North-Wind Imperial Stout - Two Brothers Brewing Company

jcalabre

California

2.68/5  rDev -29.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

I originally sampled this beer on 19 April 2003. I am writing this review from my notes:
Appearance: It has the usual Imperial Stout characteristics: black with a tan head,
Aroma: It's chocolately on the nose,
Mouthfeel: Unfortunately it has a very light mouthfeel & is a bit thin by this style's standards. Somewhat roasty, but not what I'd expect fm an imperial

Serving type: bottle

09-03-2003 01:51:04 | More by jcalabre

ThreeWiseMen

California

2.68/5  rDev -29.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Sampled this at an epic tasting hosted by EinWeizenbitte. Thanks a ton Todd!

Appearance: Brown, foamy head dissipates fairly quickly to a creamy crown. Decent retention after that. Body is dark brown with amber shades around the edges. A bit too much visibility? Head leaves notch-like rings of lacing along the walls of the glass.

Smell: Roasted malt, fruity esters, and a strong dosage of sour fruitiness resembling citrus and berries. Not particularly bad, but not what I would normally look for nor want in this style.

Taste: Roasted malt and dark chocolate make a brief initial appearance, then step aside as an avalanche of raspberry and lemon rolls through onto the palate. Tons of sourness in the finish. This just seems wrong.

Mouthfeel: Sugary, syrupy, and lambic-like. Medium carbonation and body. Finishes dry and sour.

Drinkability: As a big RIS fan, I was not a fan of this big RIS. Fruit accents are nice, but this went over the top. Finish didn't resemble an imperial stout in the least bit. This wasn't terrible, but it definitely wasn't for me.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2009 12:53:55 | More by ThreeWiseMen

colts9016

Idaho

2.73/5  rDev -28%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Got this beer from mday, thank you.

Poured into a pint glass at 51 degrees.

Appearance: A very dark dark brown color. There is a quarter inch tan head that is creamy. The clarity of the beer is opaque.

Nose: A roasted malt complex with coffee, vanilla, chocolate, and molasses. There is a hint of hops hard to discern what is dominate in my nose.

Taste: A roasted malt complex with coffee, vanilla, and chocolate. There is a slight burnt complex,hops is not really valid in this beer.

Overall: The mouth feel is creamy and flat. The body of the beer is medium full and the finish is flimsy. This is a rather poor RIS, There is no hops a little flavor and not much else. Rather disappointed, I was hoping for more.

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2009 04:17:11 | More by colts9016

zebulon

Illinois

2.75/5  rDev -27.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

I poured this in two pours from a 22 oz bomber. Temperature was from my basement at about 55 to 60 deg.

Dark brown/black color formed light brown head on first pour to about 1/2" second pour I was carefull and got 1" head. Head went down fact to thin film. Head looked creamy but I tasted light.

Chocolate aroma with a slight metallic edge.

Taste was chocolate with slight coffee, but had that metallic taste that I objected to. There was also a light fizzy taste at first. Later the fizziness was gone slight sour come out and a taste of dried fig and toffee.

Mouth feel started creamy and declined to light.

OK drink but somewhat disappointing. Kind of a stout light.
We could debate whether this is an a imperial or a chocolate, but really who cares if it is good. This just didn't make the grade. It is almost as if it was brewed for complexity and ended up with slight off flavor and not enough body. At $5.95 a bottle not worth it

Would have given this a 2.6 or 2.7 in some catagories but that is not allowed.

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2007 21:56:58 | More by zebulon

beachbum1975

Ohio

2.75/5  rDev -27.4%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Batch 3178

Poured into my over-sized Duvel tulip a dark, opaque rootbeer color with a medium to dark tan head. Minimal, spotty lacing...

This nose is light on this one. Hints of sweet malts, vanilla and an unusual banana-like essence. Not too impressed by the nose...

Ok, the strange banana smell that had me worried faded as I drank. This is a medium to full bodied beer with medium to full flavor. Medium to high carbonation on the mouthfeel, as well. Flavors include heavily roasted coffee, a touch of dark chocolate and sweet malts all bundled up in a sweet, vanilla bean package. Mouthfeel is wet (almost watery) in the beginning, then the hops kick in just a bit go lend to a semi-dry finish. Aftertaste carries the same slightly bitter hops...

