North-Wind Imperial Stout - Two Brothers Brewing Company

Bighuge

Minnesota

3.45/5  rDev -9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Ink black color. Little head. A thin rimming of brown lace. Nice aroma of roasted coffee bean and bittersweet chocolate. The mouthfeel is smooth and creamy. Only about medium bodied. Low carbonation lends to a nice drinkability. But the flavor profile isn't as "Bighuge" as I'd like it to be. There are the bittersweet chocolate tones. Cocoa tones. Java tones. And low bitterness for an Imperial. (The A/V is 7.5% and the IBUs are 45. Mild for an IS.) This would make for one helluva dry stout, but as an Imperial, it just doesn't stack up.

This is not a great Imperial Stout, but it is better than their Iditorod Imperial Stout from the same Brewery I had a few years ago.

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2003 21:21:59 | More by Bighuge

marcobrau

Illinois

3.73/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Not quite as strong as some Imperial Stouts, at only 7 percent alcohol by volume,but still a very tasty stout. The most dominant malt flavor is that of chocolate malt. Good hop and malt balance, though the malt tends to dominate the flavor profile. This stout isn't very roasty and tends toward being sweet. It is relatively big bodied, but not huge enough to be called "Imperial." A decent stout, but better examples of this style are out there.

Serving type: bottle

02-16-2003 18:58:56 | More by marcobrau

mickstepp

Ohio

3.38/5  rDev -10.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours black. Little to no head. Very little lacing. Faint roasted malt and hop aroma. The taste is likewise: toasty malt and a complement of hops. Very mild. The taste and mouthfeel are more along the lines of a Porter rather than an Imperial Stout. A very drinkable beer but not very representative of the intended style.

Serving type: bottle

02-10-2003 17:05:28 | More by mickstepp

maxpower

Missouri

3.5/5  rDev -7.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Dark ruby-black in color, has a small tightly bubbled tan head. Sweet, roasted caremel and coffee aroma, sweet plum-caremel flavor. Medium-body with creamy, smooth and slick mouthfeel, seems a little light for the style, still all in all decent stout.

Serving type: bottle

01-16-2003 10:49:26 | More by maxpower

MJR

Missouri

3.35/5  rDev -11.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Appearance: Has a very dark brown body that is completely opaque. There's no head to speak of...it's starts as a small fizz of bubbles and disappears completely.

Smell: Aroma of roasted malt and coffee. There's a very faint green hop smell hidden deep in the muck...

Taste: Has a nice balance of roasted malt flavor and hop bitterness. A touch of a burnt flavor makes itself known towards the end. Has that same green hop flavor from the aroma. Finishes with a slight sour note. A little lacking in the complexity department...

Mouthfeel: The body's a bit thin for an Imperial Stout. On thickness alone, this would be just enough for a porter.

Drinkability: It's not a bad brew...it's just a little mediocre compared to it's competition. Why drink this when there are other Imperials with more body and character? At least the alcohol is hidden well...

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2003 17:17:43 | More by MJR

cokes

Wisconsin

3.73/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Muddy dark brown pour, ends up essentially black with a healthy tan head.
Nose full of dark roast coffee, and bitter chocolate. Fainter, plums try to stake this as imperial, but fail.
Flavor profile seems to rest somewhere between a milk- and a dry stout, although beefed up a bit. Big roasted malts, chocolate and mocha notes are the major factors here. There is a good deal of caramel sweetness which mingles congenially with the lactic qualities. Lingering in the distance are some molasses and plums, providing the only hints of Imperialness. Hopping enter and mixes with the continuing roastedness to make the finish very dry.
Mouthfeel is creamy, in a skim milk type fashion, but it is void of the sweet, clinging, heftiness that should be present.
Easy drinker, and a pretty decent stout overall. I gave it some leeway because of this. However it is lacking in most imperial catagories.

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2003 21:56:16 | More by cokes

ADR

Pennsylvania

3.85/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Opaque, murky almost black appearance, with a residual reddish-skim head. Aromas seem decent, promise fruits and some burnt java. Slightly oily mouthfeel, malting is dry and somewhat Irish-style in some senses. A bit of anise and plum to the impression with a full swallow. Bitterness in the aftertaste, some from the hops, and it builds with continued sips. Overall, I liked this beer, but without interesting sweet complex tones it lacks as a brew in the Imperial Stout category.

