Imperial Stout - Peace Tree Brewing Co.

rundocrun

Iowa

3.75/5  rDev +3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A - Pours motor oil black and looks viscous. No head to speak of but a few laces of deep brown foam swirl across the surface after a rough pour.

S - Roasty, slightly tangy coffee aroma hits first and a very slight hint of rasins and maple along with it. Some spicy, estery notes are also present from the belgian yeast. Interesting fusion of aromas.

T - Sharp, bitter roasted grains and toffee-like caramel flavors are most noticeable. Balanced hop bitterness. For the most part the 10% alcohol is well hidden, but some pleasant boozy warmth can be felt in the chest after each sip.

M - Thick and chewy like an Imperial Stout should be! Slightly dry, astringent finish but the malt sticks around afterwards. Despite the complete lack of head, the light carbonation is persistent and balanced.

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2011 23:28:07 | More by rundocrun

davesway10

Iowa

4/5  rDev +9.9%

05-19-2013 11:41:56 | More by davesway10

tectactoe

Michigan

2.58/5  rDev -29.1%
look: 2.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 2.25 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 2.5

The pour is a very dark brown, nearly black but not quite there yet. Literally almost no head after an aggressive pour. Hell, there's barely even a skin. Just a minor, tan ring that eventually scoots its way around the edge of the beer. Pretty unimpressive looking for an imperial stout, seems kind of thin and uneventful.

Unfortunately the aroma really isn't that much better than the appearance. It's got a nice stroke of lightly roasted coffee beans and some darker malts in the distance, but sadly not much else. After a few minutes, some light cocoa powder comes through, but that's where the variety stops. And not only is the profile just elementary, it's kind of weak and underpowered. I expect much more from beers of this size - it just doesn't live up.

Man, oh man. The flavor really doesn't do much to aid in the redemption of this beer, and things are quickly heading south. Up front, over-acidic and burnt coffee beans strike first; acrid and astringent in character. The astringency hits so hard that it almost feels tart for a second, but not in an enjoyable way. A light dusting of cocoa powder and cola finishes things off, but the high acidity and beyond-astringent bitterness make this beer hard to drink. Not to mention the lackluster, thin body for such a large stout.

Unimpressed is putting it nicely. This beer was not doing it for me at all. Wonder if it was a bad bottle or if that's just how it is. I like bitterness in my stouts. A heavy roast and even a big dose of hops. But the sheer oily acidity of this one made it nearly unpalatable. Thanks to Jeff for the share, but I won't be having this one again.

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2013 15:51:07 | More by tectactoe

taxman

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev +16.8%

04-29-2013 00:20:42 | More by taxman

SaxmanRick

Minnesota

4/5  rDev +9.9%

03-07-2013 19:14:46 | More by SaxmanRick

Ristaccia

Nebraska

3.75/5  rDev +3%

03-01-2013 04:28:56 | More by Ristaccia

JustinMatthew

Pennsylvania

2.75/5  rDev -24.5%

07-16-2012 17:43:22 | More by JustinMatthew

Beerislivingproof

Iowa

4.5/5  rDev +23.6%

04-30-2012 22:38:09 | More by Beerislivingproof

deepseacatfish

Iowa

3.93/5  rDev +8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The Imperial Stout is a dark blackish beer, with very slight head when poured. The malt and alcohol are both pretty present in the nose and when tasted. Generally light mouthfeel, with clear presence of alcohol, roasted malt. Some coffee-ish notes, and a little tartness. Overall pretty good.

Serving type: bottle

04-22-2012 20:35:26 | More by deepseacatfish

cmannes

Minnesota

3.5/5  rDev -3.8%

04-15-2012 20:12:44 | More by cmannes

katan

Colorado

3.88/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12 oz into a pint

A - Pours very dark with just a little bit of amber highlights. Head formation is mocha colored, but it breaks down quickly. Only a light film remains.

S - Almost imperceptible smell - a little bit of chocolate and some yeast.

T - Starts off with a little bit of malt sweetness. Mid-stream gets a little bit of belgian yeast, a hair of white pepper and some fruitiness. Finishes very clean, only a little bit of alcohol warmth.

M - Solid mouthfeel, light to moderate carbonation. Very smooth, goes down easy and very clean. Little bit of alcohol warmth.

