LongShot Five Crown Imperial Stout - Boston Beer Company (Samuel Adams)

beerpadawan

California

3.53/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours thick and dark. Sparse brown head formed.

Smells sweet, chocolate. Roasted malt, deep dried/dark fruit, and some alcohol.

Flavor is not quite as sweet as the nose, though it is chocolatey. It has a chalkiness to it that is reminiscent of powdered hot cocoa. Some dried dark fruit/raisin flavor, following the nose. Some booze comes through, along with a little hop and roasted malt bitterness.

I don't know that I would seek it out again but half of a 12oz bottle was enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

11-04-2012 23:46:41 | More by beerpadawan

gmfessen

Michigan

4.43/5  rDev +16.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from the bottle into a pint glass, Five Crown pours like motor oil, black as night with a thick, creamy, mocha colored head. The smell is a pleasent sweet mixture of chocolate nibs, brown sugar, caramel and possibly some currants or raisins. The taste follow suit nicely, the sweetness of the chocolate and caramel notes come to the forefront but are perfectly balanced with muted bittering hops - the alcohol has a nice spicey, warming bite but is not overwhelming. Mouthfeel is very full in body with a thick, creamy carbonation and a slightly dry finish. Overall, a great RIS, not overly big in any category but nicely balanced and perfectly drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

10-28-2012 00:05:42 | More by gmfessen

dfillius

Michigan

4.18/5  rDev +10%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured into a pint glass
A: 3/4 finger of coffee colored/dark brown head, nearly like Abyss. Very dark head with good retention. Pitch black, slightly viscous liquid.
S: Banana, nuts, vanilla, bready. Very much like banana nut bread. Lactose? Molasses. Interesting and a little confusing at first, but pleasant. The faintest trace of ethanol at the end.
T: Chocolate, malty but bright. Some hops come out in the finish. I love that it is not boozy. Like a milk stout almost. Like Breakfast Stout without the coffee.
M: Gentle, not hot :-) Velvety as the bottle claims. Full and creamy.
O: A solid RIS. Very tasty and balanced. Superb. I'd love another!

Serving type: bottle

10-27-2012 01:40:55 | More by dfillius

falloutsnow

Illinois

3.8/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

From: Friar Tuck's, Savoy, IL
Date: Best by August 2012
Glass: US pint glass

Probably my favorite from the Longshot series, Five Crown Imperial Stout hits all the right flavor notes for the style, along with having a very smooth, soft, creamy mouthfeel that's quite satisfying. While I found it fairly average in aromatics, this was still a rich, reasonably complex, and enjoyable imperial stout.

Pours a 1cm head of dark brown foam, made up of fairly small bubbles, that collapses fairly quickly to a thin ring around the glass. Head leaves some residual lacing along sides of glass, as well as a few scattered stretches of bubbles. Body is an opaque dark brown to black color: light doesn't change a thing about this dark of a color. Carbonation is not visible.

Aroma is rather subdued, of modest roasted barley and chicory root, juicy black grapes, slight mineral-ness, and ethanol. While not unappealing, this is not a particularly exciting collection of scents or intensities.

Flavors of strong, roasted malt, burnt molasses, dark chocolate, slight coffee, and ethanol. Tasting opens with roasted barley, dark chocolate, black grape sweetness, and slight acridity from the roasting process. Mid-palate brings in some ethanol, continued roasted barley, dark chocolate, and bitterness from burnt grain or hop usage. Back of palate notes particular ethanol, a bit of anise, and some roasted malt flavor. Lingering aftertaste of some bitterness, ethanol, roasted barley, and mild chocolate.

Beer is medium-heavy in body, with fairly low levels of carbonation that result in a smooth, creamy mouthfeel. Ethanol can be felt in the nostrils and back of the palate, but it is not overtly intense and fits well within the bounds of the beer itself and the style as a whole. Closes out dry, with significant residual stickiness across the palate after each sip.

