Black Cauldron Imperial Stout - Grand Teton Brewing Co.

TheSixthRing

California

4.1/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottled on date of 10/23/12

Appearance - Pours jet black with a half finger cocoa brown head. Fair retention, Leaving a fairly smooth surface, with bubbles gathering around the edge of the glass. Small, spotty lacing with fair stick.

Smell - Chocolate and char smoke. Dark, fruity sweetness.

Taste - Strongly chocolate throughout, with noticeable notes of char and smokiness. Touches of anise and blackened caramel. Moderate dark fruit sweetness. Coffee roast bitterness creeps in subtly in the finish.

Mouthfeel - Full body with modest carbonation. Somewhat creamy before a dry finish. Goes down easy enough.

Overall - A good, approachable imperial stout. One I think I'll be revisiting time and again. This particular bottle is nearly 6 months old... I'd love to try it a bit fresher, though I doubt there'd be much of a noticeable difference.

Serving type: bottle

04-13-2013 03:48:57 | More by TheSixthRing

br3wmeister

Colorado

3.79/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 3.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.75

Appearance - Extremely dark beer, held up to a light only the very edges of the glass let light through showing that this beer has some dark brown hues. The beer had a small dark tan head that diminishes quickly leaving no lacing.

Smell - Fairly light aroma for an imperial stout. Swirling in a wind glass and sticking my face in the glass I can pick out dark roasted barley, chocolate, some dark ripe fruit, figs and charcoal. The alcohol also comes through in the end.

Taste - Very roast, and pretty dry. Charcoal, dark chocolate, and and some burn toast notes up front, hints of dark fruit and some sweetness comes through as well.

Mouthfeel - Pretty light on the palate very light carbonation finishes dry, with some lingering bitterness.

Over all I would say this is a pretty good imperial stout, it is a nice change from some of the overly sweet imperial stouts, and had a nice mouth feel that is not common among this style.

Serving type: bottle

03-29-2013 02:40:33 | More by br3wmeister

MattyG85

Minnesota

4.43/5  rDev +13%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Poured from a 12 oz. bottle into a Surly Darkness chalice. Bottled on 10/23/2012.

Appearance: Pours a dark oily black with a moderate amount of bubbles. About two fingers of deep tan head that fade into a thin creamy layer. Leaves a good amount of lacing around the glass.

Smell: A very rich and robust dark stout aroma. Dark roasted malts with big hints of dark chocolate, coffee, dark toasted bread, biscuit, caramel, toffee, and cream. Good hints of smoked malt. Big presence of sweet molasses and some anise spicing. Good hints of dark cherry, raisin, fig, and plum. Also some solid hints of earthy and herbal hops coming out from the background. A really nice full imperial stout aroma.

Taste: As rich, roasty, and complex as the aroma hints at. Big taste of dark roasted malts with notes of dark chocolate, coffee, burnt caramel, toffee, burnt toast, biscuit, and a little milk cream. A nice taste of smoked malts are tasted along with a big taste of molasses sweetness and some licorice anise spice. Strong dark fruit undertones with notes of raisins, dark cherry, fig, prune, and plum. A decent backing of herbal and earthy malts round things out. A very good full on stout taste.

Mouthfeel: Full bodied with a moderate amount of carbonation. Rich, creamy, and somewhat slick. Fairly sweet and has a drying finish. Alcohol is hidden pretty well.

Overall: A great imperial stout. Very rich and complex with some nice fruit and hop notes under all the dark malts.

Serving type: bottle

02-08-2013 07:52:23 | More by MattyG85

tito42

Missouri

4.19/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

Poured from a 750 mL bomber to a tulip. Bottled on 8/23/2012.

A: Very opaque. Some cola color is barely visible on the extreme bottom of the tulip glass when held to light. Creamy-looking, hot cocoa colored head.

S: Rich blend of roasted malt, vanilla, cocoa nibs, tobacco, and plum. Wonderful.

T: Vanilla, chocolate milk, tobacco, plum, and roasted malt.

M: Medium bodied. The 8.0% ABV is definitely noticeable. There is definitely an alcohol presence that is hidden better in other RISs. A moderately dry finish.

O: A very nice RIS. Found this on the clearance rack at my beer supplier, and it was well worth the $6 for the bomber. Not the best RIS I've had, but it has its strengths.

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2013 02:35:58 | More by tito42

Dope

Massachusetts

3.68/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle dated 8/23/12

A: Pours inky black. Big, dense medium brown head. Fades slowly, leaving thin splotches of lacework behind.

S: Lots of dark fruit. Raisin and cherry most prominent. Smoky, quite smoky. A bit of sharp booze.

