Sweetwater Happy Ending Imperial Stout - SweetWater Brewing Company

cvm4

Mississippi

3.75/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A - Pours black with a milk chocolate one finger head. Good amount of lacing once drunk down some.

S - It's weird but I get a lot of hops on the nose. Very intriguing for an imperial stouts. I can't detect much else.

T - Dark chocolate, roasted malts, a little coffee showing through.

M - Medium in body with a good amount of carbonation.

O - A different imperial stout. It's a great change of pace for me. The hops through the off at first but it came together nicely.

Serving type: bottle

02-14-2012 23:52:00 | More by cvm4

ThickNStout

Georgia

3.63/5  rDev -7.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle from Total Wine (Kennesaw, GA). 6.99/ 6pk. Bottled 12/08/11. Served in a Sweetwater snifter. 

Pours black with minimal tan head. Occasional wisps of lace left intermittently as I drink it down. 

The smell is roasty malts with a hint of chocolate and maybe a even a bit of smoke in the background. 

Taste hits bold and bitter with those burnt roasty malts. Fades into an almost bitter dark chocolate covered coffee. My description may not sound pleasant but there's some pretty good stuff going in here. Like most good stouts, things really open up as it warms. Still big burnt coffee but raisin and sweet cherries enter in. 

Smooth medium body with medium carbonation. The tiny bubbles keep the flavors popping on the tongue for a long finish. 

Definately my favorite seasonal brew from Sweetwater. It's got a distinct boldness to it and I like a beer that commits to flavor. I think they should release Happy Ending in July because I'm pretty sure the rest of this 6 pack is going to be fantastic in 6-12 months. I'll find out...

Serving type: bottle

02-12-2012 06:32:24 | More by ThickNStout

bbrown29073

South Carolina

4.05/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured exceptionally dark. half-inch head. Nice lacing that followed the beer "down the glass", ring after ring. Was rather "thick" while pouring.

Smelled like coffee. Burnt coffee, with a touch of chocolate.

Sweet around the outer edge of the tongue. And heavy coffee. Coffee disipated quickly. It became almost refreshing.

Very creamy. It really "is" a bit thick.

I needed something to go with this beer. Thought about pretzels, but chose a slice of rye bread with butter. WOW! You just hafta try that!

My first Imperial Stout. I wonder if rye bread makes all of them JUMP!

Serving type: bottle

02-11-2012 22:36:23 | More by bbrown29073

MADhombrewer

Oregon

4.97/5  rDev +26.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Thanks to Hopsbreath for this one. 2010 batch. Bottle number 1207 of 3400. 34 oz bottle poured into a NB globe.

Appearance- Black even when held to the light. Big bubbled tan head. Good lacing. 4.5/5

Smell- Creamy dark chocolate with hints of coffee. Bits of alcohol 5/5

Taste- Creamy dark chocolate with coffee flavor. There is a booziness that extends into the sinuses. Small amount of dryness to it. Earthy bitterness at the end. 5/5

Mouthfeel- Creamy and thick. Not so much as to coat your mouth, but enough to make you think about the last sip you took. 5/5

Overall- Very good beer. Glad to have had this. Thanks goes to Jason. All of the great points of an Imperial stout are in this beer. Coffee, chocolate, and hints of alcohol. 5/5

Serving type: bottle

02-11-2012 04:52:07 | More by MADhombrewer

ASUGeog

North Carolina

4.47/5  rDev +13.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

2012 is the date I see on this awesome, black waxed bomber.

a. black, light caramel head that slowly fades. lots of lace.

s. hops. one of the hoppier Imperial stouts I've had.

t. more hops, but balanced. nice sweetness in the end of the sip, with more hops coming after that.

m. thinner than most imperial stouts, but not bad at all. not thick like a yeti, but not thin like a non imperial. with the hoppiness and the lighter mouthfeel, I bet a couple people might call this a black ipa, but to me, I am not concerned what it's title is.

o. great stuff. I had it for the first time a couple years ago, at a great bar in Gainesville, fl. it was even more amazing then, and I hope to see it again on draft. highly drinkable, and another fine addition from sweetwater.

