Imperial Stout
The more quality imperial stouts that I drink, the more this style gains gound against Belgian strong dark ales as my favorite style. I must confess, I wasted a couple oz.s of this brew due to an unexpected carbonation. As I watched the beer swell, and pour over the side of the glass and onto the counter, I could feel the curse words emerging....then I remembered a little saying, "Don't sweat the small stuff." Pours incredibly black in color with a caramel colored head that really explodes as it is poured (leading to my little accident mentioned above). Smells of roasted malt. Tastes of roasted malt, currant, coffee, and slightly nutty. Leaves a sweetness on the lips that just invites the next sip. For a beer with such a high IBU rating, the bitterness is very well disguised, or balanced is a better term. There is a noticeable alcohol presence, but not anything get worked up over. A very drinkable beer. While not quite as impressive as Stone's Imperial Stout (well, that's not a very fair comparison), Rogue has definitely created a masterpiece of an ale.