T: Again, dark fruit up front. Raisin, cherry, plums are the most discernible. Smokiness follows into the middle. Some chocolate and char joins it. Lots of anise kicks in in the finish, mingling with the smoke. Finish is bitter char and smoke mainly. Lingering smoke in the aftertaste. Overall fairly sweet, which helps dampen the smokiness.

M: Quite heavy and thick. Lower carbonation. Smooth and a little drying from the smoke/char, particularly in the finish.

O: Not a bad RIS. Definitely heavy on the dark fruits and smoke. Lacks some roasted malt character like chocolate and coffee though (which is usually what i prefer, if I'm honest). Good complexity and flavor balance, having said that. Very full bodied, leading to a nice drinkability.

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2013 05:10:55 | More by Dope

yamar68

Minnesota

4.03/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

2011 vintage:

Very dark... darker than most of its kind. A finger of dark tan head recedes quickly, leaving a neat collar that laces, beads... all that good shit.

I notice a bit of dark fruit right away combined with some brown sugar and coffee grounds. Fairly mellow, approachable, not too sweet and not too hot. I can dig it.

More of that bitter coffee with a slight suggestion of brownie sweetness. Chocolate syrup and cooked sugar make the shift towards a bitter dry dessert character. Nice.

I like this one.

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2013 07:49:53 | More by yamar68

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

3.55/5  rDev -9.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a US tumbler pint glass.

A: The beer is a deep dark brown color, with a very thin beige head that fades quickly and leaves a very thin lace on the glass.

S: The aroma contains roasted malts, chocolate, molasses and licorice with a faint touch of hops.

T: The taste starts out sweet with flavors chocolate, coffee, molasses and licorice. Then a hearty roasted malt character comes in. The hops presence is very mild as you would expect and there’s a decent balance. The after-taste is slightly sweet.

M: Crisp and a little smooth, a bit viscous, medium body, medium carbonation, finish is slightly sticky.

O: Tasty, goes down ok, not too filling, good kick, decent representation of style, it’s a decent beer but there are several others in the style that I would choose first.

Serving type: bottle

12-28-2012 04:24:30 | More by TheManiacalOne

denver10

Colorado

3.39/5  rDev -13.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Pours black with a nice deep mocha head. Aroma is roasty with some chocolate and earthy hops. Flavor is bitter chocolate, roasted malt, leather, and bitter earthy hops in the finish, Fuller mouthfeel, somewhat creamy. Overall, a good beer though not really my favorite take on the style.

Serving type: bottle

12-23-2012 04:02:35 | More by denver10

MisterNic

Wyoming

3.4/5  rDev -13.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

12 oz. bottle, bottled on 10/23/2012

A - Pours dark, opaque black with a 1 finger dark brown head that dissipates quickly.

S - Nice roasted coffee and sweet milk chocolate aroma.

T - Starts roasty, moves on to sweet chocolate, and finishes with a big dry roasty bitter coffee taste. After a couple of sips I noticed a little bit of an alcohol burn in the back of my throat that stuck around for a while.

M - Full bodied, thick and creamy mouthfeel. Finishes dry.

Overall, I would consider this an average Imperial Stout. It's good, but I've had a few other Imperial Stouts that I consider to be much better. It would interesting to see how much better this beer is with a year of age on it to mellow out the alcohol.

Serving type: bottle

12-20-2012 18:11:09 | More by MisterNic

mfnmbvp

Illinois

3.53/5  rDev -9.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

22 oz. bottle, bottled on date reads 09/21/2011, so this beer has been chillin in the bottle for over a year now.

A - Extremely dark black color, with no light showing through. Beautiful cappuccino looking mocha colored head. Looks very nice.

S - Warmth. Chocolate. Coffee. Alcohol. Some kind of roasted nutty flavor in there.

T - Coffee. Chocolate cream. Slight hint of alcohol in the finish. I'm not a big stout fan to begin with, but this isn't bad at all.

M - The chocolate and coffee tastes linger for a while, as does the slight booze finish. Very smooth beer, and a tad more watery than expected, but I don't mean that in a negative way. It is still a very full-bodied beer.

Overall, I have been impressed with what Grand Teton has to offer. This beer isn't terribly good, but it is by no means bad. Like I said, I'm not the biggest stout fan anyway. Like a slice of chocolate cake in a bottle, or something. Looking forward to trying more from Grand Teton!

Grand Teton Black Cauldron Imperial Stout ---3.5/5

Serving type: bottle

12-11-2012 15:43:23 | More by mfnmbvp

Detlef90

Illinois

4/5  rDev +2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

My first beer from this brewery and definitely made me intrigued about their other beers. I thought this was a smooth and creamy stout. Not too bitter (which was nice as many of the stouts I have been drinking recently have been quite hoppy). I recommend it for it's body and for it's easy drinkability.