Serving type: bottle

02-06-2012 23:41:09 | More by ASUGeog

eclipse54

Idaho

3.35/5  rDev -14.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A nice wax-dipped bottle with a silkscreened black/white/red label. Artwork seems similar to what's depicted above, but with a different color scheme and application method. 2010 vintage sent from jyounger30 (thank you!) and opened as part of a small stout tasting. Reviewed from notes taken 01/03/2012.

Pours a dark brown that appears black in the center of the glass. Tan head, with slight retention and minimal lacing.

The aroma is of chocolate, sugar, date/cherry, and cocoa nibs. Smells quite sweet, but not cloyingly so.

The taste begins excellent with chocolate galore, caramel, a bit of toffee and vanilla, and some dried cherries/dates. However, there is a very strange and overpowering clove/nutmeg/spice flavor on the finish that really lends a puckering sensation and lingers eternally. Not the kind of "happy ending" I was hoping for.

Mouthfeel is rich, thick, and otherwise well done save for the puckering, overly dry finish from the spice and aftertaste.

Overall, this one starts off with great potential in appearance and aroma, even the beginning of the taste is great. Unfortunately, I could not get past the super-clove finish, and that really brought down the whole experience.

Serving type: bottle

02-06-2012 18:52:38 | More by eclipse54

MuddyFeet

North Carolina

3.48/5  rDev -11.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Color is good. Dark but the head leaves something lacking. Whiteish foam that all but dissolved after a few moments. Nose was burnt sugar. Quite nice actually. For the style the flavor is a bit boring. Bit nutty and even a touch of chocolate dipped fruit. Feel is heavy and syrupy. Not heat though and that would've been nice.

Serving type: bottle

02-05-2012 03:27:19 | More by MuddyFeet

CooperEllis

New York

3.7/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

From CurtisMcArthur as an extra in a trade. 12oz bottle, best before 12/12 into Southampton IRS release snifter (it's big).

Stright hops when I opened it. To the point that I double checked I had grabbed the correct bottle from the fridge. Big piney sticky hops. With a very present ethanol alcohol nose underneath. Damn, that is boozey for just being 9%.

Great color, midnight (how original) with caramel lacing that covers the top of the glass and sticks nicely to the sides. After the initial hops burst and the subsequent booze rush, this is aroma recedes to smell more like an IPA than anything else, albeit with a nice malt backbone.

The flavor is also hoppy. Clearly this is cellarable and probably could use a good 11 months to make it more 'stout' but really happy to be drinking this, as I presume, fresh. A friend makes a big hoppy monster of a beer and this reminds me of that, tons of hops, but just as much malt leaving nothing out but without muddling the final product.

As this warms the mouthfeel rounds into 'stout' with a mellow creaminess that carries the middle but the prevalent hops keep this crisp at the end with only a touch of bitter residue.

Really enjoyed it, would love to get one with a few years on it to compare.

(164th)

Serving type: bottle

02-03-2012 23:31:53 | More by CooperEllis

danedelman

Pennsylvania

3.35/5  rDev -14.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to BulbMan for including this extra in the trade.

A-black as night with a tan frothy head.

S-Hops are right up front and personal. Piney hops, cannot really get past those hops on this one.

T-again, like a stout IPA. Lots of piney hops. If you blindfolded me, I would sware I was drinking an IPA not an IS.

M-crisp and clean, very thin body.

Serving type: bottle

01-31-2012 23:34:04 | More by danedelman

Swim424

Florida

3.25/5  rDev -17.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

poured from 12oz bottle into terrapin cask glass

A-black with a very slow falling cocoa brown head.