Serving type: bottle

10-22-2012 04:45:19 | More by falloutsnow

Georgiabeer

Georgia

3.85/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Solid beer, if a bit soft for the style. Pours black with a nice caramel colored head that sticks around for the duration. Some slight lacing. Smells sweet and malty with a bit of roastiness and a touch of dark chocolate and a pronounced ashiness on the finish. A bit light, though. The taste is a bit more layered with very nice bitter chocolate notes, a bit of sweetness, some creaminess, and some of that ash on the finish which helps to dry things out a bit. Very creamy, and a bit too light overall, but nice flavors make this one worthwhile.

Serving type: bottle

09-25-2012 01:47:18 | More by Georgiabeer

tdm168

North Carolina

4.08/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A - pours like oil; pitch black with a huge, brown, dense head that has great retention

S - chocolate, roasted malt, alcohol, licorice

T - chocolate, huge roasted malt, coffee, faint anise, alcohol

M - medium bodied, a little thin at times, warming alcohol

This is a really good beer. The mouthfeel is a bit thin which I think detracts slightly from the full-flavor. Overall, this has great flavor and aroma. I'll definitely try to find a few more bottles of this.

Serving type: bottle

09-24-2012 08:34:18 | More by tdm168

Bung

North Carolina

3.9/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 oz. a solid looking black pour, a light brown layer. Retains quite well, laces just barely.

Aroma, molasses, licorice, plum, dark chocolate. Alittle citrus and pine. Some booze.

Taste, plum and black raspberry, a faint bitter citrus. This fades quickly to roast malt, molasses, stork chocolate resin. Cocoa is real heavy in the finish. Pretty nice and no booze unlike the nose.

Med-full bodied. Not quite creamy, but coats well. Drinks easy and the alcohol was well hidden at this point.
Expectations were low and it exceeded.

Serving type: bottle

09-21-2012 01:57:51 | More by Bung

RichardMNixon

Delaware

3.38/5  rDev -11.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured from 12 oz. bottle into a goblet.

A: Completely opaque black body with a good amount of mocha head. Head fades to a surface fizz over a few minutes while leaving some nice lacing.

S: Chocolate and leather. It's nice, but not particularly potent.

T: Some nice chocolate and molasses notes with a good amount of booze that takes over at the end.

M: Velvety smooth up front but a little too boozy at the end which lingers after your sip.

O: Not bad, but a little too much alcohol. I think I'll sit on the other bottle for a few months and see if it mellows any.

Serving type: bottle

09-15-2012 00:30:41 | More by RichardMNixon

JackieTH

Minnesota

4/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

From notes.

Poured dark brown/black with a solid tan rocky head that was very persistent. Good lace. Smell was heavily roasted malt and orange citrus elements. Taste was semi-sweet, blackstrap molasses, roasted malt, resin and citrus hop flavors with medium level of bitterness that washed away any overt sweetness into a dry finish. Medium, creamy body that holds together well. I enjoyed it.

Serving type: bottle

09-04-2012 17:10:57 | More by JackieTH

mactrail

California

3.18/5  rDev -16.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Deep brown in the tall tulip, nearly black. Pleasant beige head. I can't get much aroma out of this. Barleywine sort of body.

This stuff is so sweet and fruity, it's like some kind of barley candy bar. Distinct flavor of licorice. More malty sweet than burnt and sour, but they must have charred a lot of barley to get it this dark. Hard to take too much of this, even sipping, but it keeps up the intrigue. Fairly bitter aftertaste.

Total dark flavor is actually quite remarkable. Interesting, and makes you wonder what they do to the malt to get this Midnight Oils taste. From the 12 oz bottle.

Serving type: bottle

09-02-2012 05:01:35 | More by mactrail

coldriver

Texas

3.6/5  rDev -5.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

12 oz bottle pours an opaque black with beautiful deep tan head. Aroma is dark fruit, alcohol, cocoa, and burnt sugar. Given that I recently had a milestone birthday, the flavor comes a bit too close to a prune juice beer, but there is a pleasant smokey molasses taste as well. Creamy smooth finish, alcohol well hidden, bitter aftertaste makes me wince a little rather than craving more. Overall I'd like to see less fruitiness and more cocoa/coffee/licorice/etc in my RIS's.

