Founders Brewing Co.
American Double/Imperial Stout
8.3% ABV
OG?
60 IBUs
12 oz bottle, bottled August 30, 2010, poured into a New Belgium snifter on September 11, 2010.
Appearance 5/5
Pours impenetrable black with a big, creamy, dark mocha colored head, that stays throughout the course of the beer; although the head did recede from its initial glory, it left an excellent lacing. No beer is actually black and this one was clear dark brown at the edges. Looks the way a stout ought to look.
Aroma 4/5
Intense coffee and some malty sweetness; thing smells more like coffee than coffee itself. No hops. Very fitting name. Some alcohol is notable at room temperature.
Taste 4/5
Firmly coffee-bitter, with some accompanying malty sweetness. Slight coffee-ish acidity, that is enhanced as the beer warms up, and plays well with the understated malty sweetness. A powdered chocolate-ish finish with a lingering bitterness, right into the throat. Doesn't linger for too long though which brings the drinkability to maximum. Overall, the finish is medium with some residual sweetness, and *none* of the ashtray character of over-roasted coffee. Hops are mute in this one, which is probably good. To me, this is an style by itself, so the idea of having any hop aroma or taste seems out of accord. No booziness at all at any temperature even though I could sense some in aroma when the beer was warm. This is coffee in a stout: I don't detect much roast or any hops; everything about this stout seems like coffee riding over a solid beer, and very well integrated. The only reason this doesn't get a full score is because I am comparing it to the elder brother, KBS.
Mouthfeel 5/5
It's probably the oatmeal, but this one has the silkiness of a stout on cask. Medium carbonation, which is fitting. It is warming. I have had too many "big" beers to call the body huge, but in all honesty, this is above average in general, and fitting for a stout, if not exceptionally "imperial".
Drinkability 5/5
Very very good. For this body and this ABV, this beer goes down very easy. It can be had fast, which is dangerous! It's like the "hard" version of some coffee based drink (can't name because I like my coffee black and don't have much experience)
Other
I haven't given this one a straight 5, although I think it is exceptional. However, Founders KBS is better. This beer lacks the complexity of its big brother in the aroma & taste department. Yet, I know that I am underrating this one.
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