Baird Dark Sky Imperial Stout

Baird Dark Sky Imperial Stout

Imperial Stout is the biggest of the black beers and to drink Baird Dark Sky is to experience a foreboding libation. The aroma is gorgeously complex (dry hopping with American Centenniel & Amarillo hops) and the flavor is a stunning smorgasbord (chocolate, toffee, herbs, coffee, licorice, etc.). The mouthfeel is soft and enveloping. The finish is piquantly acrid and warming. Note:- ABV may vary each year.
3.7
247 reviews
Numazu, Japan

Community reviews

2.7 Draft. Black with a beige head. Leather, soy, coffee, roasty, vanilla, raisins. Slight hoppy finish.
3.9 Draught at Skaal. Pitch black colored with a medium sized beige head. Roasted aroma of caramel, dried fruits, licorice and soy sauce. Roasted flavor of caramel, dried fruits, hops and soy sauce Roasted and hoppy finish.
3.8 Draft. A black beer with a dark brown head. The aroma has notes of roasted malt, cherries, alcohol, and cherries. The flavor is sweet with notes of roasted malt, cherries, alcohol, and chocolate, leading to a dry roasted and alcohol finish.
3.9 12 oz bottle. Aroma is malty, roasty, a little sweetness. Color is very dark brown, with slight redness at edges, thin tan head that fades quick. Taste is a little caramel, molasses, malty, smooth roastiness. Body is huge, thick, smooth. Overall, a very nice example of IS!
3.6 From tap. Pours dark brown to black. Small tan head. Aroma is roasted malty. Liqouice, dark malty. Roasted, dark malty. Sweet, roasted and dark malty finish.
3.6 Fadøl fra Skaal. Kulsort porter uden det store skum. Ingen speciel duft. Dejlig fyldig smag med noter af lakrids og kaffe.
3.8 Tap@Skaal, Copenhagen - Black pour with with beige bread. Sweet roasted malty with notes of chocolate and coffee, caramel, burnt charred brown sugar, roasted malty close.
3.6 Black hue with a thin light tan head. Big rich inky earthy aroma with sweet char and earthy roast. Smooth flavor that’s dark and roasty and a little chocolaty but also with a dose of honey and this odd plastic tone with a gently sweet earthy black malty roasty sweetness. Odd all around but still kinda tasty. Just a normal-ish roasty semisweet Stout with mild chocolate tones, honey and plastic.
3.8 330ml bottle. Pours black with a good head. Chocolate, coffee, orange peel, little grapefruit, nice charcoal stuff. Bigger hop character than I was expecting, leads to a really nice bitter imperial stout.
4.0 33 cl. bottled 09/13/2015. Deep ebony brew has a small disc of lasting cream. Aroma is oats, dark bread, caramel supplemented by mild notes of cocoa, tobacco and coffee. Tastes of dark chocolate, coffee, berry and pralines Finish of ash and pithy wood. Medium-heavy body is soft and smooth with low carbonation and a nice drinkable balance.
4.0 12 oz bottle served in a goblet. Pours very dark brown, near black and opaque in the glass. Little head or lacing, and the head is too bubbly. Aroma: rich, nicely complex and very appealing. A bit boozy with hints of licorice and molasses. Flavor: robust, rich, refined and well-balanced. Leans slightly towards sweet. Very good mix of dark fruit and roasted grain flavors with a touch of coffee and licorice. Feel: full body with soft, low carbonation. Overall: excellent
3.6 Bottle. My home. Deep dark black with off white billowy head. Aromas of roast and.acrid black.with some.chocolate and toffee. Medium.heavy mouthfeel and rich dark.choc coffee notes with some roast character. American style hopping here adds a touch of bitterness but also a little hoppy fruit flavour too. Enough to.make.it interesting.
2.3 Bottle - a faint malty aroma. Pours dark almost black with a whispy white head that hangs around longer than expected. Taste is initially slightly sweet and alcohol, but quickly flips to a medium bitter middle and end. The bitterness spoils it for me, leaving me with gritted teeth and an unpleasant lingering taste
4.1 On tap at the Baird Harajuku Taproom. I can taste why this is the best rated Baird beer. It’s really good! Chocolate and coffee aroma. Roased toffee sweetness. Very smooth body. Lots of complex flavors. Too easy to drink. Very tasty.
3.5 February 11, 2017. Bottle, courtesy of tkrjukoff, thanks! Dark brown almost Black with a small tan head. Aroma is green apple, light roast, wood, soft roasted, some almond notes. Taste is medium sweet, soft bitter. Medium bodied, soft carbonation Finish is smooth sweet and roasted, touch of dried fruits, smooth chocolate.
3.5 A: Deep dark brown coloured with a thin brown lacing N: Raisins, plum, light coffee T: Coffee, plum, bitter chocolate O: Quite thin... Coffee is noce rhough.
4.2 Bottle from Hop City. From September 2015. 10%. Menacing black pour produced a gorgeous, fluffy dark brown head. Stuck around nicely. Aroma was huge, deep, dark roasted malt, melted candy bar, vanilla, cocoa, awesome. Flavors were much of the same, intense malt bill, dark and bitter, slightly sweet up front, espresso like bitter finish. Plus mouthfeel with slick carbonation. This is a wonderfully done, no frills imperial stout. Big fan.
3.7 12oz bottle - 9% ABV - it pours a a super dark espresso black and almost no head. The aroma displays the well made ale with components of roasted grain, dark chocolate and licorice. A mouthful envelops the taste buds with rich chocolatey fudge, burnt toast, bitter roast, licorice and a cocoa finish
3.6 355 ml bottle at the ISKTR 2016, Hervanta, Finland. 9%. From a trade with IslandHaole. Thanks Dan for this one! Dark reddish brown color with a tiny white head. Roasted malt and vanilla in the aroma. Moderate bitterness, hops, roasted malt, ashy dryness and soy in the flavor. Quite tasty. A bit thin though.
3.2 @ISKTR 2016. 9% alc. Tummanruskea kotikaljamainen vaahto ja väri. Tummahko, rusinainen tuoksu, rusinaisuus jatkuu suutuntumassa, melko laimeahko suutuntuma, lähinnä sulanutta suolaista lakritsaa, makeaa nektaria, ei hapotusta. Silti ihan kiva.
3.6 355 cl bottle @ ISKTR 2016. Pours dark brown color with a small head. Hops on the nose, roasted malts, grain, wheat notes and raisins, some plums too. Flavor is raisins, plums, dark roasted malts, subtle coffee bitterness. A bit thin but OK. 4323
3.4 Tasted from bottle. Pours black with almost no head. Aroma is caramel, toffee and chocolate. Taste is moderately sweet with a faint bitterness. Flavors of chocolate, toffee, caramel, faint dark fruits. Overall an average to below average imperial stout.
4.0 Bottle: Thanks BobbyHeenan: Served in a Chouffe glass: Thin beige light brown lacing. Close to completely black body. Aromas of roast, dark chocolate, raisin, toffee, caramel, fudge, hint of soy, wood roast, nut roast... Quite classic aroma. Flavours of roast, bitters, dark chocolate, cacoa, caramel, some fudge, coal, hint if soy, some toffee, some raisin and some bread... Aftertaste is bitter, roasty, dark chocolate and some earthy raisin... Low carbo, soft light watery mouthfeel, more than medium bodied. