Lagunitas Imperial Stout - Lagunitas Brewing Company

arfenhouse

California

3.79/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

A: Black with some brown on the edges. Off-white head. retention is decent.

S: Prune, dark chocolate, and a bit of coffee.

T: Roasted grain and dark chocolate. Dark fruits at the back end.

M: Medium-full mouthfeel and medium carbonation. Slick and wet.

O: Decent RIS not much else to say.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2013 16:35:23 | More by arfenhouse

BeerAficionadoMCMXC

California

3.76/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

It appears a jet black tone. The head disappears quickly, low carbonation levels. The smell consists of nutty raisins with a touch of chocolate. The taste reveals a syrup like texture with lots of dark fruit and some hop flavor to follow. The body is medium, but not syrupy. I'd say this is a solid imperial stout, but nothing spectacular.

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2013 06:20:20 | More by BeerAficionadoMCMXC

ChugMan

Washington

3.76/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 2 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

A - Dark body, becoming dark red along outer edges. Meager head quickly settled to nearly nothing, leaving next to no lacing.
S - Soft but thick, chocolate, toffee, some star anise. Fudgy, appealing, but some alcohol right on the end cuts the pleasantries short. Reminds you of what you're about to come up against Otherwise, pretty nice and inviting.
T - First of all, for being 9.9% brew the alcohol flavor is really well mitigated. Rich, chocolatey, bready with some coffee too. Skirts the edge of a medicine flavor and pulls back just in time.
M - Pretty thick, reminiscent of the consistency of Hersey's syrup. Clings to all areas of the mouth, but pleasantly so.
O - Likely best enjoyed with some vanilla ice cream or cookies, this is no session beer and it will dominate your palate. This is a good thing though. On the whole, I'd say it's a very solid and enjoyable beer.

Serving type: bottle

04-27-2013 07:07:05 | More by ChugMan

AmitC

Indiana

3.88/5  rDev +6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Poured from a bomber into a snifter.

Color is dark brown while pouring and pitch black inside the glass. About a finger thick head of slightly shining brown color. Decent head retention. Good lacing on the sides. Opaque.

Aroma is of strong booze. A lot of heavy and dark roasted malts. Strong malt and warmth. Alcohol take this beer over and is a bit disgusting and two dimensional. Strength is good to strong.

Taste is of naked roasted malts. Dark and heavily burnt up charred character. Hops are absent. Bitterness is mainly due to burnt up malts. Huge on warmth. Boozy all around. No balance. Very very warm beer. Drink strictly in chilling winters. Difficult to finish a bomber by self, even when I like boozy and strong beers. Finish is semi-sweet.

Mouth feel is full bodied. A lot of body and thickness makes it a very robust brew. Highly astringent in terms of alcohol and charred character.

Serving type: bottle

04-25-2013 16:03:01 | More by AmitC

templar316

Pennsylvania

4.24/5  rDev +15.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.25

Khaki head quickly disolves to subtle reminders around the edge of my tulip. It light's up a deep rich chocolate but not the true black of an RIS. Vanilla and toffee notes hide the alcohol on the nose and smoothly roll into a bittersweet chocolate finish across the tongue. It's smooth, and very easy drinking, with a soft foam finish. An impressive beer.

Serving type: bottle

04-10-2013 04:02:50 | More by templar316

griffinn

Oregon

3.69/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 3.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Picked up at the local grocery store for a mere three dollars. Poured from a 22oz bottle into a regular pint glass (Took a couple pours to finish it off, thanks to its lovely, fluffy foam).

A: Deep dark, nearly black. Decent inch-tall head that soon disintegrated but left some pretty lacing for a while. Not astounding, appearance-wise, but certainly an attractive beer.

S: Typical coffee/chocolate scent for an RIS. Again, enticing but not mind-blowing. Faint background fruity smell of... apricots? Pear, maybe? This is something open to interpretation.

T: Hardy, bulky flavors of well-roasted malts and coffee. Hop character exists, but only briefly - not that this is a bad thing. Slightly creamy, perhaps almost breakfast-y. Wouldn't have ever guessed it was 9.9% ABV if the bottle hadn't said so.