Serving type: bottle

08-26-2012 18:32:27 | More by coldriver

BarryMFBurton

Indiana

3.8/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

If you like beer, it’s hard not to absolutely love this idea: a homebrewer gets their beer bottled out by a major brewer. It says a lot about Sam Adams’ love of beer and support of the culture, I feel. Cheers!

Drink by date is this month, and that’s just alright for an imperial stout.

A: The perfect look for an imperial stout: impenetrable black body with a thick, creamy, dark brown head. Lots of lacing and a smooth, low layer of retention.

S: Rich chocolate and roasts: thick, potent malts. Plum, smoke, dark chocolate, and caramel, with spiced, potent booze undertones. Coffee bitters and some sweet toffees mix for a flavored coffee effect, too. A mighty nose.

T: Smoky malts and molasses-heavy flavors with lots of chocolate and espresso. The palate thins out a bit as the palate extends to light raisin and herbal hop flavors, tart and bright; there’s no escape from the darkness, but there’s certainly balance from lighter tastes. A few moments of chalky yeast before the tastes settle on a tannic, oily aftertaste, with some bits of licorice and cola. Stand-out taste for what is essentially a homebrew.

M: Not bubbly, but not smooth – it’s slick as it makes its way over the tongue. It does have a minor thinness to it, though, which is definitely not something you want in a big stout (though something I feel would separate a commercial-brewed beer from a homebrew).

O: A great, drinkable example of the style, so it's easy to see why Jim Koch and Co. picked it to brew and bottle. And there weren't really any big instances of "well, I can tell this wasn't created by a big craft brewery;" to me, that just reinforces the beer culture ideal that what you brew in your garage is still the same product that you get at the bottle shop (though having a professional brewer's fancy equipment does help). Joe Formanek deserved this recognition, and so does the Boston Beer Company for making it possible.

Serving type: bottle

08-26-2012 04:27:22 | More by BarryMFBurton

ToddT

Pennsylvania

3.53/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A- Black topped with a large tan head, head fades slowly and leaves lots of stick lace rings on the glass.

S- Mild notes of chocolate, coffee, and roasted malt. The nose is a little week for the style, was expecting a more.

T- Note of coffee and chocolate, mixed with a mild amount of bittering hops and wood char.

M- Full bodied and creamy, finish is dry with a final not of bittersweet choholate.

O- Decent beer but there are much better examples of the style out there. The 8.9% ABV is well hidden but the flavors and the aroma seem subdued.

Serving type: bottle

08-19-2012 17:31:34 | More by ToddT

BabyBastard

New York

3.35/5  rDev -11.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours very dark into the tulip. Nice dark brown head that leaves lacing on the side of the glass. Smells is deep roasted malt, a hint of coffee and a tiny bit of alcohol.
Tastes of dark chocolate, very malt forward. Taste seems to fall a bit short for this big of a brew, though it isn't horrible. Feel is just about right for this still, in my opinion. Not too light and yet not overly heavy, I believe it's pretty darn good. Overall a decent stout that was fairly priced.

Serving type: bottle

08-12-2012 00:04:56 | More by BabyBastard

HalfFull

California

4.03/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

After spending about four weeks searching for this on BeerAdvocate, I settle down for this live review.

Pours a deep chocoloate into a large wine glass. Quite opaque and with a deep mocha cap of good retention. Decent lacint to follow.

Aroma of chocolate malts and a notable infused dark cherry component, and alcohol esters are quite prominent as well. Warming diminishes the alcohol component and brings out more fruit. Offers a spicy cinnamon and pepper note along with dark fruit.

Rich flavor, dark and robust. A solid brew that lacks only it it's malt complexity as for the style. Hops are difficult to discern, present yet light and earthy.

Serving type: bottle

08-08-2012 05:02:25 | More by HalfFull

womencantsail

California

4/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The pour is almost black in color with a thin layer of tan head. Nose is of dark chocolate, roasted malt, licorice, and earthy hops. There’s some molasses, a hint of coffee, and maybe a touch of fruit. The flavor is quite smooth. Rich chocolate and cocoa flavors with a lot of roast. Hints of burnt sugar and licorice with a slight molasses sweetness. Creamy on the tongue with a full body.

