Tenaya Creek Imperial Stout - Tenaya Creek Brewery

superspak

Michigan

4.23/5  rDev +9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22 ounce bottle into snifter, bottled on 12/14/2011. Pours pitch black color with a nice 1 finger dense khaki head with fantastic retention, that reduces to a thin cap that lingers. Nice soapy lacing clings on the glass. Aromas of big dark chocolate, caramel, roasted malt, toffee, coffee, biscuit, nuttiness, toast, and light dark fruitiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance, strength, and complexity of roasted flavors. Taste of dark chocolate, espresso, cocoa, roasted malt, caramel, toast, nuttiness, toffee, brown sugar, roasted coffee, and slight dark fruits. Fair amount of coffee bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of dark chocolate, cocoa, espresso, roasted malt, caramel, toffee, toast, nuttiness, coffee, and slight dark fruits on the finish for a good bit. Fantastic flavor balance, complexity, and robustness; with zero cloying flavors after the finish. Medium carbonation and fairly full bodied; with a very creamy and fairly slick mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is very well hidden with hardly any warming noticed after the finish. Overall this is a highly excellent imperial stout. Excellent balance and robustness of roasted and dark malty flavors; and very smooth to sip on. A highly enjoyable offering.

Serving type: bottle

01-25-2013 05:31:12 | More by superspak

bespin15

Washington

3.75/5  rDev -3.4%

05-25-2013 20:01:50 | More by bespin15

mjohnson17

Illinois

3.96/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

White Wax: 2012 batch, bottled 12/12/12
Poured into a BCBS snifter

A: Pours a near opaque jet black with a nice finger length of knaki head.

S: A very faint dry roast nose. There really isn't much nose on this beer. A bit of a disappointment after the beautiful appearance on the pour.

T: Dry, roasted malt. Dark chocolate. Lots of bitterness. A hint of caramel. This is exactly what I expect from a stout out of Nevada, super dry and bitter like the desert.

M: Well carbonated for a imperial stout. A nice full mouthfeel washing over the pallet with a dry, sticky coating.

O: A solid stout. Prior to azdback sending this bottle to me I had never heard of Tenaya Creek. So I had no preconceived notions of the brewery and the beer. I was surprised and happy with the result. This beer isn't mind-blowing, but it's a solid beer true to the style and pretty impressive from Las Vegas, an area not particular known for this style. I enjoy this beer because it fits with what I would think would be a Nevada Imperial Stout. Very dry and roasty, like the desert.

Serving type: bottle

05-22-2013 17:09:41 | More by mjohnson17

oldvines

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev -3.4%

05-11-2013 03:40:00 | More by oldvines

mactrail

California

4.1/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

This is a big, foamy brew with piles of carbonation. Big head and a sudsy mouthful. Dark brown color in the Duvel glass. Aromas of grainy malt and caramel.

Rich and spicy with a big, deep flavor. What is appealing about this one is the less sweet character with the nutty, edgy taste. Full malt flavor with a dark roasted taste, but more nutty than sweet. This has a grainy flavor that is more like really good bread with a touch of the burnt sugar. Some licorice taste and a hot sensation of alcohol. Not totally dry, but a great balance of malty sweetness with some hoppy bitterness.

The best of the several Tenaya Creek brews I've had and one worth seeking out. A great example of an American-style big stout. From the 22 oz bottle bought at Whole Foods in Chandler. My only criticism: lose the wax dip, dudes.

Serving type: bottle

04-19-2013 05:31:11 | More by mactrail

rangerman21

Nevada

4.19/5  rDev +8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Poured from a bomber dated 12/12/12

Appearance- Dark, light has a hard time finding its way through the beer. The head is light brown.

Smell- Dark malts and a slight hint of booze.

Taste- Dark malts with a bitter hop finish. Bitter throughout, booze not overpowering

Mouthfeel- Chewy and smooth. Slightly more carbonated than some other Imperial stouts I've tried.

Overall- A robust brew that looks, smells and tastes like I would want an imperial stout to taste. The booze is not overpowering in the flavor, which is nice. I would definitely get this beer again.

Serving type: bottle

04-17-2013 23:46:18 | More by rangerman21

azdback

Arizona

4/5  rDev +3.1%

02-26-2013 03:40:00 | More by azdback

tbone1384

Wyoming

4/5  rDev +3.1%

01-12-2013 16:33:56 | More by tbone1384

ONUMello

Ohio

3.83/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I realize wax looks nice, but it made the crown cap quite difficult to remove... anyway...
22oz bottle with a 'bottled on' date of 12/14/11 poured into a pint glass
A: This is almost pitch black in color with a latte-colored one-fingered head
S: Coffee, roasted malt and some cocoa; quite muted
T: Again tons of coffee, roasted malts, some bitter cocoa, and I agree with the burnt toast finish
M: Medium-bodied, fairly smooth, a pleasant bitterness
O: I'm going to have to keep my eye out for more from Tenaya Creek as both of the beers I've had from them have been enjoyable, this is no exception.

