Ryan Sullivan's Imperial Stout - Moylan's Brewery

cindyjeffsmith

Georgia

3.41/5  rDev -11.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25

appearance: Very dark ruby. Thick frothy tan head.
smell: "medium" rich. Some chocolate roastiness typical of an RIS. Mostly dry with a bit of sweetness.
taste: Much like the nose, typical RIS malty roastiness. A slightly bitter finish.
overall: Not bad, not great. Pleasant enough sipper but honestly won't be seeking this out again.

Serving type: bottle

04-22-2013 22:33:38 | More by cindyjeffsmith

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

4.1/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 22oz bottle into an imperial pint glass. I’m pretty sure it’s at least 3 years old.

A: The beer is a deep black color, with a thin brown head that fades slowly and leaves a thin lace on the glass.

S: The aroma contains rich chocolate, roasted malts, some dark fruit and a faint touch of hops.

T: The taste starts out sweet with flavors of dark chocolate and black coffee. Then a hearty roasted malt character comes in. The hops presence is very mild yet surprisingly still noticeable given the age of the beer. There’s a little bit of smokiness in the background and a good balance as this beer seems to have aged quite nicely. The after-taste is slightly sweet.

M: Crisp and very smooth, medium body, medium carbonation, finish is slightly sticky.

O: Tasty, goes down very easily, not too filling, strong kick, good representation of style, this beer has aged well and is well-worth drinking for a long time.

Serving type: bottle

12-27-2012 05:41:45 | More by TheManiacalOne

TheBrewo

Michigan

3.45/5  rDev -10.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

We pour a brew of the darkest brown. It gives a little light towards the bottom of the snifter, but not much. It holds a one and a half finger head of massive, creamy medium brown bubbles. Retention is low, with flecks of lacing left down the glass. No haze or sediment is noted, and carbonation appears average. The aroma is of a chocolatey malted milk balls. The malts are way forward, with light roast of coffee and the sweetest milk chocolates. Other notes are quite blunted, but cooling vanilla, tootsie roll sweetness and chalkiness, yeasty metallics, boozy cherry sweetness, and raw cacao leak out through the cracks. Warmth brings the alcohol forward significantly, with fire and fumes. Our first impression is that there is interesting charred bitterness to the malts, with a curious vegetable metallic twang on the back. As we sip, malts hit in the form of roasted char bitterness mixing with faintly bittered grassy hops. The malts are more chocolate than anything else, giving a significant souring pucker. These push to the peak and enhance, with more notes of fusel booze, faint oaky musk, medicinal phenols, and dried, old milk chocolates. The finish comes with chili pepper spiciness, black peppery booze, raw vegetable metallics, toffee sweetness, chalky chocolates, and drying black tea tannins. The aftertaste breathes of bone dry, chalky grain, gritty chocolate malts, grassy hops, metallic yeast, faint vanilla coolness, muddy mineral, and dirty adjuncts. The body is full, and the carbonation is light. There is decent slurp and smack to the sip, with little froth or cream to the lip. The coating is thick, with stickiness to the lips, and eventual astringent dryness down the tongue. The abv is appropriate, and the beer is more of a sipper.

Overall, what we enjoyed most about this brew was the ease of drinkability and coolness of the booze. For a ten percenter the booze was relatively well integrated, with smoothness of chocolatey malts, and a nicely bittering hop component. This blend of flavors helped keep things easily sippable. The nose lost points for us, as it was overwhelmed by the one-dimensionality of the chalkiness and malted milk ball sweetness. This is a decent representation of the style, and otherwise is a pretty nice beer for sippin’.

Serving type: bottle

12-08-2012 02:40:18 | More by TheBrewo

DrDemento456

Pennsylvania

4.05/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Snagged a bottle of this for 7 bucks at the Giant Eagle.

A - Pours a bit less heavy than I expected but the color deep black is spot on. Head is a 1/4 inch of mocha goodness which sticks around for a while.

S - Mild licorice maybe some molasses, light roasted coffee, and a very inviting level of bitter sweet chocolate.

T - Very enjoyable the flavors were roast in the start giving a nice smooth latte taste then onto the chocolate not to heavy or sweet. The finish does have a respectable level of citrus like hops and again more chocolate.