Overall, this is a decent example of a Russian Imperial Stout, but not big enough for me. It's reminiscent of an English version RIS and I prefer the extreme American RIS'es...

Serving type: bottle

01-31-2009 02:25:41 | More by beachbum1975

Jekster

Indiana

2.78/5  rDev -26.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Appearance: Pours a deep dark rich brown color with a dark mocha head that dissipates to little or no lacing.

Smell: This beer smells of toasted caramel, dark robust coffee and cream. There is a slight woody character as well like fresh cut oak or a sawed fire wood. There is a slight bready sweetness in the background as well as a dark roasted grain.

Taste: Roasted sweetness carries the foremost flavor in this beer. There is some lite caramel and malt sweetness, but it does not hold a candle light to the almost overpowering roast character. There is a slight acid bitterness in the end as well as minor alcohol notes.

Mouthfeel: This beer is surprisingly thin for an imperial stout. There is a slight slickness and creamy component, but not as thick as you would expect for the style.

Drinkability: This beer is a sipper but not in the traditional sense of an imperial stout. It's more of a sipper because of the strong roast character and slight alcohol hit towards the swallow. I would not drink more than two of these in any sitting.

OVERALL IMPRESSION: This beer did not live up to my expectations. It had a nice aroma, but the flavor is amazingly one dimensional. The roast character dominates and leaves little else to be detected. Moreover, there is a complete lack of the thick chewy coating body that I expect from a high gravity sippable beer. Instead, this beer is quite thin and even dry after the swallow. I think this is very uncharacteristic of the style and not what I really want to sip on a cold winter night. For the price, it's not bad yet I would suggest spending a couple more dollars and picking up one of the better RIS's out there.

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2009 03:33:58 | More by Jekster

Florida9

Illinois

2.78/5  rDev -26.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Drank this at 2Brothers TapHouse

A: Served in a small snifter. Black in color. Fully opaque. About a 1/8th inch of creamy tan head that quickly receded to the rim of the glass.

S: Stale coffee, cocoa, and an odd sort of creamy lactic scent. Heavily roasted, almost burnt, malts.

T: Again coffee, but more like cheap ass chicory coffee and not the good stuff. Cocoa and chocolate. Roasted malts and a raw, biting woodsiness, blending, unpleasantly, with a noticeable fruity sourness. Typically I enjoy coffee and chocolate flavors, but this beer seems to be highlighting coffee and chocolate's negative aspects.

M: Medium in body. Low carbonation. Thin for a RIS.

D: I don't know what is going on with this beer. It really misses the mark and is quite disappointing. Thin, burnt, and sour, but (thankfully) with not much of a residual aftertaste, I simply couldn't enjoy this beer. Eventually I bellied up and ordered a Cane & Ebel to help me get this one down.

Serving type: on-tap

05-28-2009 17:07:07 | More by Florida9

klewis

Ohio

2.8/5  rDev -26.1%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Lot 36, listed at 8.5% ABV

A: Pours black with a tiny bubbly head. Very little lacing.

S: A nice malty aroma of mocha and cocoa.

T: Tastes like cocoa powder with a vegetal, celery-like finish. The flavor is thin for an impy stout and for a "big beer".

M: Medium-thin bodied and a bit fizzy, especially for the style. A bit chalky.

D: Thin, watery, and just plain off for the style. Pass.

Serving type: bottle

01-16-2007 04:44:55 | More by klewis

brewcrew76

Wisconsin

2.83/5  rDev -25.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A - Pours a deep black with 2 fingers of brown head.

S - Roasted malt, coffee and dark chocolate. This smell is slightly overpowered by a lactic vegetal sourness.

T - The vegetal sourness in the aroma is the dominating flavor. Hints of roasted malt and dark chocolate but it is tough to get past the vegetal taste.

M - A little thin for an Impy Stout.

D - Not a very good beer. It is really tough to get past the vegetal taste.

