Arcadia Imperial Stout - Arcadia Brewing Company

nhindian

Pennsylvania

4.13/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz bottle poured into a Surly Darkness snifter.

2009 vintage.

A - Pours pitch black, much like the black emptiness that the label shows as well. There's a nice 2.5-fingered head, tan in color, with decent retention for the style and alcohol. Lacing consists of long vertical strands of foam with patches of clarity here and there.

S - The smell on this is pretty rich, even for a Russian imperial stout, full of roasted malts, some slight soy, and high amounts of dark fruits, and a surprising burst of hops at the end. As it warms, the booze definitely comes through a lot more, and I find myself liking it less as it goes on. Fresh out of the bottle it's great, but slowly degrades over time.

T - The taste follows closely behind the nose, but is a bit more consistent overall. Throughout, there's a two-fold bittering effect; some from the roast, and some from the hops in the finish. Again, I find myself surprised by how much hop influence is here, both because it's nearly two years old, and because it's a RIS. The soy doesn't come through as much as the nose. The dark fruits are very prominent as well, something I enjoy about this a lot, especially as it mixes with the coffee and decadent chocolate. Quite complex and pleasantly surprising overall.

M - Mouthfeel is moderately heavy with good carbonation. Relatively chewy, yet also viscous and somewhat syrupy. Overall incredibly smooth, and goes down smoothly and easily.

D/O - Drinkability is moderately high. At the start, I was completely blown away by this beer and it instantly ranked high up in the RIS charts for me, but the degradation in the nose as it warms is a killer. The taste is still solid throughout though, so despite that I am still incredibly happy at this beer. I bought this blind a few months ago and didn't even realize it was a vintage bottle.

The description on the label puts this at 90 IBUs, while the newest description on Arcadia's site lists this beer at 59 IBUs, so there definitely was a recipe change between this bottle and the newest, which could account for the big hop notes in this one.

Serving type: bottle

07-02-2011 00:36:28 | More by nhindian

warnerry

Michigan

3.75/5  rDev -2.3%

06-19-2013 01:29:00 | More by warnerry

savagepm

Colorado

3.75/5  rDev -2.3%

06-06-2013 01:05:25 | More by savagepm

jbear68

Florida

3.75/5  rDev -2.3%

05-30-2013 23:14:11 | More by jbear68

DanGeo

Michigan

3.5/5  rDev -8.9%

05-30-2013 03:27:07 | More by DanGeo

langchops

Illinois

4/5  rDev +4.2%

05-29-2013 16:06:03 | More by langchops

Fargrow

Michigan

3.5/5  rDev -8.9%

05-29-2013 01:45:00 | More by Fargrow

00chris

Missouri

4/5  rDev +4.2%

05-27-2013 02:20:53 | More by 00chris

Phillyz

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -2.3%

05-23-2013 23:55:51 | More by Phillyz

GinsuDave

Michigan

3.25/5  rDev -15.4%

05-17-2013 01:04:46 | More by GinsuDave

skaboom420

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -2.3%

05-11-2013 16:43:30 | More by skaboom420

ShawneeIrish

Indiana

4/5  rDev +4.2%

04-21-2013 02:08:21 | More by ShawneeIrish

Punqbert

Michigan

3.75/5  rDev -2.3%

04-17-2013 01:44:53 | More by Punqbert

mrebeka

Michigan

3.5/5  rDev -8.9%

04-13-2013 19:28:40 | More by mrebeka

mdfb79

New York

3.78/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75

Picked this up about three weeks ago at The Beer Shoppe in Ardmore, PA for about $3.99. 12 oz. bottle poured into my Cigar City snifter.

a - Pours a very dark brown, almost black color, with two inches of dark tan head that leaves quickly and light carbonation evident. Looks pretty nice.

s - Smells of roasted malts, dark chocolate, some cream, burnt malts, and some light dark fruits. Nose isn't too complex, but it is nice with a lot of roasted and chocolate malts to it.

t - Tastes of roasted malts, dark fruits, dark and bitter chocolate, light bitter coffe, light cream, and burnt malts. More dark fruits here and a little more bitterness than I was expecting. I think I like it slightly better than the nose.

m - Thick, full bodied stout with low to moderate carbonation. Thick and chewy, not a lot of alcohol heat, pretty nice mouthfeel.

o - Overall a very nice RIS. Nice looking and a very nice mouthfeel to it. The nose is pretty one dimensional, though it is still nice. The taste is better, with some dark fruits to it; it also gets better as it warms up. Liked the BBA version a little better, though this is definitely nice.

Serving type: bottle

04-12-2013 22:34:05 | More by mdfb79

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

3.59/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Really black color, almost 3/4" of brown head on it. Looks professional. Lacing is kind of hodgepodge, a spot here, a spot there, lacks uniformity or coherence. Dark roasted malt aroma, we're two for two in terms of this beer being what it should be with no frills or surprises.

Taste is a little less RIS and a little more double stout, which is a good thing. Less dark fruit, less bitterness, more roastiness, more thickness, more viscosity. Pleasant, not challenging, while being plenty sturdy and demanding respect, you aren't going to pound this one, but its not a super hot sipper either.

Usual notes of coffee and chocolate malt, neither one being massive, throw a little bit of toffee flavors underneath it all. Mouthfeel is chewy without getting too thick and syrup like. Really is like almost every Arcadia brew I've ever had: Better than average, a solid 'good' but doesn't do anything 'great'. More oily than hoppy, more sweet than bitter. Thankfully smoother than most RIS beers. Would drink again.

Thanks to jh1982 for bringing this to a tailgate a year or so ago.

Serving type: bottle

04-05-2013 15:52:02 | More by Beerandraiderfan

jereb33

Michigan

4.25/5  rDev +10.7%

04-05-2013 15:13:11 | More by jereb33

robwestcott

Indiana

3.5/5  rDev -8.9%

04-05-2013 02:01:56 | More by robwestcott

MADPolo

Florida

3.5/5  rDev -8.9%

04-03-2013 21:41:41 | More by MADPolo

amishbooze

Michigan

3.5/5  rDev -8.9%

04-02-2013 09:00:52 | More by amishbooze

Texasfan549

Texas

3.75/5  rDev -2.3%

03-17-2013 05:15:30 | More by Texasfan549

akronzipfan

Ohio

3.83/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Poured into an imperial pint glass, the resulting 2-fingerd head was frothy but short lived. Nose is a bit like cough syrup and the first flavor notes are cocoa and smoke. Mouthfeel is decent. There's a bit of an astringent aftertaste. Overall, this is a good, not great, Russian Imperial Stout.

Serving type: bottle

02-25-2013 01:05:22 | More by akronzipfan

GRFounder

Michigan

4.5/5  rDev +17.2%

02-21-2013 18:18:31 | More by GRFounder

Rons35

Michigan

4.25/5  rDev +10.7%

02-19-2013 21:57:43 | More by Rons35

linnymtu

Michigan

4.39/5  rDev +14.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A very solid imperial stout. It has a normal deep brown/black color with thin tan head. You can smell malt and coffee. The taste was dominated by coffee but some chocolate and malt. This wasn't too malty like some imperials are. The carbonation was about average and felt just right. Overall a quality brew.

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2013 14:07:42 | More by linnymtu