A: A more-than-decent, straightforward but solid. Very drinkable and inoffensive in spite of the rather high ABV. Not a work of art, but a surprisingly good beer and perhaps a great introduction to the world of stouts for a lager drinker or an easy go-to for the experienced drinker looking for something good but inexpensive. Not a game-changer, but certainly a huge step-up from, for instance, the watery, unimpressive Guinness.

Random note: Goes surprisingly well with a bowl of Rice Krispies.

Serving type: bottle

03-29-2013 11:14:29 | More by griffinn

jsulko

Illinois

4.23/5  rDev +15.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Bottle poured into a snifter glass

Pours a dark black with a decent off chocolate colored head.

Smell is chocolate and roasty malt.

Chocolate comes through in the taste. Slight hints of a coffee and roasted malt flavor.

Finish is smooth with little aftertaste.

A great RIS that I will be looking for again.

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2013 03:11:39 | More by jsulko

mfnmbvp

Illinois

4.03/5  rDev +10.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22 oz. bottle, no apparent bottled on date present. The first time I have seen this beer in my area, and the second stout I am trying from Lagunitas. I'm pretty excited.

Poured into a Firestone Walker pint glass.

A - Pours a quarter inch of creamy khaki head on top of a luscious opaque black body. Heavy lacing on the glass. Second pour yields about three fingers of the same creamy fluffy khaki head with excellent retention.

S - Enticing roasted coffee beans and toasty malts. Bit of chocolate cocoa. Smells excellent, one of the best smelling Lagunitas beers I've come across yet. Faintly hoppy.

T - Big, bold, bitter, roasted coffee goodness. Moderately carbonated, slightly thick body. Again, maybe a faint bitter fruity hop presence. Some alcohol warmth comes through in the finish. Does well at masking it's 9.90% abv, but it is still there.

M - Thick and full bodied. Slight carbonation, and slightly bitter.

Overall, a big full-bodied beer from Lagunitas. Probably the strongest abv beer I've had from them yet, with the Lagunitas Cappuccino Stout following not far behind. A decent offering from Lagunitas, and a pleasant Russian imperial stout in general. One I would happily have again, especially for the unbeatable price of $4.99 for a bottle.

Lagunitas Imperial Stout ---4/5.

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2013 02:33:03 | More by mfnmbvp

Lemke10

Wisconsin

4.45/5  rDev +21.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This pours a very dark brown color with an average chocolate brown colored head. There are lots of robust scents in the aroma mixed with caramel, vanilla, and coffee. The taste is silky smooth and robust. It is not overpowering by any means yet delivers a full flavor taste. There is a very complex taste of malts, grains, and extracts. Not the best stout on the market but pretty damn good for the price.

Serving type: bottle

03-06-2013 07:01:40 | More by Lemke10

4000qtrap

Missouri

3.36/5  rDev -8.2%
look: 3.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25

Source/Serving: 22 oz. bottle, fresh

S: Cocoa nib, earthy chocolate, twig from a field, with a light touch of acidity. Not too heavy or light.

T: Disappointingly acidic, while only moderate, I think the mark of a great imperial stouts is smoothness gained by balancing grain acidity. Earthy chocolate from the nose is prominent up front with coffee bean and dry, unsweetened dark cocoa character. Hints of woody, herbal hops. Moderate acidity punches through briefly in he middle which gives a cola character and the hop flavor elevates to moderate. Body is medium-high for style, but not thick. Alcohol is clean and smooth, doesn't add much character. Finish slightly regains balance in the acidity and has pleasant a dry nutty, toasty cocoa nib character with a hint of a roasty charcoal note that is nice.

Notes: Decent beer, just wish they balanced the acidity. For $4 a 22oz, its still a sweet deal for a solid Imp. Stout though.

Serving type: bottle

03-03-2013 22:32:27 | More by 4000qtrap

Chirpie

Kansas

3.86/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

It's another big blizzard on the way outside, so i grabbed one of their medium sized bottles (1 Pint, 6 oz) of this off the shelf after having tried every variation under the sun of Little Sumpin.

Poured it into a glass where sweet chocolate notes, a tan head, and a typically dark appearance awaited. Everything was great so far.

The taste? Dark chocolately flavors. Espresso. And yeah, pretty darn chalky. Bitter coffee beans is the predominant flavor.