M - Very creamy and smooth and unlike other heavy stouts this one seemed very carbonated giving it a slick medium body.

Overall a very tasty imperial stout and dangerously drinkable too. Might pick up another bottle if I am in the neighborhood.

Serving type: bottle

12-05-2012 23:03:02 | More by DrDemento456

hoplover82

Texas

4.25/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A-Pours pitch black with a small to medium coffee crema colored head that has excellent retention and lacing.
S-The aroma is very pungent with the first pour (which is impressive) with bold notes of super sweet chewy caramel up front, along with milk chocolate and roasty dark malts and some toffee in the back and light roasted fresh coffee, very mocha specialty coffee notes, but very sweet in the nose for sure.
T-The flavor is also very pungent up front with simi-sweet chocolate (because of the pleasant bitterness from the hops) and the caramel is in the back here along with some interesting butterscotch flavors. The roastiness is up front as well, but it's well balanced and so complex, very enjoyable indeed. The coffee notes stay in the nose, not in the flavor at all.
M-The mouthfeel is huge and cream with a lively carbonation which is nice for a change, (most beers this big are lightly carbonated, but this one has a little more) it also has a nice and balanced finish.
O-Overall I had a great experience with this beer. I got this one for a birthday gift and am very glad. A great Imperial Stout indeed!

Serving type: bottle

11-29-2012 03:50:13 | More by hoplover82

warnerry

Michigan

2.65/5  rDev -31.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Bottle purchased about two years ago

A - Pours black with one finger of brown head. Head has pretty good retention and leaves some spotty lacing.

S - Lots of chocolate and roasted malt in the aroma, with a bit of char. Smell has a bit of sweet chocolate and mostly bittersweet chocolate.

T - The taste is a pretty big letdown after the aroma. Huge amount of char and some sourness, though it doesn't taste like infection sourness. Some dark fruits, milk chocolate and bittersweet chocolate, but covered up by the intense char and sour character. Ashy finish.

M - Even on a warm summer night, this seemed quite thin. Dry, bitter, ashy feel.

O - Started strong enough, but the taste was pretty unpleasant and the mouthfeel quite disappointing. Won't be having this again.

Serving type: bottle

07-25-2012 23:39:41 | More by warnerry

BostonHops

Massachusetts

3.88/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

22oz bottle served in a snifter.

pours that customary imperial stout used-motor oil black - totally opaque - while yielding a solid 1" mocha-toned head; surprisingly great retention and lots of lacing. great appearance even in a style where it can be tough to stand out. nose is good. i get roasted malt, chocolate, maybe a touch of coffee - all pretty typical for the style. not getting much else.

taste improves a bit on the nose. the roasted malt, chocolate, and coffee are all there, but i also get a few secondary notes of dark fruits. well-hidden 10% ABV. very tasty. creamy, medium-full mouthfeel with average carbonation. funny, though, at the same time it also has a watery feel to it. sort of conflicting.

overall this is a very nice RIS. doesn't rival any of my favorites but it's worth a try.

(originally reviewed: 05-24-2011)

Serving type: bottle

06-14-2012 20:45:53 | More by BostonHops

isualum12

Idaho

3.83/5  rDev -1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

I had this at an amazing imperial stout tasting party here in Boise with at least 75 beers. This was about average at the party...Poured from bomber into taster. Poured very dark with a finger and a half of a coffee colored head.

Smelled chocolate and coffee on the nose. nothing too overwhelming. Tasted chocolate, coffee, and tobacco.
Fairly good. I would have it again...

Serving type: bottle

03-20-2012 04:10:44 | More by isualum12

mactrail

California

3.45/5  rDev -10.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Has both a perfumey and grainy flavor that are a little peculiar. Malty nose with some charcoal. Slightly harsh flavor with a lot of burnt barley flavors. Some pleasant sweet malt comes through, however, and it drinks better after a few sips.

Winey character and mouthfeel. Quite bitter aftertaste. Quite alcoholic along with that bitterness for an eye-opening experience. I would wish for a mellower and silkier RIS, since there are so many good ones. Still, for the money it's a powerful and flavorful ale.

