have this again.

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2011 23:18:24 | More by CampusCrew

AltBock

Ohio

4/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

On tap at the Brandon Brass Tap on January 5, 2013. Reviewed from my notes that were made that day. They served it to me in a Guinness snifter. It certainly wasn't an ordinary Guinness pint glass. 

Looked like an Imperial Stout. It was a thick pitch black motor oil black. Holding this beer will not help your cause. The light will just bounce off the beer and shoot it right back into your face. On top was nice creamy coffee colored head of foam. Excellent retention that left behind a skin of foam and a huge number of blots and streaks of lace around the Guinness glass.

It looked like an Imperial Stout, but it didn't smell like one. The first aroma that came to me was the scent of fresh raspberries. I was very confused. Was it the glass? Was it the tap? Or was it the beer itself? Anyway, after the scent of raspberries passes, in comes some roasted malt, a little cocoa, and a subtle whiff of roasted coffee beans. Very interesting!

The aroma of raspberries was odd until I tasted the beer. There were raspberries in the taste but they mixed in with the chocolate to form a nice raspberry chocolate taste. There was much after the chocolate raspberry. I only got a little roasted coffee, a flash of roasted malt, and a splash of day old dry roasted hops. In my second glass, the taste of raspberry diminished a little bit and more cocoa and roasted malt came out.

The mouthfeel was medium to full bodied with a crispy chocolately aftertaste. There was more raspberry chocolate and coffee beans in the aftertaste. I'm not quite sure what to think about this beer. It looks like an Imperial Stout, but it doesn't smell or taste like one. Unless its an Imperial Stout aged on raspberries. If it's on tap, I'd say give it a try for yourself. You don't find too many Imperial Stouts on tap. 

Serving type: on-tap

02-01-2013 19:24:43 | More by AltBock

babaracas

Florida

4.2/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Dark brown / blackish in glass with a thin ring of brown lace. Smell: tons of dark and dry bitter chocolate, roasted grain, anise, mild roast. Taste: heavy on the dark and unsweet chocolate, in the background mild earthy hopping, nice alcohol note that's less prominent than in the Inspiration, anise, mildly acidic mild roast coffee shows up mostly in the finish. The chocolate is the star. Medium body, silky feel. Mildly alcoholic chocolate bomb, excellent.

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2011 02:29:09 | More by babaracas