Serving type: bottle

11-25-2012 20:06:34 | More by Detlef90

PrivateEquity

Kansas

4.05/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A - Dark black color letting through little light. Nice tan lacing. Very appealing look.

S - Chocolate and coffe malts are very nice and enticing.

T - Chocolate, fruity strong malt base. Very nice and roasted. Maybe just a little less chocolate and this would be subperb.

M - Nice roasted thickness and creaminess.

O - Solid Imperial Stout that is consistent all around. Very nice drink.

Serving type: bottle

11-20-2012 02:31:16 | More by PrivateEquity

StonedTrippin

Colorado

4/5  rDev +2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

not your run of the mill imperial stout. it pours dense and black, midnight dark, with no light at all breaking through. a stunning three inch coffee colored head rests patiently on top. the nose is a complex dark malt profile, english sweetness, american robustness, not smokey, but roasty and deep. not sure if there is oatmeal in this, but the massive body would indicate yes. its also got a velvety smoothness, and the thickness of it doesnt make it any less drinkable. more hops than i am used to in an imperial stout, and i appreciate it here. the only sweetness in the taste is a touch of vanilla. id like a barrel aged version of this! just enough carbonation, great as it warms up, this is a steal at 7 bucks a bomber.

Serving type: bottle

11-11-2012 18:52:08 | More by StonedTrippin

AgentMunky

Alabama

4.05/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12 ounce foil-capped bottle into a Koningshoeven chalice. Bottle 10 December 2009.

A: Thin, mocha head forms atop a stolid, viciously, viscously black beer.

S: Bone-dry and bitter, with a more than a touch of coffee and of smoke. Molasses or burnt sugar.

T/M: Tasty, but not overwhelming. A solid imperial stout, a bit thin (perhaps from age) and dry (from the touch of smoked malts). Bitter and lingering, there are berries (mostly sweet, lightly sour) and chocolate amidst the still-extant hops and heavy roasted malts.

O: Really nice imperial stout. Recommended! I wouldn't dig around for it like I did to find this one, but it's good.

Serving type: bottle

11-09-2012 07:35:20 | More by AgentMunky

kawilliams81

Illinois

3.53/5  rDev -9.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottled 9/10/10. Poured from a 750 ml bottle into a AleSmith Horny Devil snifter.

A- Pours black with a 2" cola colored head. Small bubbles of lacing speckle the glass.

S- Roasted malts, dark chocolate, dark fruits, and faint pine.

T- Sweet dark fruits, roasted malts, dark chocolate and slight pine bitterness.

M- Medium body and carbonation. Lower abv for the style but drinks amazingly well and easy.

O- Good RIS. Not very complex, but has nice sweet and roasted malt flavors.

Serving type: bottle

11-03-2012 03:38:02 | More by kawilliams81

JuicesFlowing

Kansas

3.88/5  rDev -1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured into a balloon glass.

The beer is as black as an oily black cauldron, naturally. A mocha colored head recedes to chunky bubbles with a thick ring of foam around the edges. Wispy, sticky lacing coats the glass.

The aroma is oily and of black licorice up front. Also bitter coffee and sweet vanilla comes out.

The taste starts out with a dark-roasted assault in the memory of Oreo cookies. It's a rick, dark, almost chalky fudge-like note. Underneath this, and really hidden comes faint sweet vanilla bean. Does this sound like a dessert beer sipper so far? The finish presents the sharper, bitter hops with bitter coffee grinds coming to mind.

The mouthfeel is maybe chewy, due to the extremely rich nature of this brew.

Overall, a good dessert beer, or a nice sipper on a breezy, chilly Autumn night.

Serving type: bottle

10-18-2012 22:54:52 | More by JuicesFlowing

WastingFreetime

Wisconsin

4/5  rDev +2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours out black with a sand colored single finger of foam that lasts for about a minute and a half, leaving behind some mediocre lacing. Rich full smooth body, lightly carbonated.

Smells and tastes of a combination of blackberries and prunes, black coffee, and charred malt with a fair dollop of smokiness, aniseed and licorice on the side. The aroma is a little bit less intense than the richness of the flavor is, but the ABV is hidden very well. The finish has a hint of chalky mineral character. It's a somewhat better than average RIS to be sure!

Serving type: bottle

10-01-2012 05:03:31 | More by WastingFreetime

blackcompg

Illinois

3.95/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from their foil wraped 12oz bottle...

Appearance - Poured 2 fingers of mocha brown head that comes down to a solid creamy cap in a few minutes, body is opaque and nearly black, very nice lacing left after each quaff.

Smell - Dark fruits, molasses, roasted malts, and a little soy sauce.

