Yeti Imperial Stout
Well, it's taken me long enough to get around to this one. I've tried the Oak Aged, Espresso and even the Barrel Aged, but never cracked a bottle of the base beer. Pours just like the others - pitch black with no light coming through, with a smallish tan head that leaves a heavy ring and a swirl along the top. Lacing is minimal but it shows some legs after each sip. The aroma is massive, with an initial (surprising) citrus hop kick giving way to the huge roasted malts, dark chocolate and tons of brown sugar and molasses. The taste is just a bigger, darker version of the nose. The hops are there up front but just get washed away by the waves of dark, burnt malts and bakers chocolate. There are some dark fruits in there and a bit of the molasses, but the toasted character really dominates the taste...and I like it. The mouthfeel is full bodied and thick on the palate with enough carbonation to keep it from getting syrupy. Well, I figured I might enjoy this one, given how much I've enjoyed the other iterations, and I was not surprised at all. It's one of the better impy stouts out there and, given it's wide distribution, should be a go-to stout for most folks out there. Big, dark and damn tasty.