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2007 04:22:24 | More by brewcrew76

nickd717

California

2.83/5  rDev -25.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

Bottle shared at the after-Bruery tasting. Meh, this one didn't really do it for me. Not bad, but one of the poorer examples of what is probably my favorite style (note that I consider "Russian Imperial Stout" and "American Double/Imperial Stout" to be the same style until I hear a convincing reason not to). One of the guys from the local group who is known for his contrarian ratings asked, "Have you ever given an imperial stout a below average rating?" and I said, "Probably not, because I usually only drink above average imperial stouts." Well, here is a below average one, and it's getting a below average rating from me.

Pours black with a one-finger tan head and some good lacing.

Aroma is roast, coffee, dark fruit, and some earthy tartness. Flavor is earthy, dirty, and oddly tart, yet not to the point where I'd think it was infected. Roast and coffee along with some DMS-like notes, cooked corn, that I don't typically find too appealing in this style.

A tad thin for the style with some astringency on the palate.

Drinkability is average at best. I am not a big fan at all. This is my second beer from these guys, and I'm not sure I want to try many more. I'd still like to note though that this wasn't a total disaster, and there is definitely the potential for this style to get much worse, which is why I didn't give it a D or F. I just tend to avoid those bad examples.

Serving type: bottle

01-25-2010 17:45:15 | More by nickd717

Auracom

Illinois

2.83/5  rDev -25.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

2-3 oz. from the 12 oz. bottle on March 24th, 2011 in my mini snifter - one of 10 beers in my stout tasting; from notes.

A - Decent head on this one, very opaque black coloring. Barely any retention, quick dissipation down to a few bubbles on the sides. Some visible alcohol feet.

S - Citrusy and funky at the same time with sweet malts. A pine quality underneath... in support of the citrus I guess. Maybe some roasted notes.

T - Ugh. Bland. Severely-mellowed chocolate and caramel. Despite the citrus character in the aroma, there's virtually no citrus, floral, or pine to be found on the tongue with the exception of orange peel (but it's barely there). Slightly bitter on backend.

M - Similar to Bell's Expedition, more carbonation than expected.

D - Bleh. The taste is so incredibly subdued... it's really the opposite of what I hope for in an imperial stout. I expect huge notes in both the aroma and taste and Northwind barely fulfills the former and fails miserably at the latter. What's the purpose or point of this beer? Two Brothers advertises the unique hop addition to it but it doesn't work.

Serving type: bottle

03-29-2011 00:37:57 | More by Auracom

negroobserver

New York

2.85/5  rDev -24.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

North-Wind Imperial Stout
45 IBU, 9.1% ABV
12 oz Bottle

Poured into a large Brandy snifter.

A: Pours a dark brown, almost black color. Very small cream colored head, which dissipates quickly and leaves behind a thin foamy rim on the edge of the glass.

S: Smells smoky. Has a very mild malty and chocolatey aroma at the back end. A very faint sweet licorice or vanilla like aroma. No dominant scents here, but I like that the vanilla aroma is almost hidden. This is my third bottle and this is the first time I've noticed it. Interesting, but disappointing that the last few weren't at the same level as this bottle.

T: Mostly flat and tasteless. Dark roasted malts. There is a smoky chalky taste which lingers in the mouth. Slight sour and hoppy quality.

M: The beer has some depth, but not the kind of rich texture that you would expect from an Imperial class beer. It doesn't coat the glass or the mouth in the way that an Imperial Stout should. At best, it has the depth and texture of a standard stout. At 9.1% ABV, I can't smell or taste the alcohol in the beer, which makes me question the validity of the company's claims regarding the ABV content. Or it could be that this is one of the better crafted beers on the market in that respect. Who knows?

Overall, I had great hopes for this beer and was hoping that this was a rare exception to the pricy Imperial Stouts that one finds on the market. Sadly, I feel like I was duped by the company into buying an inferior product which appears to be very misleading in its claims.

VERY DISAPPOINTING, ESPECIALLY BECAUSE I ACTUALLY LIKE TWO BROTHERS' BEERS (NOT ALL, BUT SOME).

