Double Stout
22 oz bottle I got from hopsleeroy I believe. Really need to start writing down who sends me what. Pretty sure it was hopsleeroy. Well, I am whore for Double Stouts and Impy Stouts. Served this one up in your standard shaker pint. A: Pours a really nice deep, oily black. This beer allows no light through whatsover. This is pitch, frickin black. Can't see through it because no light gets through it, so no idea about carbonation movement. It did pour a really nice finger of mocha colored head. Sadly, the head didn't hold out long enough. You know the type, quit long before you wanted. Dipped down a chunky ring that tries to lay down some lace, but it really doesn't have the stick. It does try to hard so that I was I gave it a 4. S: Smell is quite nice. Lots of really nice and sweet ass malty goodness. The malts smell of rich caramel and sugary goodness. This beer smells of chocolate, but not just any chocolate. I am talking a really rich, milk chocolately fudge characteristic. This is pretty nice, but smells incredibly sweet. Not getting any balancing notes like hops or what not. This smells great though, smells like dessert and I am glad I saved it for such occassion. T: Taste mirrors the smell pretty well. Lots of damned malt coming through. There is a nice roast on it but there is not a burnt quality. Really nice malt character. Talking malt shop type malt. Malt balls and caramel. Then come that chocolately goodness. A really nice and rich milk chocolate comes out. Not getting much by way of bitter dark chocolate. Mostly just some sweet and very present milky goodness. There is a bit of piney hops presence in here, but all this sweetness easily bitch slaps it into an after thought. M: Full bodied beer through and through. Nice and chewy, this beer is heavy. It has a touch more heat to it than the ABV suggests, but thats what I want from my stouts. I need my stouts to have a warming quality, and this one comes through. Carbonation is just enough to give this a slight tingle and decent crispness. Aftertaste is nice with a really nice lingering chocolate layer on the palate. D: Well, this is absolutely a dessert beer because it does have a nice sweetness to it. As a dessert beer, it does have drinkability for that category. I think this beer is absolutely good, hence the straight 4's, but it is a bit one dimensional via all this sweetness. With that said, it sits well with a bit of weight and satisfies. Will drink again given the chance. Another fine brew by Green Flash.