Sweetwater Happy Ending Imperial Stout - SweetWater Brewing Company

nUgZ

North Carolina

4.25/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

22 ounce bomber poured into a snifter.

A: Pours a very dark brown, almost black color with a one finger head and light lacing.

S: The hops take center stage on this one. Roasted malts, dark chocolate, and some coffee as well. Much hoppier than most Imperial Stouts.

T: Mostly roasted malts and some nice bitter hops. Nice balance. Hides the alcohol really well.

M: Medium to full bodied with decent carbonation.

O: I really enjoyed this one. It's extremely easy to drink and could be quite dangerous considering the ABV.

Serving type: bottle

02-25-2013 21:17:50 | More by nUgZ

jakeox

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev -4.6%

05-19-2013 01:59:01 | More by jakeox

FUwolfpacker

South Carolina

4/5  rDev +1.8%

05-18-2013 12:55:26 | More by FUwolfpacker

michaeljstraub

Georgia

3.75/5  rDev -4.6%

05-16-2013 19:52:20 | More by michaeljstraub

suspect

New York

4.19/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Poured from a 12oz bottle courtesy of Bulbman into a Real Ale snifter.

A: Thick, viscous pour. Aggressive into the glass leads to a sneaky 2 finger head that fades back down fighting every inch of the way leaving sticky lacing clinging to the sides and a solid ring around the outside as well as a nifty swirly pool of wispy foam on top.

S: Smells of roasted dark malts, mild coffee, bittering hops and a nice bready yeast aroma to bring home the very well balanced and blended nose. A touch of alcohol in the smell lets you know it means business but there's also some party. It's like an aroma-mullet.

T: Beautiful blend of the aforementioned smells with the coffee coming out a bit more and the alcohol fading back.

M: Buttery mouthfeel, premium mouth coating and the abv warms the mouth and the belly nicely.

O: A superb beer. Put on par with Expedition Stout and Founders Imperial. Very well done and likely to improve with time.

Serving type: bottle

05-16-2013 00:36:23 | More by suspect

MonkeyboyATL

Georgia

4.25/5  rDev +8.1%

05-14-2013 00:05:58 | More by MonkeyboyATL

csparace

Illinois

4/5  rDev +1.8%

05-13-2013 03:28:29 | More by csparace

cornpone

New York

3.25/5  rDev -17.3%

05-11-2013 21:20:53 | More by cornpone

DrunkinYogi

Connecticut

3.75/5  rDev -4.6%

05-11-2013 13:57:56 | More by DrunkinYogi

MCDub

North Carolina

3/5  rDev -23.7%

05-10-2013 14:35:23 | More by MCDub

Bill235

Ohio

4.5/5  rDev +14.5%

05-09-2013 11:56:07 | More by Bill235

mscudder

Georgia

3.5/5  rDev -10.9%

05-05-2013 20:13:17 | More by mscudder

pschul4

Illinois

3.09/5  rDev -21.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3

A- Pours a very deep brown with a 1" khaki head that leaves bunches of lacing

S- Oh god I'm getting lots of black licorice... Do not like black licorice...

T- There are 2 flavors going on here. 1) roasted malts, very good. 2) Black licorice, gag me. Hopefully some other flavors will prevail as it warms

M- Nice and smooth, so nice

O- If this didn't have the black licorice I'd love it. Don't like black licorice though so blech

Serving type: bottle

05-05-2013 19:21:18 | More by pschul4

leftstagebrew

North Carolina

4.25/5  rDev +8.1%

05-04-2013 19:45:57 | More by leftstagebrew

brudz2134

Michigan

4.5/5  rDev +14.5%

05-04-2013 04:48:53 | More by brudz2134

randomjazzr

Georgia

4/5  rDev +1.8%

05-04-2013 01:23:48 | More by randomjazzr

barczar

Kentucky

3.94/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 4

Pours an opaque onyx with a frothy one inch tan head that slowly dissipates, leaving sheets of lacing.

Licorice, chocolate, roast malt, tar, and hints of dark fruit form the initial aroma. Seems fairly sweet. Chocolate and nutty, buttery toffee dominate in the end. Coffee grounds add complexity.

Flavor reveals deep notes of chocolate, becoming roasty and slightly charred mid palate, with a slightly acrid, coffee bitter, nutty finish. Dark cherry and berry notes surface early, but are accompanied by a slightly off, plastic flavor. Notes of grapefruit become evident in subsequent sips, along with char at the finish. Fairly sweet, overall.

Body is light, almost watery, with moderate carbonation and alcohol warmth.

The aroma is incredible, but slight off flavors hurt the overall experience. Body is also too thin. Could use more malt backbone.

Serving type: bottle

04-30-2013 02:42:39 | More by barczar

wyatt13

Illinois

4/5  rDev +1.8%

04-30-2013 01:06:49 | More by wyatt13

DoubleSimcoe

New York

3.75/5  rDev -4.6%

04-28-2013 14:20:23 | More by DoubleSimcoe

fuzzbalz

Georgia

4.25/5  rDev +8.1%

04-27-2013 04:25:47 | More by fuzzbalz

bcm75

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev -4.6%

04-14-2013 23:59:42 | More by bcm75

timiskin

Ontario (Canada)

4/5  rDev +1.8%

04-11-2013 16:40:46 | More by timiskin

pcguitarwzrd

Florida

3.8/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle into chilled mug. I like stouts colder than is usually recommended. Happy Superbowl Sunday!

A: Black as night, thick as motor oil, monster head of coffee-colored foam that is remarkably persistent for the ABV. Off to a good start.

S: Big hop aroma, especially for a stout. They weren't kidding about the dry-hopping.

T: Hops jump right up, followed by the intense espresso/dark chocolate you'd expect, then more hops at the end and a little boozy warmth. The hops are not as overwhelming as in the aroma, but nevertheless this is probably the hoppiest stout I've ever tasted. It's interesting that pretty much all the bitterness in this beer comes from the hops, not the black malt. I think my taste buds are a little confused by this.

M: not as heavy as some IS I have had, but certainly full-bodied. Definitely a drier finish due to the hops and ABV.

O: a very interesting take on the style. It breaks a lot of rules, but not in a bad way. Not my favorite IS ever, but I certainly won't regret buying the sixpack.

Serving type: bottle

04-07-2013 23:03:00 | More by pcguitarwzrd

RedneckBeerz

North Carolina

4/5  rDev +1.8%

04-07-2013 01:46:22 | More by RedneckBeerz

bigfnjoe

Pennsylvania

4.26/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

'12 vintage, poured into a stemless wine glass

A- pours black with a one finger brown head. Par for the course

S- whoa, a huge blast of dank, piney hops smashes you from the getgo. Awesome stuff!

T- piney hops and a nice bit of chocolate. Not exactly like an Andes mint, but kinda close. Chocolate covered pine needles, I guess

M- huge body, which is what helps it stand apart from your run of the mill black IPA

O- this is a great beer. Sweetwater doesn't dip their toe into stouts too often, but this one is a definite winner

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2013 01:19:39 | More by bigfnjoe