Serving type: bottle

08-07-2012 04:56:49 | More by womencantsail

tophers

Michigan

2.65/5  rDev -30.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Pouring this beer made me think I was draining my oil pan from my Prizm. Super dark and thick. I really like the head on this beer...dark brown, frothy, and creamy. Looks very appetizing.

Aroma is of dark roasted malts with bready notes. Little bit of spicy hop aroma too.

Strong alcohol taste and roasted malt...that seems to be all that is going on.

Basically just an alcohol bomb on this one with roasted character. Appearance and smell was quite good though....just big let down on taste.

Serving type: bottle

08-03-2012 23:02:27 | More by tophers

DonDirkA

Arizona

4/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Nose is heavy black licorice and some chocolate. That's about it. Taste is a bit flat for me. The anise is super strong, I can't pick up a lot else. There are some hints of coffee and very slight chocolate in the background, but they're very minor. Not too bad, but I'm more of a fan of coffee stouts and a huge fans of chocolate stouts.

On a side note, the head looks amazing and sticks around FOREVER. The lacing is fantastic.

Serving type: bottle

08-01-2012 08:12:08 | More by DonDirkA

fank2788

Connecticut

3.95/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

12oz bottle served in a pint glass.
Opaque inky black in the glass, the head is dark khaki in color and relatively restrained and the lacing is abundant. The smell is perhaps slightly weak for such a big beer. I do get some roasted and black patent malt, dark and milk chocolate, black currant and licorice. The taste too is good but falls short of great. The malt is dominant but not as full as it should be hop bitterness is there but held back and it maybe could have used a few more IBUs. A good char and burnt character carries thoughout with a touch of sweetness in the middle and the bitterness in the end. This beer is nice and full to almost creamy. The carbonation is low but there is enough to keep things lively on the tongue as stated before the finish is a little bitter from the hops and black malts. Overall this is a very solid example of the style and a great winner of the longshot competition.

Serving type: bottle

07-22-2012 00:34:48 | More by fank2788

philbe311

Pennsylvania

3.95/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A - Two plus finger's worth of the darkest brown head that I've ever seen with a rich creamy texture... Some small bubbled sluggish carbonation can be seen rising along the sides of the glass... The color is a deep dark black abyss... Completely opaque... Rings of lacing cling to the glass... A nice looking brew...

S - Roasted malts... Milk chocolate... A light smokiness... A bit of soy sauce... Perhaps some black licorice... Everything in near perfect proportion... Nothing outstanding, but very solid...

T - Things aren't as well balanced on the palate... Roasted malts and soy sauce dominant... The milk chocolate sweetness takes a bit of a backseat... A nice bitter finish with some burnt charred character...

M - Creamy lushness to start... Full bodied... A bit sludgy... Viscous... Sleek... Smooth... Some prickly carbonation... A slightly burnt chalky finish...

D - This is perhaps my 2nd favorite Longshot offering from Samuel Adams (Mile High Barleywine is 1st)... Kudos to Mr. Formanek for such an outstanding brew... I wouldn't be at all upset set if this was made year round... Spot on for the style... Not top of the class, but far better than average...

Serving type: bottle

07-20-2012 00:56:02 | More by philbe311

williamjbauer

West Virginia

3.78/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served in a shaker pint glass

A - Obsidian black with 2 finger brown head with excellent retention and excellent frothy lacing.

S - Burnt Chocolate, espresso

T - Primarily burnt chocolate tones with a malt forward presence sweet with bitter herbal hops for balance. A bit too much EtOH flavor. Simple but good.

M - Full body, moderate carbonation. Oily.

O - Nice chocolate flavor but not quite as robust as I would hope from a Russian Imperial Stout and a little too much alcohol for my liking.

Serving type: bottle

07-18-2012 00:47:49 | More by williamjbauer

TechTriumph

Virginia

4/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

From notes on 04/07/12:
Best by: August 2012; Poured in a pint glass.