Serving type: bottle

12-12-2002 08:24:10 | More by ADR

Winter

Wisconsin

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

Poured out a nearly an opaque black with only a "surface" head (or practically no head) that was brown and faded to nothing. Thin chunky lacing that slides back down the side of the glass. Aroma consisted of dark roasted coffee and roasted malt. Fair carbonation on the tongue. Mouthfeel is thin and smooth, being just a tad bit watery. Robust roasted malt middle with an introduction to a bitterness that resumes in the finish. Dry finish that has a stale coffee taste and seems slightly oily. Bottle label lists alcohol by volume as 7.5 %. An okay Imperial stout that would be better is it had a little more body and a more complex finish.

Serving type: bottle

12-08-2002 10:17:14 | More by Winter

Brenden

Ohio

3.93/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

2B tap takeover at Swig 7/11/12. The wife's beer; #2.5?

This beer is big and black with a brown head about one finger tall that shows good retention. Lacing is a bit understated on the glass. It's not a big, thick, heavy stout, by any means, and one can see the direction they wanted to take with this beer by looking at it. It's more even and balanced than a big, destructive monster.
Northwind has a strong malts foundation with roasty notes. The chocolate is more bittersweet baking chocolate than sweet, but a sweetness certainly does come through, vanilla and dark fruits, making it sweeter than is typical without being cloying. I can see some in the beer community with the new trend of face-melting beers not liking that this beer is lighter than some, but the focus really is on the overall flavor, balance and attenuation. It succeeds. There's a complexity to this beer with the malts, the sweetness, cocoa, coffee grounds, and even caramel/toffee. There's a nice earthiness as well and just enough light hops to keep it malt-forward but balanced.
The body isn't as big as one might expect and, I'll admit, perhaps not as big as it should be. It does have a richness to it, though, a nice flow, smoothness, and a nip of crispness to keep it moving.

Serving type: on-tap

07-12-2012 14:39:23 | More by Brenden

JohnnyMc

Ohio

3.5/5  rDev -7.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This is my first beer from this brewery. It pours a very nice pitch black with a slight head.

The aroma is very subtle and has hints of chocolate, malt and smokiness. Taste wise is pretty much the same, there is a lot of malt and chocolate to taste and it's surprisingly mild for an Imperial Stout.

Despite the high ABV (9), there is no hint of alcohol in the taste or smell.

This is a decent beer, but not one of my favorites and certainly nowhere near the best Imperial Stout I have tried.

Serving type: on-tap

02-21-2012 02:23:25 | More by JohnnyMc

kawilliams81

Illinois

3.65/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 3.5

On tap at Two Brothers Roundhouse.

A- black with 1 finger cola head. Very little lacing.

S- roasted malts, faint chocolate and some licorice

T- roasted malts and again licorice, some chocolate and pine hop bitterness

M- medium body and crazy drinkable. Very smooth and dare I say light.

O- good ris, but nothing special. At 9% I could drink a 6 pack over a night though because of the drinkability.

Serving type: on-tap

01-13-2012 21:00:20 | More by kawilliams81

robwestcott

Indiana

4.03/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

cold from the tap at Finch's, chocolatey black to a 14oz bell's tulip with a two finger, short lasting, mocha head

aroma of roasted malts, toffees and dark chocolate.

big roasty malts up front, a bit of smoke and a healthy shot of creamy cocoa.

big bodied, medium carbonation, sweet, smooth and creamy.

overall: super sweet, above par, smooth.

Serving type: on-tap

12-19-2011 21:04:00 | More by robwestcott

Northsider

Illinois

3.53/5  rDev -6.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

On tap at Two Brothers Tap House.

I'm not usually a fan on Imperial Stouts but this one wasn't bad. The flavor masked the alcohol nicely, which many RISs don't do. Color was almost pitch black with nice tan head. Smelled of roasted malts. The taste was almost smokey, not chocolaty or of coffee like my experience with most stouts.

Overall this seemed like a great desert beer, not something I would drink quickly, but rather something I could nurse with a full stomach.

Serving type: on-tap

07-24-2011 13:32:23 | More by Northsider

EricCioe

Montana

3.68/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

On tap at the University of Chicago Pub, 4 May 2011.

