Miasmatic Review

Samuel Smith's Imperial Stout

Trying to get caught up with all the beers, I may end up doing an extra review this month; it also makes up for all of the ones I lost. I’m a little distracted by the Olympics too, which is why I remembered to do a beer review after the Men’s curling team lost their third match in a row. I needed a beer. Tonight I’m reviewing Samuel Smith’s Imperial Stout by Samuel Smith Old Brewery in Tadcaster N. Yorkshire, England. It was donated by Bruce of Back to the Batcave.

It comes in a specialized 355 ml (12 Fl oz) brown bottle. The label is an off white that is very busy. There is a lot of awards and writing on it. The name of the beer is emblazoned in gold letter on the lower third of the label. The name of the brewery is in the top third. The flower logo of Samuel Smith’s is at the top center. There is also a gold foil neck label that covers the cap.

The first thing that is noticeable when smelling this beer is a strong dark coffee malt scent and molasses. There is a hint of chocolate malts that rounds out the scent. Due to the 7% ABV you can also notice a touch of alcohol in the scent. The taste starts off with a rich coffee and chocolate malt, followed by molasses and dark fruit like raisins, dates or prunes. There is a bitter floral hop taste that lingers into the aftertaste.

This is a medium bodied beer that has a good creamy coating in the mouth. The carbonation level is mild like one would expect of a stout.

This is a very easy beer to drink. It’s actually a beer I would love to see my local English Pub put on tap. I could see myself ordering one of these after a rough day at work. The 7% Alcohol By Volume is barely noticeable in the taste, you almost have to be looking for it to find it. This is an excellent example of an n Imperial Stout; I give it 8 out of 10.