A - 1-1/2" mocha colored fluffy head with superb retention; Pitch black in color - no light penetrates this beer at all; Awesome blankets of lacing left all around the glass - probably the most I've ever seen for any stout

S - Light aroma, but what's there is pretty nice; Notes of cinnamon, brown sugar, rich chocolate, marshmallow, caramel, light ginger, and very malty overall; there's a bit of dark fruits and floral/earthy hops as well

T - Fairly obvious alcohol in the taste, especially in the beginning, but it meshes well with flavors of plum-like dark fruits, a bit of sweetness, ginger, molasses, tobacco, and earth; Finishes with subtle chocolate, a bit of roast, and caramel; Bitterness is present, but faint

M - Low amounts of carbonation; Full bodied; very velvety and creamy mouthfeel, approaching that chewy quality; Brings some pleasant warmth in the finish

O - This imperial stout is another satisfying brew from the Longshot six-pack, and probably my favorite of the three in this year's edition. In fact, this was one of the best looking beers (especially stouts) that I've seen in a long while. Aside from the look, the mouthfeel was my favorite part of the beer, with its warm, smooth, and creamy qualities. While this imperial stout might not stand up to the heavy weights, I think it's a solid interpretation of the style and one I'd certainly have again.

Serving type: bottle

07-12-2012 11:03:15 | More by TechTriumph

cjgator3

Florida

3.8/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz bottle

A- Poured into a pint glass. Pours a dark black color with tan head with good retention and lacing.

S- The aroma is dark roasted malts, bittersweet chocolate and a hint of alcohol. The aroma is a little on the faint side for an imperial stout.

T- The taste is dark and roasty up front with a lot of sweetness coming in next along with a roasty and warming finish from the alcohol.

M- The mouthfeel is medium bodied with a good amount of carbonation.

O- Overall, a solid imperial stout. The appearance, taste and mouthfeel were all solid. The aroma was the only weak link in my opinion. Definitely worth a try!

Serving type: bottle

07-10-2012 03:02:54 | More by cjgator3

budgood1

Minnesota

3.48/5  rDev -8.4%
look: 5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

pours out an opaque jet black colour with a massive dark tan/brown head with some incredible retention and chunky lace. about a perfect look as one can get. aroma of burnt malts, cocoa and coffee, figs and dough, with some black cherry nuances and black liqorice hints. the flavour profile leans heavily on a black patent malt type of flavour, lending itself to some dark, unsweetened chocolate notes with a yeasty depth charge that throws out the residual currant and black cherry fruitiness notes that the homebrewer must like or is aiming for. it does lack in overall character, and has a body of work that i wouldn't aim for if i was constructing a RIS. one plus is that the booziness and ethanol aspects are well integrated as not to notice too much. well rounded body and a soft, supple, yeasty mouthfeel are also positives that can be attributed to this longshot offering. drinkability is ok...even the label has a statement considering the enjoyment derived from this "winter brew", but i'll withhold judgment this time as to the effect season has on sampling this ale.

overall, while a nice stab at the style, it doesn't trip my trigger as something something i appreciate in RIS's. good, but lacks the yummy factor.

Serving type: bottle

07-09-2012 01:04:39 | More by budgood1

barczar

Kentucky

3.3/5  rDev -13.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a thick dark black opaque color with a solid 2 inch chocolate head that dissipates somewhat quickly, leaving spotty lacing.

Roasted malt and booze begin the aroma, with a bit of plastic and chocolate following. Floral hop notes are subtle.

Slightly sweet roast malt and molasses comprise the backbone of the flavor profile, with hints of chocolate and bitter, lightly citrusy, earthy hops lingering in the finish. Nuttiness and chocolate emerge, adding complexity. I'm having difficulty getting beyond the metallic middle flavor.

Body is somewhat syrupy, with minimal carbonation and a slight alcohol warmth.

Overall, a little lacking in complexity for the style. Flavor is cloyingly sweet, and the aroma has an off note that is not pleasant.

Serving type: bottle

07-05-2012 05:21:29 | More by barczar