Imperial Stout

Heavy Seas is an interesting brand. I haven't bothered to do my research into why Clipper City markets these beers as a brand apart from their namesake Clipper City beers... This bottle of Siren Noire seemed particularly interesting because it's not only labeled with the Clipper City name and the Heavy Seas name but it's also part of the "Mutiny Fleet" ...whatever that means. As far as I can tell, that just means it's a bomber rather than a 12 oz bottle, possibily a limited release. Either way, the text on the label that sold me on this beer was the part where it says "Imperial Chocolate Stout".

Like every other beer drinker who owned a television set in the Fall of 2010, I really wanted to try Bitches Brew. This was the inaugural beer of the Brewmasters show, brewed for Savor to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Miles Davis album of the same name. Living 10 hours from the nearest Dogfish distributor meant I completely missed out on this beer. I recently moved to Delaware and was able to find several bottles of Bitches Brew sitting on the self at the Dogfish Head brewery, so I brought a few home to commemorate my move to The First State.

The long awaited return of Boulevard's Imperial Stout is nearly upon us (unless you live outside of Kansas City, in which case you can probably already find it at your local liquor store). The last batch of Imperial Stout was bottled in January 2008. It's a popular beer, one that people have been asking about it's return for three years now. I don't know what the reason was for the hiatus, I'm just glad it's over. The last time I had a glass of Imperial Stout was in December of 2008 and I remember liking it a little too much... It was at the end of a night where a lot of good beer was being passed around, so I definitely wanted to revisit it. Three years later, I've finally got my chance.

It seems like all the beer Avery brews are bigger than average. Their IPAs are hoppier, their Stouts are darker and everything in between just has more alcohol in it. Avery has a series of even more extreme beers with alcohol contents pushing 20%. This bottle of Mephistopheles' Stout in part of the demonic series of Avery beers that are sold as individual 12 ounce bottles for $7-9 each. Mephistopheles' Stout is a 16.83% ABV Imperial Stout that looks as evil as it sounds. I'm hoping it is as enjoyable as The Beast Grand Cru I enjoyed from the same series last year.

Like many beers I've logged on this site, this is the first time I've ever had Old Viscosity. Port Brewing's beers don't make it to my neck of the woods so I had to bring this bottle back from a recent trip across state lines. While I haven't had Old Viscosity before, I have had Older Viscosity, a non-blended version of the barrel aged beer that goes into Old Viscosity. I had the Older on tap in the middle of a day of drinker other huge beers. What I remember of the Older Viscosity is hazy, but I remember liking it quite a lot. Before returning home, I grabbed a bottle of Old Viscosity and waited patiently until I could give it the attention it deserves.

I've pretty much sworn off Lagunitas. Well, more-or-less sworn off... With the exception of Hop Stoopid I have not enjoyed any of their beers. After the third or fourth "Pale Ale" from Lagunitas I bought that tasted exactly like the last Lagunitas beer I had before, I got a little burnt out on this brewery. I like their stoner ethic and approach to making beer, but I don't like how each beer in their lineup is essentially the same as the last, just with more hops. Hop Stoopid was a great beer and I continue to drink it when I'm out and looking for a cheap bomber. I've heard Cappuccino Stout is similarly different and even more enjoyable.

My first experience with Ten Fidy was... different. Last fall I took a trip out to Denver, Longmont, Fort Collins, etc. I was making my way around north central Colorado, stopping at as many breweries as I could, when it came to my attention that Oskar Blues has a Firkin Friday even each week. Since I was in Longmont and it was Friday, I figured I should at least stop by and see what the big deal was. This week it was a blended barrel of Oskar Blues' Dale's Pale Ale and their Ten Fidy Imperial Stout. Interesting, a Pale Ale blended with an Imperial Stout? Sure, I'll try that at least once...

Storm King has a reputation that other brewers would kill for. Before I knew who Victory was I'd heard of a great Imperial Stout named Storm King. Victory doesn't distribute to my part of the country so I remained in the dark until recently. After returning from a trip to a far away beer market I found myself in possession of six Storm King bottles. The Stout family of beers has certainly grown on me over the past few years and I've eagerly awaited a cold wintery night to open up this 9.1% alcohol Imperial Stout. The Storm King's bottle says it is a seasonal release and there is a remarkable amount of hops packed into this beer. Suddenly, I'm a bit less excited...

There's a name that keeps popping up whenever Imperial Stouts are mentioned. Bourbon County. Goose Island is a brewery I got off on the wrong foot with years ago and I haven't really gone back to their beers until very recently. When I first heard of Bourbon County a couple years ago I decided to check it out. One look at the price tag changed my mind. At $20 for a 4 pack or $15 for a bomber, I balked... I missed out on the Bourbon County last year in part because I was really burnt out on barrel aged Imperial Stouts. 2010 is a new year and I've really gotten into the other Goose Island specialty beers recently so I figured I'd finally give the Bourbon County Stout a try, President Jackson be damned.

Oh Hoppin' Frog, how did I ever live without you? It's only been 8 months or so since you started distributing here but it seems like we've known each other forever. Your Wee Heavy was a surprise and your B.O.R.I.S. exceeded expectations. I've only had a few of Hoppin' Frog's beer but they have been nothing less than stellar. Tonight I've opened a bottle of Barrel Aged B.O.R.I.S., an Oatmeal Imperial Stout that was aged in Whiskey barrels. Having had the regular B.O.R.I.S. I knew roughly what to expect, and I was really excited to open this beer up.