If it sounds like I'm a little lukewarm on everything, that's because I kinda sorta am. I still liked it more than some other people here, but my favorite go to budget stout is still Green Flash's Double Stout.

Glad I tried it though...

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2013 00:46:24 | More by Chirpie

Immortale25

Florida

4.13/5  rDev +12.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a Dogfish signature snifter. No freshness date.

A- Pours a 99% opaque black color with a full inch of light brown head that retains a while before slowly receding to a thick ring around the edge of the glass and a mostly full sheet of surface foam. Thick, fluffy semi-resilient lacing.

S- Nutty dark roasted malt with a fair amount of chocolate and smoke.

T- Solid stout flavor with dark roasted semi-sweet malts that provide a decent chocolate flavor and coffee in the aftertaste. The alcohol is hidden very well and there's a slight metallic finish.

M- The body isn't super creamy or super robust but rather a bit below the standard for an RIS. Medium carbonation.

O- People always say Lagunitas should just stick to the hoppy beers, but this ain't bad. I wouldn't be pining for it every year around its release date, but I certainly think it's worth the dough I spent on it.

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2013 03:54:43 | More by Immortale25

kawilliams81

Illinois

3.86/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Poured from a 22 oz bottle into a Lost Abbey chalice.

A- pours black with a big 2" mocha head. Big blotches and bubbles of lacing remain on the glass.

S- nice chocolate, some sark fruits and coffee.

T- sweet chocolate, some light roast, dark fruits, coffee that's has some light bitterness.

M- medium body and carbonation. Very smooth and drinkable RIS.

O- This is a very good RIS for the price! Is it a great RIS no, but solid and will drink again.

Serving type: bottle

02-16-2013 03:59:10 | More by kawilliams81

Segelstrom

Pennsylvania

3.73/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

A - med. brown in color without the dark head that normally comes with the best in class stouts

S - not as strong or as heavy as I like to see in a rich stout.

T- For a high APV beer it did not have the heavy sweet richness I prefer

MF - i like my stouts to have less tanginess and a heavy rich feel. They should make me feel like holding it and enjoying b/4 swallowing. This did not.

Overall - Laganitis makes some really great beers and I've had most. This
is only average in their lineup.

Serving type: bottle

02-11-2013 22:13:42 | More by Segelstrom

MattyG85

Minnesota

4.21/5  rDev +15%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Poured from a 22 oz. bottle into a Surly Darkness chalice glass.

Appearance: Pours pitch black with a fair amount of rising bubbles. About one finger of tan head that quickly fades into a thin patchy layer. Leaves a decent amount of lacing around the glass.

Smell: Dark, roasty, and fairly burnt stout aroma. Dark roasted barley malts with big hints of dark chocolate, burnt toast, caramel, biscuit, toffee, smoked malt, and some coffee. Hints of sweet molasses and a little anise spice. Subtle hints of dark cherry, plum, raisin, and fig. Fairly earthy with a subtle presence of hops in the background. A very roasty and rich aroma. Pretty solid.

Taste: Rich, roasty, and smoky like the smell previews. Big taste of dark roasted barley malts with notes of dark chocolate, burnt toast, coffee, biscuit, caramel, toffee, and a fair amount of smoke. Some sweet molasses and licorice anise spice. Undertones of dark fruit with notes of plum, raisin, fig, and dark cherry. Some bitter earthy hops come through towards the finish to provide some balance. A good roasty stout taste.

Mouthfeel: Body is on the heavier side with a moderate amount of carbonation. Creamy and somewhat syrupy. Sweet but has a fairly drying finish. Alcohol heat is masked fairly well.

Overall: A pretty solid Imperial Stout. Good burnt roasty flavors and a well balanced sweetness.

Serving type: bottle

02-10-2013 07:45:08 | More by MattyG85

WankelEngine

Illinois

3.23/5  rDev -11.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3.25

Poured from a 22oz bottle into a snifter

A: Pours completely opaque black with a small, tan head that fades to some bubbles around the edge of the glass. Lacing is minimal.

S: Dark chocolate is the first thing I pick up. This is followed by an unusually potent alcohol scent, which is sharp and unpleasant. Mild dark fruits round out the aroma.