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2013 21:38:00 | More by ONUMello

ralphw56

Nevada

3.75/5  rDev -3.4%

12-24-2012 01:04:38 | More by ralphw56

BeerHunter76

Texas

3.75/5  rDev -3.4%

11-12-2012 02:45:33 | More by BeerHunter76

Texasfan549

Texas

4/5  rDev +3.1%

11-10-2012 14:24:10 | More by Texasfan549

Broden

California

4/5  rDev +3.1%

11-06-2012 22:22:43 | More by Broden

kjkinsey

Texas

4/5  rDev +3.1%

11-03-2012 13:41:17 | More by kjkinsey

wethorseblanket

California

3.75/5  rDev -3.4%

09-13-2012 03:37:37 | More by wethorseblanket

UCLABrewN84

California

3.93/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Thanks to Panny for sharing this one at Benny’s tasting.

Bottled 12/14/11.

Pours an almost opaque super dark brown with a foamy khaki head that settles to an oily 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, and dark fruits. Taste is much the same with a medium roasty bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a good beer that is tasty and quite smooth.

Serving type: bottle

09-11-2012 01:35:18 | More by UCLABrewN84

drewone

California

3.5/5  rDev -9.8%

09-10-2012 01:30:50 | More by drewone

womencantsail

California

3.78/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Black in color with a thin tan head. Roasted malts rule the aroma. Coffee, dark chocolate, and mild ash along with some cocoa powder and a hint of molasses to provide some sweetness. The flavor is also heavily roasted. Light ash, plenty of coffee, and a touch of licorice. Lots of bitter dark chocolate, light molasses and toffee sweetness. A touch of burnt toast and bitterness on the finish.

Serving type: bottle

08-13-2012 03:31:48 | More by womencantsail

GRG1313

California

3/5  rDev -22.7%

08-07-2012 23:18:18 | More by GRG1313

TasteTester

Ohio

4.25/5  rDev +9.5%

07-19-2012 23:27:58 | More by TasteTester

ssjkyle

Nebraska

4.5/5  rDev +16%

07-14-2012 23:10:05 | More by ssjkyle

mattcrill

Ohio

4.6/5  rDev +18.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Aroma: Lovely dark roasted malt notes up front. Earthy and peppery hop notes that marry well with the dark roasted grain character. A bit smokey but understated.

Appearance: Jet black with a pancake batter-like head. Head retention is good and appears still in the glass.

Flavor: Follows the aroma. Big malt character with lots of dry cocoa powder and burnt creamed coffee notes. Espresso rounds out the flavor and it's balanced off by some earthy firm hop bitterness and lingering caramel notes. Balance is nearly even giving a slight edge to the bitter hop and dark grain flavors. Finish is clean and dry.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with medium carbonation. Slightly creamy and a little bit of an acrid bite. Not unpleasant or unexpected. Just gives it a little character.

Overall impression: Wow! I'm impressed. This is a new one for me and I'm glad to see it in Central OH. Nicely done. A nice treat on a hot Memorial Day weekend.

Serving type: bottle

05-27-2012 19:18:27 | More by mattcrill

Kopfschuss

Oregon

4.25/5  rDev +9.5%

04-12-2012 01:37:25 | More by Kopfschuss

JDV

Texas

3.15/5  rDev -18.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Rich black pour with a creamy beige head from the nitro pour. Smell is dark roasty malt. Actually has some body to it! Although it could be richer, it was overly thin, and had a nice roasty coffee flavor to it. Hint of alcohol, however that didn't help, but didn't kill it either. Some bitterness in the finish and all around their best beer that I've tried. Worth a try.

Serving type: on-tap

03-15-2008 19:38:21 | More by JDV

charlzm

California

3.28/5  rDev -15.5%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Consumed on draft at brewery, 12/30/07.

Very dark brown with a thin ring of foam. Oddly, no aroma I could detect, though it was in a taster glass. Creamy mouthfeel. Bitter, roasted chocolate and smooth coffee. No alcohol burn or taste. Lightly bitter finish.

Not as big as I expected from an imperial stout, but certainly not bad at all.

Serving type: on-tap

03-06-2008 04:55:22 | More by charlzm