S-mostly hops. much different than I expected from a stout

T-lots of hops. to much hops for the style. a bit of roasted malt up front finishing with lots of hops

MF-fairly thick. slightly creamy.

O-I love hoppy beers but the hops dont mix well with the style. very average.

Serving type: bottle

01-28-2012 04:18:15 | More by Swim424

TheBigE5

Georgia

4.03/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

A - Black with no light getting through. Caramel brown head, about a finger.

S - Roasted malts, chocolate, coffee, caramel, note of alcohol.

T - Malty at first. Not as roasty as the nose. Chocolate and dark fruit. Hops in the finish.

M - Much lighter than i expected, very smooth and creamy.

O - Very easy drinking for an imperial stout, delicious and enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

01-28-2012 00:28:08 | More by TheBigE5

Merkur

Tennessee

4.47/5  rDev +13.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a pint glass.

Beer pours a nice black color with a bit of brown head that dissappears over time.

Beer smells of rich, malty chocolate.

Beer tastes like the nose. Very rich chocolate flavor, followed by a hoppy finish that provides a nice kick mid-way through and helps hide the booze.

Very rich and thick, which makes it even more interesting to taste the hops.

Very unique stout. Delicious.

Serving type: bottle

01-26-2012 01:18:23 | More by Merkur

mattsdenney

Tennessee

4.88/5  rDev +24.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

2012 Edition Bomber w/ Purple Wax Seal.

A: Pours slow and heavy. Pitch Black with a dark brown finger of bubbly head. Head slowly subsiding leaving thick sticky lace.

S: Roasted Barley, Floral and Grassy Hops, Cocoa.

T: This tastes fantastic. Heavy flavors of chocolate malt, coffee, smokiness. All followed with a solid shot of grassy herbal hop bitterness.

M: Thick and creamy, low carbonation. Perfect consistency and mouthfeel for a beer of this style.

O: Overall a perfect mixture of sweetness, maltiness, and hops. Was very glad to see this finally make it to TN. Had previously only had it on tap in Atlanta.

Serving type: bottle

01-23-2012 03:37:42 | More by mattsdenney

tdm168

North Carolina

4.03/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a deep, dark black with a half an inch of thick, brown head that has fantastic retention. The nose is extraordinarily hoppy; piny and floral. There are hints of chocolate and roasted malt as well. The flavor is rich and chocolaty up front followed by some very faint coffee notes and finishes with a strong astringency. The hops are intense in the finish as well; very bitter and piny. The mouthfeel is medium to full bodied, smooth, and mildly carbonated.

I like this beer, but I have to say I was caught off guard. I was not expecting such an intense hop presence. This definitely, in my opinion, drinks more like a black IPA than an imperial stout. Nonetheless, the flavor is solid and this an enjoyable beer all around.

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2012 22:32:33 | More by tdm168

SuperSpy

Georgia

4.45/5  rDev +13.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Thick, dark and oily. A large, chocolate milk colored head and lots of big sticky lace.

Spicy and floral hops with a mix of charcoal, burnt sugar and dark chocolate.

All those floral hops from the aroma are immediately evident in the flavor. So is the burnt sugar and lots of dark malty sweetness, mixed with vanilla, coffee and alcohol. The beer is heavy, and the alcohol is warming. The floral hops come back in the finish and it is joined in the aftertaste by a mix of burnt and caramelized sugar.

This is a big, delicious beer. The dark malt flavors, the big floral hops and the alcohol warmth screams big American stout. All of this comes together in a very excellent brew.

