Stone Brewing Stone Imperial Stout

**Aroma:** “Moderate roast, light chocolate, touch of vanilla, light date, light cherry, pleasant fruitiness: fruitcake! Mild toasted malt. Some cocoa/chocolate notes. Before I even taste it, it’s hinting at barrel aging. Nice roast malt with some chocolate and brown sugar and a hint of alcohol. Cinnamon Teddy Grahams have to be some untold adjunct if the nose is any indication.” **Flavor:** “Moderate plum and cherry, mouthfilling carbonation, light hops, chocolate, light roast aftertaste. Toasted malt, light caramel, moderate bitterness, long linger of chocolate and caramel. Medium body, a bit light for the complexity of flavors. Sweet chocolate flavors linger into the aftertaste. Hops flavors add interest. Nice roast bitterness in the finish. Wow, the balance among sweet, roasted, and bitter is incredible. Literally nothing jumps out and scrambles to scream ‘ME! first.’ It’s lighter than what you think you’re getting into with the smell, but a lot of the same flavors carry through and some nuttiness joins the party that was thoughtfully decorated in flower petals.” **Overall:** “A nice, smooth, low-astringency imperial stout. There’s just enough roast and bitterness to balance the sweetness. Smooth and flavorful. Somewhat retiring for an imperial stout—a bit thinner than expected. Very enjoyable. A bit thin and subtle, but super enjoyable at the same time. I could drink this all day.”

**Aroma:** “Roasty, chocolaty, and sweet. Some sweet dark fruit character. Slight coffee. Hints of leather. A little bit of smoky phenol that may be roast char. Slightly salty umami aroma. Interesting.” **Flavor:** “Sweet malt character with some caramel notes and chocolate. This beer has some earthy vegetal flavors and sweet fruit and peppery notes as well. The warmth in the finish helps to cut through the sweetness. Flavorful expression of roast: coffee, toast, and bittersweet chocolate. Strong alcohol hit warms the mid-palate and then dries out the finish a little. Finishes with some oxidation.” **Overall:** “An interesting take on imperial stout. The tobacco and peppercorn that dominate play fairly well with the umami subtleties. This beer has some good bones. The roast quality is nice and I enjoyed the chocolate, but it did not come together as an extraordinary beer for me. Good, but not great. Chewy. Would pair well with sushi.”

“The usual stout signposts: roast malt, coffee, and cocoa. Very drinkable, with some rich malty character. Body seems a bit thin. Alcohol aroma is evident! Boozy, nice balancing hop bitterness. Medium body makes this beer dangerously drinkable.”