Serving type: bottle

02-15-2012 07:18:26 | More by mactrail

superspak

Michigan

4.2/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

22 ounce bottle into snifter, no bottling date. Pours thick almost pitch black color with a small fairly dense tan head with good retention that reduces to a thin cap that lingers. Some spotty lacing on the glass. Aromas of huge milk and dark chocolate fudge, caramel, toffee, molasses, coffee, roasted malt, toast, wood, and a bit of herbal hops. Fantastic aromas here with good strength and balance. Taste of big dark chocolate, caramel, toffee, roasted malt, coffee, toast, wood, slight dark fruit, and light herbal hops. Light bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of chocolate, toffee, caramel, coffee, and roasted malts for a while. Great balance of big robust flavor. Medium carbonation and fairly full bodied; with a nice creamy and slick mouthfeel. Alcohol is surprisingly well hidden with only a slight warming after the finish. Way too drinkable to be a 10% beer; this goes down very smoothly. Overall this is a very excellent and balanced imperial stout offering. Extremely enjoyable and smooth.

Serving type: bottle

02-11-2012 04:27:56 | More by superspak

fullthrottle77

California

3.15/5  rDev -18.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured from bomber into tulip glass. Poured very dark with a finger and a half of a mocha colored head. Smelled faint chocolate and coffee notes, nothing too overwhelming. Tasted chocolate, coffee, and tobacco. The tobacco was most prevalent in my opinion. Overall a decent imperial stout, not bad, not great just pretty average.

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2012 05:38:25 | More by fullthrottle77

jondeelee

Massachusetts

4.45/5  rDev +15%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Ryan Sullivan's Imperial Stout opens with a thick whiff of malts, which bring a tantalizing blend of dark and light aromas. Included in these are chocolate malts, heavy cream, coffee, light tobacco, caramel, and a touch of Grape Nuts cereal-like lighter grains. Brown sugar, toffee and vanilla linger around the edges, joined by a smidgen of old port and cognac. Hops add just a touch of citrus backing, bringing subtle hints of bitterness to counter the sugars. The overall effect is beautifully balanced and nuanced, hampered only by the aromas' slightly weakened state: the volume knob seems to have only been set at eight instead of ten.

On the tongue, the beer opens dark and rich, with an immediate shot of brown sugar, fig juice, vanilla, and chocolate malt. These are quickly joined by caramels and toffee, then heavier layers of ash and tobacco, with hints of black malt, providing a layering effect. The darker flavors come to dominate the flavor profile as the beer sits on the tongue, set off by a perfect balance of citrusy hops, which provide subtle pine resin and grapefruit rind bitterness. The aftertaste is more of the darker flavors, as well as a lingering hop bitterness and touches of ash, and lasts for a long time. Mouthfeel is an odd-feeling medium, given the flavors, and carbonation is medium-low.

Overall, this is excellent Imperial Stout, and it says much of the flavors that the 10% ABV is completely hidden beneath them. The mouthfeel is surprisingly watery for these flavors and for this style, which does offset some of the beer's better qualities, but even this does not fully detract from the excellent flavor profile. I do wish that the flavors were slightly stronger--again, the volume knob seemingly set at eight instead of ten--but the beer is still delicious, and worth trying.

Serving type: bottle

01-09-2012 17:56:28 | More by jondeelee

Fatehunter

Oregon

4.08/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a tulip glass. Pitch black with a half finger of tan head.

Rich smelling. Roasted and burnt malt, chocolate and licorice.

Starts like a milk stout, a little sweet, then quickly turns to burnt, super burnt malt overpowering everything in sight, slight bittering at the end.

Smooth texture, a fair level of carbonation, kind of crisp.

The taste is really bold and in your face burnt malt. That may not be enjoyable to some, but I liked it. This is not a shy beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2011 00:06:32 | More by Fatehunter

Sweasty

Texas

3.53/5  rDev -8.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Sitting down to another imperial stout. This one comes care of Moylan's. Ryan Sullivan's Imperial Stout pours a near pitch black. Its a shade above black hole. Not the darkest stout I have had to date. Things are topped off by a fingers worth of dark khaki head. Head settles to a ring. Plenty of lace is left in its wake.