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2012 22:14:28 | More by SuperSpy

mdfb79

New York

3.48/5  rDev -11.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

From 01/14/12 notes. Have had this for a while and finally broke it out. 2010 vintage.

a - Pours a dark brown color with one inch of dark tan head and moderate carbonation evident.

s - Smells of roasted malts, pine hops, bakers chocolate, and light coffee. Hoppier than I was expecting.

t - Tastes of roasted malts, pine hops, light fruity malts, chocolate, vanill, and coffee. Again, hoppier than expecting, but I liked this a little better than the nose.

m - Body is very light and bit watery for a stout, with moderate carbonation.

o - Overall a decent beer, but I was surprised by all the recent great reviews. Maybe newer bottles are just better, or it just doesn't hold up well? Either way it had a very thin mouthfeel and was a bit hoppy and faded. I'd recommend not holding onto this one for as long as I did, and would like to try a fresh bottle.

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2012 02:26:08 | More by mdfb79

kylehay2004

Florida

3.85/5  rDev -2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Single finger head with nice lacing on a jet black body with little light passing through. Roasted malt and hops. Flavor is similar with a better hop profile than most imperial stouts. I disagree with the reviews though. Imperial stouts are common and many good ones are out there. This is a good beer, but there are so many others to choose from that this one doesn't compare too. Body is too thin as well.

Serving type: on-tap

01-19-2012 02:04:55 | More by kylehay2004

JayS2629

Alabama

4.6/5  rDev +17%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This is an amazing, hoppy stout. Actually very balanced. Similar to a black IPA but with a motor oil thick, beefed up stout. Rich, thick and velvety with dark chocolate covered raisin and coffee beans. Some rich, sweet toffee in the middle with big, spicy, floral hop bouquet of clover, evergreen, and citrus spray of orange and pineapple. Sends the taste buds into an explosive amount of different directions. Quite interesting combination and balance. I see a lot 5 reviews on this one. I can't quite do that. It has a few rough edges to work out. The hop bitterness lends a medicinal, chewed asprin like flavor that I could do without.

Beautiful beer. Rich and smooth. Chocolate covered hops! Candied oranges covered in dark chocolate, resiny pine and dark roasted coffee. Toffee sweet middle of milk chocolate and caramel like a milk stout but highly hopped up. Amazing.

Thick, syrupy heavy stout. Chewy.

Pretty interesting. I advise to give it a try.

Serving type: bottle

01-16-2012 22:47:11 | More by JayS2629

daliandragon

North Carolina

4.18/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

I picked up a sixer of this last night for this weekend's football and it turned out to be a good call, especially with the thermometer dropping like it's been. Jet black in appearance, without even a sliver of brown or orange. Head is a very dark tan, almost brown, that leaves teriffic lace. Only a relatively short head lifespan keeps this from perfection. Nose is split down the miiddle between pine and citrus hops, and roasted coffee malt, baker's chocolate, and a hint of smoke.

Plenty of flavor here, but despite the alcohol, it doesn't overwhelm you but instead gives you the ability to enjoy each note on its own. The hops are ever-present, and the malts struggle to keep up at times, and cede the aftertaste entirely. Thick, oily, and silky smmoth is the texture, and close to perfect as well.

This is a heavy hitter, and as such is not exactly sessionable. However, considering the style, you aren't going to do much better, especially for the money, than this.

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2012 02:15:20 | More by daliandragon

brewmasterrr

Georgia

5/5  rDev +27.2%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

One of the best stouts around. This beer is as dark as motor oil, with a beautiful darker brown head. It has hints of coffee, chocolate, with a nice, slight, and subtle hoppy finish. this beer will warm you up when its cold because its thick and high gravity at 9%

Serving type: on-tap

01-14-2012 20:03:19 | More by brewmasterrr

lespaul85

North Carolina

4.83/5  rDev +22.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

I rarely review beers on here without epiphany, but this one got me. It's one of the most well balanced beers I've had ever, and it's rare I appreciate "balance"... but with a grain of salt since this is an imperial Stout and keeping with the style, it does have high alcohol and such, but it was only at the end of tasting that I figured out what perfect balance really does, it makes other beers afterwards taste like crap!... And this beer is perfect for that. Its got a perfect flavor profile for a beer-o-phile to love as balance to the extreme... Meaning high malt level, high hop level, high milk/chocolate/coffee level, and sure a slightly high alcohol level (but doesn't overpower anything, particularly considering the ABV).... but the important thing is that though all levels are "high" here, they don't overpower each other and this turns out to be a crazily easy to drink beer which only seems to manifest its greatness when trying a different beer afterward and whatever beer that is will taste distinctly different (or bad) since the inbalance of that followup beer is amplified by perfect balance of this beer... Keep it up, and please don't change anything about this beer... EVER!