Serving type: bottle

01-04-2012 05:57:49 | More by negroobserver

BeerBelcher

Ohio

2.9/5  rDev -23.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

The imperial stout category is something of a category of giants. Looking at the other beers of this style I've reviewed, they've been largely excellent. Dark Lord, Old Rasputin, Great Divide Yeti, Brooklyn Black Chocolate, Great Lakes Blackout, and Alesmith Speedway Stout are all fantastic beers full of lots of dry roastiness and full mouthfeels. And this one fell short, at least compared to those others. While I'm a big fan of Two Bros beers, I thought this one was disappointing and not very drinkable. Flavor was not very roasty and mouthfeel was a bit watery. And maybe it was when I had it in my evening, but this beer made me feel exceptionally full which led me not to finish it. Unfortunately, the next day I'm unable to articulate what exactly it was I objected to.

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2007 15:30:40 | More by BeerBelcher

Jettanbass9

Pennsylvania

2.93/5  rDev -22.7%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A - nearly jet black but still is permiable by light. Light tan head barely holds on to the glass.

S - Anise, licorice, dark caramel and dark fruits. Strong pale malt aromas. Whats lacking? oh yea, roast.... I can't help but to ding a few points for not getting as much roast in a beer like this. Major flaw.

T - Tons of anise and licorice, dark fruit and some roast poking through. No hop flavor. Very clean fermentation, no yeast character.

M - Full mouthfeel and light carbonation, slick on the tounge. Good mineral balance.

D - The beer goes back easy but misses the mark on the style's coined boldness. A sipper, definitely, however needs some help in the roast area of flavor and aroma. Two Brothers, please revamp this beer.

Serving type: bottle

02-04-2009 04:24:20 | More by Jettanbass9

craytonic

District of Columbia

2.98/5  rDev -21.4%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Appearance: BLack pour, nearly flat, no head or lacing
Smell: Chocolate, fudge, coffee, very simple and almost one-dimensional
Taste: Similar, lots of chocolate, fudge, and a hint of coffee; a bit sweet
Mouthfeel: a bit thin and sticky
Drinkability: one and done, never again.

Serving type: bottle

06-27-2010 01:37:57 | More by craytonic

GreenWBush

Oregon

3/5  rDev -20.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Everything about this beer cries mediocre. The head never really flourished and left only tiny hints of cling. The nose was roasty, in that day old coffee gound way.

And the taste? Mmm, unremarkably stout-y. Major hints of rubber and weirdly used hop tones.

Thin on mouthfeel and with a strangely annoying sting blend of hops and dry roastiness. I like some of Two Brother's beers ... but this just has average written all over it.

Serving type: bottle

12-18-2004 22:49:27 | More by GreenWBush

beckje01

Minnesota

3/5  rDev -20.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A- Black color with no activity and a big tan head.

S- Astringent smell and a hint of sweet.

T- A slight hop taste then malt it's ok very astringent the chocolate malt is ok but could play a bigger part to add to the complexity.

M-Nice thickness and activity.

D- Ok, not great I probably wouldn't have again there are much better examples of the style but this is average.

Serving type: bottle

12-11-2008 00:46:42 | More by beckje01

Greywulfken

New York

3/5  rDev -20.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A: nearly opaque, but some dark brown translucence around the edges; dark tan head

S: mild roasted malt

T: more toward the bitter/dry end of the imperial stout spectrum; burnt notes, faint cocoa/chocolate notes

M: lighter than other imperial stouts, more carbonation, very slight astringency

O: as always, if you like stouts/imperial stouts it is worth a try. For me, the gold standard in stouts is Old Rasputin. This beer is not as smooth or mellow, and it is not as sweet either. A decent beer, but not something that I would purchase again unless I craved a stout and had no other choices available.

Serving type: bottle

01-31-2012 01:52:24 | More by Greywulfken

ZAP

Minnesota

3.03/5  rDev -20.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

I can't believe they call this an Imperial Stout...It's a decent tasting "Stout" if you leave the "Imperial" out of it...It is medium bodied rather than over-the-top thick...the nose is mainly cocoa and coffee beans but very soft....the taste is burnt malts and some coffee beans but lacks complexity....finishes with a bit of a hop bite which is surprising given the low IBU...Call this a "Stout" and it rates high "3's"...as an "Imperial" I feel I'm being generous giving it low "3"'s...no carbonation at all hardly and that combined with the creamy texture allows this to be very drinkable as a "Stout"...not as an Imperial...I want more....I deserve more....If a beer is called Imperial it should have more than just a high ABV..I feel like I'm being too hard on this because as I drink it is is pretty decent....it's just not close to being a good "Imperial Stout"...