Taste - Dark fruits, tart fruitskins of plums, grapes and cherries, nice roasted malts, some molasses sweetness, nice roasted malts, and a touch of pumpernickel crust and licorice can be found long into the finish.

Mouthfeel - Medium mouthfeel, nice smoothness that is almost creamy, medium carb has some gentle edges and cleanses just enough to transition from sweetness to roastiness to dryness. In my opinion this is a bit on the thin side for an imperial - i would classify this as a really good, full bodied stout

Overall - This is really a nicely balanced and complex stout, really nice full flavors, great appearance, not quite an imperial, but a very good stout that I would recommend.

Serving type: bottle

08-31-2012 03:46:14 | More by blackcompg

TheRealBigC

Nevada

3.45/5  rDev -12%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

This one was surprising to me in how thin it felt. For an imperial stout, this one had a more noticeable hop character (though not dominant by any means) and there was a slightly smoky profile. Not too strong on the nose, which was a little disappointing as it is one of my favorite components of the imperial stouts. I appreciate that it tastes unlike the other stours I've had, but I don't think it's particularly great, especially when I can only get it in a 750mL bottle.

Serving type: bottle

07-30-2012 04:07:54 | More by TheRealBigC

DavoleBomb

Ohio

3.55/5  rDev -9.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a snifter.

3.5 A: Black color. One and a half fingers of frothy light brown head. Retention is about average and a short ring of lacing is left.

4.0 S: This smells absolutely wonderful. Deep roastiness with plenty of sweetness to make this a rich, decadent treat for the nose. Chocolate, caramel, and hints of molasses.

3.5 T: Smells better than it tastes, but it's not bad. Lots of roast, but not as sweet as I thought it would be. Less chocolate and caramel too. Moderate roasty bitterness.

3.0 M: Heavier medium body. A bit too much carbonation, but okay. Lacking creaminess.

3.5 D: Decent beer. I just wish it tasted like it smells.

Serving type: bottle

07-06-2012 20:08:23 | More by DavoleBomb

beergoot

Colorado

4.4/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Amazing aroma: roasted grains, coffee, a spicy bitterness of sorts, charred malts. Burnt and richly roasted grains dominate the malt side, a near-piercing bitterness gently slaps your eyes open before smoothing out nicely at the finish. Mouthfeel comes across surprisingly on the light, clean and dry side of things.

Sweet and bitter. Well-balanced with excellent complexity to detect while putting away your drink. No high-powered alcohol notes; it's nicely folded into the other flavors. Well-done imperial stout!

Serving type: bottle

06-25-2012 00:36:22 | More by beergoot

drpimento

Wisconsin

3.85/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Poured this at a good temperature, with a smallish, dark tan, foamy head that soon subsided to a ring and no lace. Color is (apparently) a clear, very dark, almost black, ruby red. Aroma is roast malt, licorice, fruit, toffee. Flavor's like nose; fairly mellow, good balance between sweet and bitter and slight carbonic tang. Body is good, full, round with tiny peaks, but carbonation is a touch soft. Finish is like flavor, long, and a little boozy. Was expecting more out of this.

Serving type: bottle

06-11-2012 00:20:32 | More by drpimento

Vonerichs

Illinois

4/5  rDev +2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Black color with a towering espresso colored head.

There's a nice hoppy presence for an RIS. Dark berries, fudge, and root beer smells.

There's a hint of smoke that compliments the berries and fudge in the taste. Pine and earthy hops splash the char flavors.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied with good carbonation.

It's a pretty solid and fairly complex RIS. The price point on it ($6.50 a bottle at a local grocery store) only adds to my admiration. I'd defitely buy this again.

Serving type: bottle

06-06-2012 02:01:03 | More by Vonerichs

Hex92

Virginia

4.38/5  rDev +11.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Opened a bottle dated Nov 2 2007. Its May 2012 so it has been sitting for a while. I never tried it "fresh" so I can't determine if it has changed over the last 4+ years.

A-black no lacing head disappeared quickly.
S-roasted malts
T- big malt, hardly any hops....just the way I like it. The malts are roasted perfectly. I don't like when they cross the line to burnt. These are perfect.
M- nice. Light on carbonation, but maybe that is due o being over 4 years old.

O- great representation of the style. If I see this again I will pick up a bottle and drink it a bit sooner.

Serving type: bottle

05-10-2012 01:37:35 | More by Hex92

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

4.2/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

This is a nice ris. A really excellent nose with a consistently thick body and a consistent delivery of flavor. It carries a lot of the characteristics I like to see in the style (though admittedly, not as intense as others, but who cares) and does it well. Oddly, this seems like an easier drinking ris. Very nice.

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2012 03:29:05 | More by RblWthACoz