Here's the kicker.. I reviewed this beer as Founders Imperial Stout initially since that's what I thought it was based on the slips I handed in at the Flying Suacer!.... but it turns out it was Sweetwater, which I'm quite familiar with their other beers and was not until now impressed by their selection. This beer is quite good and masterfully made to be subtle yet powerful... And any beer guru should be able to see it in this beer. So I went ahead and transferred my review to the correct location!

Serving type: on-tap

01-13-2012 18:39:05 | More by lespaul85

kdawg105

Georgia

5/5  rDev +27.2%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

It is so worth the money to buy beer with flavor. Anyway this beer is very dark as most stouts are quite inviting with 1/2 in. head when poured into glass. The smell it strong of hops and hint of malts. It has an excellent taste it starts with a spicy taste of hops with a balance finish with the malts. The beer has quite the mouthfeel very warming. Overall a great beer World Class in my book. Anyway don't take my word for it get one for yourself!!

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2012 22:35:37 | More by kdawg105

Fulkrum78

Tennessee

4.45/5  rDev +13.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I was pleasantly surprised by this one. I snagged a bottle and poured it not expecting a whole heckuva lot. Aroma is all hops. Much hoppier than I had expected. Mouthfeel is a lill thin, but very nice overall. Flavor is hoppy and tasty while being rather excellent. Alcohol is felt more in the belly than in the mouth. I'll definitely look to get another one of these to cellar. Great beer!

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2012 07:43:37 | More by Fulkrum78

godlessape

Georgia

4.63/5  rDev +17.8%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Love the name, love the brewery, thus had to give it a try.

Poured this one into proper pint glass.

Darker then dark in appearance--laser beams and 50 caliber tracer rounds could not penetrate this level of blackness. The head is light chocolate brown and sinks down fast but never leaves.
The aroma is pure West Coast hop explosion. If I were to try this blind folded I'd swear it was a really good IPA. Somewhere in this glass I detect some barley malt and sweetness, but it's smothered with citrus and piney hops.

The hop bitterness dominates unlike any other stout I've encountered before but the roasted barley malt, chocolate and coffee flavors are still there and present themselves boldly.

The mouthfeel is velvet smooth, with spot-on carbonation.

Overall this is one of the best stouts I've ever had--and my expectations were high with this brewery.
Warning: Given the 9% ABV, Do not drink this beer while operating heavy machinery, preforming brain surgery, walking a tight-rope or doing long division.

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2012 03:42:14 | More by godlessape

coreyfmcdonald

Georgia

3.95/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

12oz bottle into a goblet

A: Pours pitch black with almost two fingers of light brown head. Carbonation is very thick and seems to stick around forever. Beautiful.

S: Strong piney and citrus hoppiness - almost smells like an IPA. Underneath, I smell roasted malt and a hint of milk chocolate sweetness.

T: A great mixture of hoppiness and roasted malt. Some milk chocolate sweetness helps to sweeten the beer a bit. I wish there were a bit more stout characteristics here, but the taste is good nonetheless. It's just more an American black ale than an imperial stout. As it warms, it gets better and better. I get more dark and milk chocolate flavor.

M: A bit thin, but good carbonation.

O: This is an extremely hoppy imperial stout. Not only is it quite bitter, but the later hop additions are very strong. It's also a bit thin. It could use some body and dark chocolate notes to help it out. It's a very good american black ale, though.

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2012 01:42:00 | More by coreyfmcdonald