The aroma is nice. Roasted coffee hits first. Some bitter sweet chocolate hits next. Beneath the dark roasty malt notes, hops come into play. Some citrusy hop, grapefruit mostly, notes shine. Beneath the citrus, some earthy/herbal notes round things out.

The hops in the nose are much stronger on the palate. Bitter grapefruit dominates upfront. Some herbal notes hit next. Beneath the hops, coffee notes strike first. Dark french roast coffee stands out. Some bittersweet chocolate present as well. A light caramel quality hits beneath the roast. The finish is wet with lingering grapefruit notes.

Ryan Sullivan's is medium bodied with a creamy mouthfeel.

Moylan's has created a nice imperial stout. It definitely leans toward the hoppy side of the style. It's not the most complex stout in its category, and it drinks a bit boozy. Regardless its a tasty enough cold weather brew.

Serving type: bottle

12-28-2011 03:21:43 | More by Sweasty

kjlued

North Carolina

3.98/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Very good RIS but not as good as I was hoping considering all the awards listed on the bottle.

Extremely dark with a nice caramel colored head.
Not quite as rich as I like in a RIS but definitely worth buying and trying.

Serving 22oz bottle poured in to Sam Adams glass.

Serving type: bottle

12-17-2011 16:48:04 | More by kjlued

gregy55902

Minnesota

4.13/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bomber poured into an XL snifter. Reviewed live.

A – pours a deep, solid black with a nice tan head that recedes fairly slowly leaving a ton of bubbles and lacing. I am in for quite a treat!

S – Huge chocolate malt nose with notes of anise and dark fruits (figs and currants)

T – Follows the nose, with the additions of rye malt, sourdough bread, espresso and hops.

M – Carbonation is perfect, and this hides the 10% abv almost too well.

O – A great choice for imperial stout fanatics. Not the best stout ever but it's very good and reasonably priced.

Serving type: bottle

12-14-2011 04:34:57 | More by gregy55902

CMB2012

Illinois

3.7/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into 16oz snifter, served ~55 degrees Fahrenheit.

A- Pours thick and black with a one finger, clumpy, mocha head that sticks around. Looks pretty good.

S- Initial hints of bitter and milk chocolate, then hints of prune and other dark dried fruits. I detect some cherry as well. This may sound weird, but after a long and deep inhalation I smell something akin to a peppery and spicy beef jerky. I do smell some alcohol, but nothing overwhelming or unpleasant.

T- Very roasty, with sweet and bitter chocolate. I get some of the dark dried fruits, followed by a warm alcohol finish.

M- Mouthfeel is full and fairly viscous.

O- I like this stout. It's not my favorite, not very complex, but it does the trick for the most part and this one only cost $6 a bomber. I'd do it again.

Serving type: bottle

11-16-2011 22:13:15 | More by CMB2012

Bonis

Ohio

3.93/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

From notes: 10/15/2011

A - Black in color with a thick light tan head which settles to a quarter inch and leaves lots of sticky rings of lacing. Very impressive look for an imperial stout.

S - Not a whole lot here, but what I do get is a tad foreign (especially considering I drink a lot of imp stouts). Some roasted malts and a touch of dark fruit, accompanied by some wood and tobacco. Next I get lots of leftover dark malts from a homebrew batch of imperial stout. No alcohol. Not amazing, but definitely not bad and a very interesting smell overall.

T - Light roasted malts and silky chocolate malts up front. A strong malt presence overall, but there is a touch of bitter hops in the finish to moderately balance things out. As it warms, some of the consistencies change. Earthy cocoa and roasted grains. Very thick with some coffee grounds. Not amazingly flavorful for the ABV, but overall very nice. I feel like the alcohol was hidden to perfection, but the bottle I had was roughly a year old.

M - A smooth medium bodied beer with low/moderate carbonation.

O - Slightly better than what I expected based on reading reviews. I feel like this was a solid drinkable imperial stout. I'd purchase this if they distributed in my area.