O/D - A very interesting stout - I wasn't sure if the belgian yeast would make it through, but it does contribute. ABV is somewhat zingy, so drink it slow.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2012 06:19:55 | More by katan

fuzzcherry

Minnesota

3.5/5  rDev -3.8%

02-26-2012 06:48:53 | More by fuzzcherry

cradke

Texas

3.23/5  rDev -11.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Black as iron. Very little head or lace.

Smell: Dark Malts, some alcohol and brown sugar.

Taste: Lots of alcohol and heat. Even the chocolate notes taste hot. Notes of leather and yeast come through, lots of malt. Raisins and figs. I think this could have used some aging.

Mouthfeel: A little thin and without much carbonation.

Overall: Unfortunately, pretty average. It had a very high alcohol taste that really took over and dominated. The sweetness was also a bit high, almost like they should have brewed it longer.

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2012 04:01:57 | More by cradke

doughanson78

Washington

3.28/5  rDev -9.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

12oz bottle poured into a chalice. Thanks to storminspank for this.

A: Very dark pour. Black as night in the glass. One finger darker mocha color head with awesome retention and decent lacing.

S: Roasted malts. Milk chocolate. A little coffee.

T: Chocolate upfront. Kind of an off roasted malt taste in the middle with a hint of coffee bitterness, some floral hop notes, and a slight Belgian yeast flavor. Finishes with more chocolate and a light alcohol burn. Might work with some age but is a bit off now.

M: Full body. Very creamy. High carbonation.

O: It's a touch above average. Don't know if it's the Belgian yeast or the hops that put this one off just a bit.

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2012 01:02:08 | More by doughanson78

langfot99

Minnesota

4/5  rDev +9.9%

12-29-2011 14:15:26 | More by langfot99

Huhzubendah

District of Columbia

2.2/5  rDev -39.6%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Bottle shared by Lunch. Thanks Paul.

The beer appears dark brown with a small, beige head. The aroma is where everything takes an irreversible wrong turn. Nail polish remover, grape juice, overly ripened dark fruits, booze. No thank you. The flavor delivers exactly what the aroma threatened. Ugh. Punishing. Medium body with low carbonation. Overall, this was bad. Upon looking through some of the other reviews of this beer, it seems mine is not the only negative experience with this beer. I would try it one more time in hopes of a vastly better experience.

Serving type: bottle

12-25-2011 04:16:33 | More by Huhzubendah

zeff80

Missouri

3.98/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Poured out a jet black color with a small, light brown head of foam. It left very little lacing.

S - It smelled very roasty with some nice chocolate notes. Mild floral aromas, too.

T - It tasted of rich roasted malt with burnt molasses and dark chocolate. Nice bitterness on top of all the roasted malts.

M - It was crisp, sharp and smooth. A full bodied ale with an insanely dry finish.

O - This is really good. Peace Tree does very well with their Brewer's Special Release Series.

Serving type: bottle

12-23-2011 02:14:09 | More by zeff80

jak

North Carolina

4/5  rDev +9.9%

12-12-2011 00:32:27 | More by jak

pirmannt1

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev +3%

11-26-2011 20:23:03 | More by pirmannt1

spoonhawk

Iowa

3/5  rDev -17.6%

11-23-2011 23:36:58 | More by spoonhawk

drabmuh

Maryland

3.25/5  rDev -10.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Bottle shared by lunch served in a snifter. Beer is black with a thin head on it, no lacing, low retention, low carbonation.

Aroma is mildly Bretty with some ash and mild sweetness perhaps some alcohol. It is already possible that there is something seriously wrong with this beer.

Beer is thin with a mild sweetness but the ending is all wrong, oddly bitter, oddly a little dry, interesting but not great, or even good as Paul would later describe this beer as spoiled garbage. A little harsh but not a repeat for me.

Serving type: bottle

11-13-2011 23:31:49 | More by drabmuh

TheGordianKnot

Tennessee

2.48/5  rDev -31.9%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

Thanks to mattafett for this awesome extra! Poured into snifter...

A- Pitch black with a nice cm of dark brown head. Settles very fast to almost nothing but an island of bubbles in the middle of the liquid.