Serving type: bottle

02-27-2003 21:28:13 | More by ZAP

Kegatron

Pennsylvania

3.03/5  rDev -20.1%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

On tap @ the Two Brothers Tap House on 8/9/09. Served in a snifter.

Pours an abosolute black, with a thin smattering of light mocha colored head on top. Retains with a fizzy look around the edges, leaving some minimal lace back. The aroma is generally dark and roasty smelling, with some thicker malt notes of chocolate and caramel. Green citrus and dark fruits emerge as well, as this warms.

The taste is more dark roast, with thickish notes of chocolate and toffee sweetness. Touch of fruits and coffee as well. Roast and fruit linger into the finish, which is probably the best part. Much like the aroma (and even to a lesser extent), I'm waiting for this profile to cut loose, and it never does. All of the flavors start up but then just never delivers anything memorable. The mouthfeel is medium bodied, with a fuller bulky creaminess in some spots, but then seems really light in others. Inconsistent feel to say the least.

An average Imperial Stout at best. Just nothing here overly impressed me, save the aroma, which finally got going a bit once it hit room temp. This was my second time experiencing this beer (the first was in the bottle) and my opinion remains unchanged.

Serving type: on-tap

08-17-2009 12:11:45 | More by Kegatron

waldowin

Washington

3.05/5  rDev -19.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Pours an inky black, but thin. The decent dark brown head forms quickly, and fades almost as quickly.

Smells of coffee and figs, pretty simple but not unpleasant.

Taste is of roast, coffee, and a hint of figs. Not very strong, but the alcohol is nonexistant in the taste.

Mouthfeel is a bit thin for what I expected, and slightly acidic. Not a very smooth drinker.

The harsh flavors and the thin body, combined with the higher ABV of this beer means one bottle is almost more than I'd want.

Serving type: bottle

03-26-2006 08:04:00 | More by waldowin

mikereaser

Pennsylvania

3.08/5  rDev -18.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Poured from a 12 oz. bottle on 1/27/10

A - Pours a pitch black with just a layer of tiny bubbles on the surface.

S - roasted malts, bitter sweet chocolate

T - nicely balanced roasted malts, chocolate and just a hint of some hops

M - smooth, creamy, medium bodied, light carbonation

D - nothing earth shattering, easy to drink, smooth, but i probably won't search it out again.

Serving type: bottle

01-28-2010 05:21:19 | More by mikereaser

vfgccp

New York

3.08/5  rDev -18.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A - Beautiful bowling ball black with a creamy tan head builds out of no where and hangs around with fantastic retention and ok lace.

S - Nice crisp roast with deep cocoa and coffee highlights. Slight sour/musty edges.

T - Relatively light. Hammy smoke, char, and dark roast coffee.

M - Thin body for the style. Hides the 9% well though.

O - I'm ambivalent about the smoke, but overall it's the light body that really hurts the profile.

Serving type: bottle

07-02-2012 00:27:51 | More by vfgccp

frazbri

Ohio

3.1/5  rDev -18.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Northwind Imperial Stout from Two Brothers Brewing had a black body topped by a thick, tall, tan head. The aroma contained notes of dark chocolate and coffee with an underlying fruitiness. Cocoa and charcoal were two of the main flavor components. Body was medium/full with moderate carbonation.

This stout was most notable for it's roasty flavor. Beyond the roastiness, it needed to be amped up a little more to be a great impy. Imperial stouts are not subtle beers. Northwind needed more body and flavor.

Serving type: bottle

03-15-2006 02:48:50 | More by frazbri

birchstick

Missouri

3.1/5  rDev -18.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

A - pours a black color without much of a head

S - smells of roasted coffee and rich chocolates

T - starts off with some sweet cocoa that quickly becomes some roasted malt / coffee that fades to some dark chocolates. Not uber complex or deep, but very rich overall with its flavors.

M - medium to full body with a silky smooth mouthfeel. Pretty solid mouthfeel.

D - I can't say this was my favorite RIS I have ever had, but it was pretty delicious. For the price I paid, this was a pretty good deal.

Serving type: bottle

12-24-2010 00:30:38 | More by birchstick