This pours black with a half finger khaki head that leaves just a bit of lace on the way down. On the nose there is rich molasses mixed with some deep fruits, mostly unidentifiable, but nice nevertheless. There is also some roasted malt, but on the whole the nose is pretty muted and holds this brew back a bit for me. In the mouth, the molasses and dark fruit get a little coating in some chocolate. The biggest flavor that I got was dark fruit, with was a nice prominent flavor here. The body is pretty full and chewy but not huge, though finish is ultra-long with dark fruit and extraordinarily bitter malt hanging on.

Overall, I was happy with this beer, but it wasn't my favorite imperial stout. Worth a look for sure.

Serving type: on-tap

05-05-2011 00:40:12 | More by EricCioe

EORS

Maryland

3.93/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Had 2 pints of this on draft at my local last night. Happy secretary's (administrative professionals') day!

Appearance: Dark. Dark to the point of opacity. fairly small bit of head to start out with, but it did retain well. Bartender at the local tends to fill pints up to the rim, not that I mind.

Smell: Probably the weakest aspect of the beer - nothing really stood out in terms of hop aroma, maltiness and hints of alcohol covered it up.

Taste: Very smooth, full-bodied malt flavor: sweet caramel and chocolate. Alcohol warms at the end but is hidden very well under the malt. Maybe a tiny bit of hop bitterness but it's hard to tell whether that's a coffeelike acidity or alcohol in the aftertaste.

Mouthfeel: Full-bodied and thick. The sweet heavy malt in this beer combined with the low carbonation made it very smooth, pleasant, and easy to drink.

Overall: Full disclosure, I had no idea of the ABV or style of the beer when I was drinking it. It was billed at my bar as a stout and I enjoyed it greatly as a stout. I can see why people expecting a big imperial stout have been disappointed - the amount of bitterness in the brew really reminds me of a regular or even a sweet. However, the body of the beer, the drinkability, and the nice malt bill made this a very enjoyable beer. Cross "imperial" off the name and I think it would be better reviewed.

Serving type: on-tap

04-29-2011 04:38:42 | More by EORS

JizackFH

New York

3.58/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Had on-tap at Sunswick 35-35 in Astoria, NY on 4/8/11.

Review taken from notes.

A - This beer pours a very very dark brown, almost black, color. It has a mocha colored 1-finger head. The head had decent retention, and left some scattered lacing on the glass.

S - It smells of very dark roasted malt, black coffee, and molasses. There are also notes of dark chocolate, dark fruits, anise, and there is also a nuttiness to it.

T - It tastes of sweet roasted malt, dark chocolate, and black coffee up front. There were also flavors of licorice, nuts, and dark fruits. The alcohol content was hidden very well, but it shows up a tad in the finish. I think it could have used some more char/roasted bitterness.

M - This has a medium to full body and lower carbonation. It goes down very smooth, and has a rich and creamy feel to it. The finish has just a hint of dryness to it.

O - This beer has pretty good drinkability. It goes down smooth and has a nice flavor. I could drink a couple of these in an evening. Overall, I thought it was a very nice beer. I just think it could have used a little more roasted bitterness in the taste, since it seemed to be a little more sweet than I would have liked it to be. Good beer though. I would try again.

Serving type: on-tap

04-17-2011 12:00:14 | More by JizackFH

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.38/5  rDev -10.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

On tap at Ginger Man. A very faint stout, lighter mouthfeel. Sour aroma. Smooth, until sourish finish. The best is the look, it is black and looks like an imperial stout,but it is not the best representation of the style.Still drinkable. Some roasting, maybe it needed to age more.

Serving type: on-tap

03-06-2011 05:43:11 | More by northyorksammy

oreo

Illinois

4.2/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured on tap at the Two Brothers Tap House.

Deep black with a 1 finger tan head.

Smells awesome. Tons of coffee and chocolate and roasty malts! This is my type of beer.

Smell is better than the taste. The coffee seemed faded in comparison to the smell, but still noticeable. Chocolate and roasty malts make their presence known throughout this beer. When fresh, this beer has a nice bitter hop finish.

Thick stout mouthfeel.

Very drinkable at 9%. Be careful!

Serving type: on-tap

01-08-2011 20:23:41 | More by oreo

champ103

Texas

4.08/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: Pours a nearly opaque black color. A one finger beige head forms, and recedes. Light lace is left behind.
S: Roasted malt of chocolate and coffee. Not acrid in the nose at all. Some dark fruits as well. Not very complex, but enjoyable.
T: Follows this nose. Lots of roasted malt, chocolate, light coffee. Nothing is acrid or astringent. Some dark fruits again, and overall enjoyable.
M/D: A full body that is creamy and smooth. Very easy to drink. Something I can sip on all night as a winter warmer.

