Empire Imperial Stout - Cutters Brewing Company

bluejacket74

Ohio

4.13/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

12 ounce bottle. Served in a snifter, the beer pours very dark brown/black with maybe a half inch tan head that fizzled away quickly. However, there is a good amount of lacing. Aroma is nice, the brew smells like roasted malt, molasses, espresso, and bittersweet chocolate. The taste is sweeter than I expected since the aroma was more roasty and bitter, it tastes like molasses, roasted malt, bittersweet chocolate, caramel, dark fruit and espresso. There's a slight roasty bitter coffee finish, but the sweet flavors linger around longer. Mouthfeel/body is medium, it's a bit coating and creamy with low carbonation. I liked this brew a lot, I wouldn't mind picking up another bottle of this and also trying some of Cutters other brews at some point.

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2013 22:36:45 | More by bluejacket74

jzeilinger

Pennsylvania

3.83/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

A - Pours syrupy black and leaves and very thick and creamy toffee colored ring, very sticky on the sides of the glass...this beer has some serious legs.

S - Expresso, molasses, dark roasted chocolate and light charcoal.

T - Follows the nose with sweet espresso and molasses dominating throughout, finishes with some char before giving way to a bitter dark roasted chocolate finish.

M - Thin medium body upfront with a really thick heavy bottom on the back end (hard to describe), velvet and viscous on the tongue with no carbonation at all. Lip smacking sticky and lightly syrupy.

O - A decent stout that feels more like a cask beer on the tongue and the $13.99 I paid for this bomber in Indiana is a little steep for what it is.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2013 19:38:38 | More by jzeilinger

tsauce2

Indiana

3.96/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

P: 12 fl. oz. bottle in to a DFH tulip

A: SRM is dark brown/black. Nearly opaque. Head is tan, 1/2 in, dissipates to outsides of the glass. Medium/light carbonation. Medium lacing.

S: Very nice chocolate nose with some dark roast notes. Nose is just a little faint though.

T: Chocolately with dark roast and a touch of bitter chocolate and light char on the back end. Aftertaste is more dark roast/charcoal forward, in a very good way, with chocolate coming after.

M: Medium/thick viscosity. Initially the beer is a little light in body for a stout, but once it sits on the palate it gives a bigger feel.

O: A good beer overall. Very pricey for what it is though. That said, this beer is nicely balanced and the alcohol taste is almost non-existant, making this very easy to drink for the ABV, which is impressive. Would like to try the BA version. Probably will not buy this agian though given the price point. Hopefully this brewery can cut costs on this beer. If they could get this around the price point of Founders Imp Stout, I would by this again.

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2013 21:47:06 | More by tsauce2

RunForYourBeer

Indiana

4.03/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75

A: Pours black with a thin tan head.

S: Dark chocolate, molasses, coffee, dark fruits, caramel, and some roastiness. Lots there.

T: Dark chocolate, roasty/bitter coffee, caramel, with a bit of hops. Just a bit of alcohol warmth on the finish.

M: Smooth and creamy with just the right amount of carbonation.

O: Very good beer, hides the alcohol well for the strength. I'd like to get a little more molasses in the taste, however. Great for a cold Indiana day.
I expected this to be overly sweet but it was surprisingly balanced, even a little bitter.

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2013 00:42:20 | More by RunForYourBeer

AleWatcher

Illinois

4.03/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Bomber courtesy of Khumbard.
Served in my Founders snifter.

Dark, thick, stouty. Deep tan head. Nice legs, but no lacing. Good retention.
Smells roasty and chocolatey. The flavor is much the same with a dry roasty character and a surprising amount of bitterness.

Feels pretty good. Medium-full body, good carbonation, oily feel.

VERY boozy finish. Like just way too much so. Especially as this warmed up.

Serving type: bottle

07-04-2012 05:07:48 | More by AleWatcher

Treebs

Illinois

3.58/5  rDev -12.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

22 oz. bottle served in a Deschute tulip. Big thanks to cpmichael for the share.

