Better Drinking

This excellent beer comes in a gigantic bottle, one liter I think, that was mutually shared with Josh, Sarah his wife, and of course, the reviewer. I had heard about this one from Beer Advocate, especially since it was the number one rated American Porter in their numerous reviews. It is now number four. I had seen several other Thomas Hooker products on the shelf here in GA recently, but the Imperial Porter is a new one for local shops. Mine was bought at Pop's, Hwy 141.

One of the interesting things that Josh and I discussed on Saturday night whilst drinking this beer, was the concept of the bomber size bottles (16, 18, or 22oz) and 12oz bottles. Sure, we mused, one could drink three beers in a single setting, but sometimes one would suffice. Or maybe, three different beers. Anyway, the point was that the larger bottles are not like wine after opened and really need to be drank in one sitting. So, the moral of the story was if you buy big bottles of beer, be prepared to drink it all or plan on sharing with an appreciative friend. If you're the one buying, your friend will be even more appreciative.

This beer pours a lovely dark brown, with a decent off-white head. Very dark with a full glass, somewhat opaque towards the bottom. Head rentention was decent, and it mellowed into a foam film leaving good lacing to the bottom.

The nose is a rich maltiness, combined with hints of coffee, chocolate, and hops. There is something vaguely burnt in the character, but nothing overly pronounced.

The mouthfeel is full and filling, but not quite chewy. Not rough, but not smooth either.

Taste is the nose duplicated, big malt character with chocolate and coffee flavors filling the mouth completely. The swallow and aftertaste reveal a well-balanced hoppiness that is both unexpected and pleasant. About 1/3 of the way through the glass, a familiar tinge of alcohol starts to press forward and the 7.8% ABV is uncovered.

An excellent beer, and as I understand, a seasonal, so pick some up and enjoy it while it lasts.

Labels: beer reviews

Here's an old review I did back in August 2004 and only slightly edited - enjoy:

There comes a time in the life of a beer drinker when he re-assesses what good beer is and the standard by which certain styles should be judged. Stouts, or rather the dry variants, are inevitably compared to with Guinness. IMO, the draught (can and bottle) versions of Guinness fall significantly short in the taste department, something very metallic and processed in the palate. The bottled extra stout version is an improvement, though in this reviewers opinion, Rogue's Shakespeare Stout and O'Hara's Celtic Stout are far better representatives of the style, without diminishing the value of Beamish and Murphy's either.

Though I prefer the sweet stouts (Sam Smith's Oatmeal Stout, St.Peter's Cream Stout, Sam Adam's Cream Stout), my personal standard of stout, as a total class, was significantly raised with my tasting of Samuel Smith's Imperial Stout last night. Samples purchased by FM for me (thank you brother!!) at Sonny's in Braselton (corner of 211 and 124) have thus far proved to be the only supply I've seen in Georgia.*

The beer pours an intimidating darkness and thickness that oozes with malt aroma, as well as undefined fruit smell that even my 15 year old daughter discerned. The head was not too dark, but solid, and left some nice lacing; the 550ml bottle would not quite fit into my stout glass at once. Taste was unbelievable; malty, creamy, dry, a little bit of hop, licorice, coffee, and bitter chocolate. The 7% ABV was subdued and added just the right touch without overwhelming the palate. Didn't take long to finish and was disappointed when the glass was empty. A top-notch brew definitely suited for an after-dinner or a dessert accompaniment, though a stout lover would enjoy it anytime. Though I did not eat anything with this bottle, a food pairing would have to be something strong because the powerful flavors would just simply overpower any mild flavors.

I should also mention that on Saturday night I enjoyed a 12oz bottle of Old Rasputin Imperial Stout which comes across more like a barleywine with its thick, chewy flavors, lower carbonation, and much larger roasted malt presence. In the opinion of this reviewer, Old Rasputin is a good beer, but in a class of stouts, does not match the sheer enjoyment of Sam's Smith's version.

Remind the beer shops you frequent to start carrying this gem of a beer.

* - the current GA beer laws took effect in July 2004, and at time of writing, not many of the higher gravity beers were available.

Labels: beer reviews