A really nice Imperial Stout. Lots of flavor, and a treat to drink. Something I would recommend.

Serving type: on-tap

12-24-2010 04:32:20 | More by champ103

beerwolf77

Wisconsin

3.25/5  rDev -14.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Had on tap at Milrose while in Illinois. Served in a fucking pilsner glass. Not cool.

A: Pitch black, small beige head, modest lace. No cap or retention.

S: Roasty black coffee. Lots of sweet chocolate. Maybe a hint of wet cardboard.

T: Mild roast black coffee. Some chocolate. Not the most powerful flavors. Hint of dish soap in the finish.

M: Full body with very low carbonation.

D: Maybe it was the glass but this one was sort of a chore to get down. If I see it in the bottle I will give it a second chance.

Serving type: on-tap

12-08-2010 02:19:02 | More by beerwolf77

TMoney2591

Illinois

4.08/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Served in a snifter at The Firkin.

I've been waiting for this to come around again so's I could finally get a crack at it. It pours a slick obsidian topped by a finger of sienna foam. The nose comprises coffee, roasted malts, cocoa, and some light molasses. The taste loads up on the roasted malts, with some light cocoa, hop flowers, and light greens slapdashily tossed in, as though an afterthought. The body is fairly hefty, with a light carbonation and a semi-chewy feel. Overall, a one-dimensional stout, yes, but that one dimension is tackled very well.

Serving type: on-tap

11-19-2010 07:51:40 | More by TMoney2591

Vdubb86

Illinois

3.93/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Served in a snifter

On-Tap at The Firkin Two Brother's Tap Takeover

This beer pours a pretty darkness with a finger of brown foam. The smell is a bit of oak, belgian-like aroma, brown sugar and a light roasted note. Most of the nose is really light. The taste has an odd hop bitterness that I didn't expect. There is a light bourbon flavor and a decent amount of cocoa. It must be said that this beer is a bit astringent on the palate and a bit thinner than I would have liked, but it is still rather drinkable. A good beer all around.

Serving type: on-tap

11-19-2010 01:18:12 | More by Vdubb86

Thorpe429

Illinois

4.1/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Reviewed from notes. On tap at the brewpub.

Pours near black with a really thin mocha head. Not much lacing. The nose brings chocolate, roast, and a bit of coffee. The taste is of roasted malt with some lingering espresso and dark chocolate in the background. Not too boozy, but this is pretty light in ABV for the style. A bit of dry roast. Drinks quite well.

Serving type: on-tap

10-24-2010 01:38:00 | More by Thorpe429

Ryan011235

Ohio

3.15/5  rDev -16.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

On tap, in a pint glass at Bodega in Columbus, OH on 1/2/10

A - Dark brown, nearly black in color. 1/8th inch layer of tan head. Thin retention. No lacing.

S - Subtle nose of roasted malts. Notes of coffee & earthy hops. Dark sugars & faint dark fruit, maybe prunes.

T - Plenty of chocolate with mild coffee notes. Undertones of brown sugar & molasses. Roasted dark malts. Modest hop twinge around the edges with hints of citrus. Rather sweet. Something in there seems almost medicinal.

M - Full bodied with low carbonation; it's smooth & creamy. A bit of alcohol slickness is present.

D - Easy enough to drink; it's decent overall. Not particularly interesting & maybe a touch too sweet.

Serving type: on-tap

02-07-2010 04:00:46 | More by Ryan011235

emerge077

Illinois

4.08/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Imperial pint at Four Moon Tavern.

Black body with an impressive crown of tan lacing. The foam lasted a good while and looked appealing. Aroma was a little subdued but mostly roast malt and chocolate as you'd expect.

Flavor was rich and creamy, big fruity component, fig & plum, plenty of mellow roastiness and chocolate notes. Very creamy but still relatively light bodied for an RIS. Fairly dry in the finish, almost woody suggesting oak. Had to re-evaluate this after the tap sample, pretty impressive stuff. Make an oak-aged version!

Serving type: on-tap

01-23-2010 01:28:55 | More by emerge077