T: The chocolate flavor is still prominent, but now drier and not as dark. Alcohol is unfortunately still present, but thankfully tempered back a bit. Some caramel/toffee flavor melds with a mild dark fruit, cherry and fig.

M: Thick, but overall very dry. Almost reminds me of a Syrah the way it dries out my mouth. Alcohol heat seems to be covered by the thickness, though I can still taste it. Somewhat sticky as it goes down.

O: Probably the poorest effort I've ever had from Lagunitas. Alcohol flavor is potent and ruins most of the beer for me, even though it is lower than some of their other brews (Brown Shugga). Not what I've come to expect from a this brewery.

Serving type: bottle

02-07-2013 00:45:43 | More by WankelEngine

barnzy78

Illinois

3.48/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

9.9% ABV
22oz bomber poured into a 25oz snifter. Pours near black with a rocky, tan head that holds excellent retention. Aromas are sweet malts, chocolate, molasses, plenty of dark fruit notes. Tastes are rich & sweet with dark fruits, chocolate, raspberry-like tartness, earthy, boozy. Medium bodied, smooth at first but the alcohol is hot & burns the throat on the way down. Overall, it's different than other Russian Imperial Stouts I've had in the past. It actually seemed more like a Baltic Porter, especially with the fruitiness and lack of roastiness. Not bad, but unfortunately I wouldn't buy it again.

Serving type: bottle

02-06-2013 05:09:00 | More by barnzy78

uno99

Ontario (Canada)

3.71/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A nice little impy stout here - contents of Christmas beer gift box.

Appearance: Quite black, shine a light behind the glass and you get some ruby highlights on the edges. Head is very bright white for the style and sticks around a little bit, leaving some nice lacing.

Smell: Quite sweet and malty. Some dark fruits and earthy leather and cherry.

Taste: bitter up front, sweet and juicy middle, and a long finish which is somewhat dry. Very malty, not much in the way of hop presence.

Mouthfeel: Very balanced all around. Nice and thick with some relatively high carbonation. Comes alive and stays alive with long flavorful finish.

Overall: Fairly bog-standard impy stout. expertly brewed and balanced however.

Serving type: bottle

01-28-2013 02:13:09 | More by uno99

jera1350

Minnesota

4.08/5  rDev +11.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

2010 vintage.

Thinner bodied, dark chocolate brown. Short, dense head of foam with some nice lacing.

Rich malt smell with some dark fruit.

Chocolate, raisin, cocoa, prune, light mocha. Very nice comeplexity.

A bit thin for the style, but the carbonation is soft and wonderful.

Pleasantly surprised at how good this is. With Lagunitas, I would guess this was pretty hoppy fresh, but with the age, this has a very nice fruit/malt complexity. Drinks really easy too for the abv.

Serving type: bottle

01-28-2013 00:41:27 | More by jera1350

Kevin73

Washington

4/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Pours a typical opaque reddish brown. Durable tan head with sheets of lacing. The head is so durable in fact it never actually completely disappears; 5/5!!! Smell is very boozy, pungently alcoholic even. Nothing too exotic or unexpected with notes of bakers chocolate, espresso, wheat bread, caramel, dark fruits. Flavor is equally strong but well balanced. The malt and chocolate notes come through the most with a hint of sweetness making it very easy to drink. The alcohol is far less apparent in the flavor than the smell. This beer is overwhelmingly underrated in my opinion. Read my Lagunitas Cappuccino Stout review. Whatever Lagunitas is doing with their other beers is unknown to me, but they seem to have stouts figured out.

Serving type: bottle

01-26-2013 04:56:44 | More by Kevin73

SerialHiker

Illinois

3.94/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Pours black with pinky finger thick, mocha colored head…nice lacing when I swirl it around…a good lookin’ stout…(3.89/5)

Smell: Cocoa, creamy vanilla, caramel, alcohol heat, tons of roasted malts, dark fruit sweetness, mild earthiness…I’m picking up some smokiness and citrus hops aroma as well…there is a touch of soapiness…(3.83/5)

Taste: Yum! Tons of roasted malts highlighted by creamy, dark fruit sweetness and cocoa notes…it’s sweet without being milky…there is a bit of hops bitterness bite, earthy/citrus tones that show in the later half…more milk chocolate as the brew warms…the flavor isn’t overly complex, a fairly straight forward roasted malt based imperial stout, but what I do have here is very good...alcohol warms my belly with every sip…(4/5)