Serving type: bottle

11-13-2011 02:14:20 | More by Bonis

Hoagie1973

New York

4.2/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours opaque dark brown (black in glass) with a small brown head. Decent strings of lacing.
All the smells of a good RIS. Coffee, baker's chocolate, toffee and molasses and a bit of spicy hops.
Flavor is considerably less complex than expected. Starts a little bland actually, but all of the flavors slowly show up one by one in the finish. Bitterness increases long after the sip with the main players being roasted black coffee and hops. Ass-kicking ABV is well blended.
Mouthfeel is full and smooth.
Overall very enjoyable, if a bit unique in how the flavors play out.

Serving type: bottle

10-24-2011 00:53:48 | More by Hoagie1973

metter98

New York

3.85/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: The beer is jet black in color and poured with a thin tan head that died down, leaving some delicate patterns of lacing on the surface along with a thin ring of bubbles around the edge of the glass.
S: There are aromas of roasted malts in the nose along with some hints of molasses and sweetness.
T: The taste is similar to the smell and has flavors of burnt and roasted malts and some hints of sweetness. It has a slight amount of bitterness.
M: It feels medium- to full-bodied and smooth on the palate with a moderate to high amount of carbonation.
O: The beer is a good sipper but seems to be lighter bodied compared to others in this style.

Serving type: bottle

10-03-2011 00:40:41 | More by metter98

alk3kenny

Georgia

4/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured this out of a 22oz bomber got this for 6 bucks so pretty good deal at 10% abv... Pours a dark black color with a nice creamy brown/tan head... Smell is pleasant but not strong... taste is slightly roast, slightly bitter, alcohol presence is barely tasted which makes this easy to drink... Nice mouthfeel easy to drink could def drink more of these for the price but not my fav Imperial Stout ever...

Serving type: bottle

09-29-2011 01:12:20 | More by alk3kenny

eric5bellies

Australia

3.8/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Drank from my Duvel tulip

A - Pours a deep oily Ebony colour, with a tanned head that retains well until reducing to a film that laces.

S - Sweet roasted malts and some caramel.

T - Up front delicate vanilla flavours before some expresso coffe flavours come through. A little sweet on the finish.

M - Medium to full body with low carbonation. Very smooth

O -

Serving type: bottle

09-26-2011 14:38:06 | More by eric5bellies

andrenaline

Ontario (Canada)

4/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

From notes: The last bottle in the bottle shop...

A - Pours a pitch black colour, solid thumb of mocha head with some nice sticky lacing and solid retention.

S - Rich dark cocoa with sweet toffee and black licorice on the finish.

T - Dark cocoa dominates and lingers, a strong bitternness with some leafy hops and an oily citrus hop on the finish. A touch of ABV heat comes through, but is well managed given the boldness of the flavours.

M - Medium bodied, smooth and finishes surprisingly wet.

O - I quite enjoyed this imperial stout and wish I could've scored another bottle. These guys have this brew wired.

Serving type: bottle

09-25-2011 06:44:45 | More by andrenaline

ADZA

Australia

3.43/5  rDev -11.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a dark kola hue with nice carbonation that leaves behind a two finger head that stays and clingy lacing everywhere,the smell is dark cocoa,milky coffee,blackcurrants and burnt toffee,the mouthfeel is only just above light bodied and way too light for the style and has tastes of black cherries,blackcurrants,cocoa,milky coffee,burnt toffee and finished with a bittersweet mix of dark chocolate and piney hops and overall it looks nice but the mouthfeel lacks the fullness it should have and was expecting more cheers.

Serving type: bottle

09-09-2011 08:30:28 | More by ADZA

UCLABrewN84

California

3.2/5  rDev -17.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Pours an opaque black with a 2 inch dark khaki head that settles to a thin cap. Thick foamy rings of lace stick to the glass on the drink down. Smell is of dark roasted malt and chocolate chip cookie dough. Taste is of dark roasted malt, roasted coffee beans, and some cocoa bean flavors. There is also an off metallic taste on this one that I don't dig. There is a mild roasty bitterness that sticks around. Both the smell and taste of this beer are pretty subdued. This beer has a low level of carbonation with a smooth and creamy mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty average stout. Not too bad for what it is but I wouldn't get this one again.

Serving type: bottle

09-03-2011 04:06:02 | More by UCLABrewN84