A: Pours a dark black with mocha colored head forming on the pour. It recedes to a thin collar and leave some splotches of lace down the glass.

S: Roasted malts, bitter bakers chocolate, some oats and a little coffee bean fill the nose.

T: The taste matches the nose to a T. Nice combination of roasted malts, some oaty flavors, chocolate and coffee.

M: Medium to full bodied, medium carbonation with a dry roasty finish.

o: This was a very solid brew that I would love to revisit when my palate isn't full of Apple Brandy Zhukov, Brandy Barrel Dark Apparition, Hunahpu...you get the idea.

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2012 13:42:15 | More by Treebs

khumbard

Indiana

4.45/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

On tap at Yogis. I've had this out of a bottle as well.

Pours thick and black with a tan sturdy head, as a big stout should. The nose is full of roast and chocolate, very nice. Taste is complex. Definitely on the bitter roasty side, but with a nice chocolatey sweet molasses quality. Finishes with lingering bitter chocolate. Mouthfeel is thick and coating with lower carbonation which works very nicely.

Overall I was very impressed with this imperial stout from Bloomington's newest tiny brewery. This could actually stand up to a lot of big name stouts. The only downfall is the high price tag at this point, but that aside... a very high quality beer that I will gladly have again if given the chance.

Serving type: on-tap

11-23-2011 01:41:48 | More by khumbard

ElizabethCraig

Indiana

4.55/5  rDev +10.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Purchased at Sahara Mart in a bomber, we brought this back and shared it with one of our fellow beer freaks, Jarrod =)

A dark black/brown brew with a light tan head - a very lovely chocolate-toasted scent. No alcohol 'nose' to this at all to my nasal-palate.

The taste. I'm such a major malt head, but I usually shy away from Imperial Stouts due to a usually very intense alcohol 'bite'. My cheese can bite me back, my sour beers can nip at my tongue, but I like my stouts less challenging.

If all Imperial stouts were like this one, I'd drink them more often. =) Beautiful rich milky mouth feel, bitter chocolate to a sweet oat afterglow. Lovely, and warming - without being over 'alcoholly' in the aftertaste.

Serving type: bottle

10-22-2011 11:56:36 | More by ElizabethCraig

langm12

Indiana

4.8/5  rDev +16.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Picked up a bottle on the recommendation of a store employee. Honestly not expecting much from the upstart Bloomington brewery. Boy was I wrong.

A - pours pitch black with a gorgeous one finger mocha head. Beautiful looking stout.

S - Chocolates, Molasses, and a hint of Coffee. Very subtle.

T - The nose betrays the taste. This beer is unbelievably complex. Huge chocolate and molasses flavors up front followed by dark fruits and roasted malts. A crisp hop finish helps mellow out the subtle coffee on the back end. A whole lot going on here. Mouth feel is delightful. Nice and thick. Not as boozy as I was expecting for a beer with a double digit ABV.

Without a doubt one of the best imperial stouts I've ever had. Not expecting this at all. Empire is not to be overlooked. This one can contend with the big boys.

Serving type: bottle

10-15-2011 03:16:36 | More by langm12

jmarsh123

Indiana

4.18/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Pours an opaque black with almost no head. A bit of lacing down the glass.

Smells heavily of chocolate with a little bit of sweetness from the molasses I'm presuming. Not a whole lot of complexity in the nose, but nothing bad here either.

Very thick and syrupy initial sweetness rounding into a profile heavily featuring roasty malts. Very chocolately throughout with a little bit of a coffee/roast finish along with a little bit of booze. Good balance between the roast and malt overall.

Nice and creamy. Carbonation level is a tad high for the style, but not a detriment. Medium-thick without being cloying. Alcohol burn is slightly present, but pretty well masked for the ABV.

I haven't especially liked anything from this brewery before, but I can say this is a very solid beer. Not world class, but a very good smooth and creamy stout I'd be happy to drink anytime I'm the mood for something heavier. The price point is a bit high for a new brewery trying to establish itself, but this a flagship beer so get these out to the masses.

Serving type: bottle

10-06-2011 22:47:56 | More by jmarsh123