Mouthfeel: A full-bodied brew…medium carbonation fluffs up nicely spreading roasted malty goodness all over my palate…wet, chewy, vibrant feel…a touch of citrus bitterness in the after taste, but mostly a malt heavy brew…alcohol heat is apparent…(4/5)

Overall: This is a well crafted brew…it’s not dominant in any one category, but the overall package is fantastic…at 9.9% ABV, one bomber is a nice night of relaxing with a board game or hanging out with the wifey…it’s lower upper level for the field and easily recommended for your consumption…I’d consider buying another one of these for cellaring, just to see how it plays out in a year or two…(4/5)

Serving type: bottle

01-25-2013 02:58:17 | More by SerialHiker

dertyd

California

3.66/5  rDev 0%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 4

Poured from a 22oz bomber into a pint glass

A:poured a dark black with a inch of nice thick creamy head had some laceing that sticks around

S:smell of sweet choclate malts hints of coffee and a little vaniella

T: verry smooth for being almoast 10% alc sweet choclate,a lil coffee realy good taste

M:leaves the mouth real wet mouth watering feels like there's a coat of choclate in my mouth

O:overall its a damn good beer one of my go to stouts very smooth you can't go rong with lagunitas never

Live life drink beer!!!:-)

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2013 08:44:11 | More by dertyd

fortheloveofbooz

California

3.78/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A: Pours a very dark coffee brown/black, hints of burnt cherry around the rim, short-lived off white/brown head.

S: Lot of fruit on the nose funny enough. I got plum, dried plum, dark berries, coffee, toffee, bitter chocolate.

T: Flavors are full of creamy chocolate with hints of vanilla and dark fruit with a bitter finish. Fruit on the nose comes through and I get a bit of citrus in the aftertaste. Nice coffee notes with a good hoppy finish come though at the end which counters the sweetness of the malts.

M: A bit thin... would have preferred something a little thicker given the crazy fruit/ chocolate that your hit with.

O: Very enjoyable, if it would have been better in the mouthfeel I feel it would have pushed this beer from good to great. Just wasn't balanced enough for me.

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2012 06:47:51 | More by fortheloveofbooz

gleemonger

California

3.83/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Almost black, with a tan to off white head that doesn't stick around very long, but leaves lacing. Not as rich looking as I'd expect.

Not a huge aroma, but I do get a nice chocolaty roast with hints of hops. A little bit of dark fruit and some alcohol. I'll have to keep checking on the aroma as it warms. Yes, definitely comes out more as it warms - aroma still the same as described.

Similar to the aroma, a pretty even blend of chocolate and coffee roastiness. Picking up a pretty nice complexity to the roasted malts. Alcohol a bit too prevalent, but this is one big RIS. Still, it's a bit much, especially after I swallow, kind of taking over the aftertaste a bit. Pretty nicely balanced flavor though, for sure.

Medium to full bodied - not quite as rich as I like in a RIS, but it kind of changes throughout the sip. Moderate carbonation. Pretty good, just not quite spot on for me.

Definitely well made, just not super exciting or stand-out. All elements miss just slighly for me, from a kind of thin appearance and feel to a little bit too much of an alcohol presence. But it's definitely drinkable and tasty.

Serving type: bottle

12-04-2012 18:46:14 | More by gleemonger

Holy_Hop_Head

Oregon

3.55/5  rDev -3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 22oz into a goblet.

Appearance: a good, thick brown-black with a two-finger head and lots of stubborn lacing.

Smell: a metallic espresso

Taste: sweet mocha with a bitter finish and a bit of licorice as it warms. The alcohol is definitely present but integrates well into a Russian Imperial.

Mouthfeel: medium-full bodied, not quite so much as something such as, say - Old Rasputin. Definitely a little lighter with a tingling carbonation.

Overall: This is my go-to, easy-to-find (in Portland), great value beer when I'm in the mood for an imperial stout (which is fairly often). It's fairly well-balanced, slightly sweet but with the characteristic Lagunitas bitter finish. Not too complex, but definitely good and drinkable - again and again. I like this one a lot.

Serving type: bottle

12-03-2012 01:07:34 | More by Holy_Hop_Head