Founders Imperial Stout
'08 12oz twist-off from my most recent order from Archer Liquors.. Very well packed shipment... 1 of 4.. tonight poured into my New Belgium snifter... 1" tan brown head.. dies quick with little lacing.. the brew is black.. Nose is cold press coffee with more than enough milk chocolate.. licorice notes.. very roasty.. smells pretty much fantastic right now with no aging.. lite fruity esters are dark dried cherries with some background prune.. Flavor is pretty huge and spot on for a great RIS.. rich and intense from front to back.. no real room for anything else.. dark malts, French Roast.. quite a bit of fruity esters.. again.. cherry and sorta a deep ripe plum.. verging heavily on prune ester.. bakers chocolate throughout.. hoppiness is fairly heavy fresh with quite a bit of citric hops that are blasted out of the water by the stout qualities... body is perfect for the style and the carbonation is light.. smooth mouthfeel with a ton of complexities that I am only touching on.. finish is chocolate covered espresso beans without a whole lot of sweetness.. World Class! a little bit of EtOh as it warms but it doesn't distract too much... This is gonna be a champ, if it isn't already.. purely a great brew that is every bit as good as many "barrel-aged" brothers that wouldn't hold a torch otherwise... sippin' brew.. awesome.. I wish soooo much that I could score this a whole lot easier.