S- Smokey, almost like a rubber band though. Just a medicinal off aroma is definitely in there. Slight dark fruits, woody; but not enough to keep the nose away from off aromas.

T/M- Definitely comes off smoked. Tart to a small degree, but overall medicinal. Just something is off. Roast is there, but barely, chocolate isn't there, no sweet dark fruits, no anise, not much of anything great. For an imperial stout, this is light and lacking that substantial feel.

O- Nothing is there to make me think this is an imperial stout. Bad bottle? Maybe, but who knows? I like my imperial stouts flavorful and big bodied- this was neither of those and just not a good representation of the style...

Serving type: bottle

09-13-2011 14:21:15 | More by TheGordianKnot

DoubleSimcoe

New York

4.05/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Excited to find bottles of this at Benz Beverage Depot in Cedar Rapids, Iowa ($2.50 a piece). Bottled in November '10 and enjoyed in early September '11. Sweet!

Appearance: The stubby bottle delivers a classically pitch-black pour with a thick and carbonated coffee-colored that lasts. Sizable lacing and a very solid look all around.

Smell: I get currant and port-like aromas, even some cherry. Sort of unusual for an imperial stout but damn nice. Roasty-toastiness and some oak/barrel/age. Candy, sugar babies (milk-caramel drops).

Taste: More dark fruit (juiced, crashed) plus coffee and mellow chocolate (in powder form). A nice hoppy bitterness at the end of the sip. Goes down with a bizarre-but-delicious hint of boozed-up strawberry syrup.

Mouthfeel: A bit of a let-down here... sort of a thin body and feel all around, despite the great carbonation and good flavor. Stings with booze at the end, almost giving me heartburn, but sip it and it is fine.

Overall: The drinkability here is ridiculously high and mighty. 10%? I could chug this. Goes down soooo easy and nice. Not the most complicated imperial stout I've had (you could expect s lil' more from a nine-month-old bottle), but damn nice! And outstanding when you think this comes from Knoxville, Iowa.

Serving type: bottle

09-05-2011 05:23:04 | More by DoubleSimcoe

Pintofbrown

Iowa

3.03/5  rDev -16.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: The body is dark and opaque, very appropriate for the style. The one finger head is quite bubbly and not quite as thick as a good imperial stout could be. It is a nice cocoa powder color though.

Smell: There is a sweet brandy like smell that mixes with the dark malts. The finish is something bordering on leather and bready malts. It is definitely queer, and not very appealing.

Still, these are stout flavors in the nose, just a strange mix, and that brandy alcohol is really throwing things off.

Taste: This is really quite the amalgamation of flavors, and they do not really fit well together. The first flavors out of the gate are defintely the musty leather and sweet raisin flavors. Then mid tongue the charcoal and coffee start to come through.

Finally, the finish incorporates some of that boozy brandy flavor and apple, with slight coffee bitterness. Again, these are definitely stout flavors, but man is it unbalanced. It seems like it is the way the alcohol that is incorporated that is throwing things off. Too sweet for an Imperial Stout.

Mouth feel: Despite the disappointing, disjointed flavor, it is not a hard imperial to drink. Not much alcohol burn, and it is full bodied, also quite smooth.

Overall: Again, something about that booze choice that is giving this thing a bock like quality with a stout like finish. Not a great combo if you think about it. I will stick to other offerings, still glad I tried it.

Serving type: bottle

08-29-2011 22:04:05 | More by Pintofbrown

dbossman

Nebraska

3.75/5  rDev +3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: Very dark brown/black with a huge billowing milk chocolate brown head with decent lacing--especially considering the style

S: Such rich dark roasted malts: chocolate and coffee especially; some subtle boozy qualities that work nicely underneath the chocolately malts

T: A fairly smooth and balanced imperial stout with pleasant bitterness as well as pleasant semi-sweet chocolate malt base but it doesn't quite finish just right with just a touch of an off-putting sourness

F: Creamy with a medium body but not as full bodied as you would wish

O: This is a nice imperial stout that works pretty well overall; roasty with loads of chocolate and coffee; not the best imperial stout out there by any stretch but it is pretty darn solid nonetheless

Serving type: bottle

08-02-2011 16:35:33 | More by dbossman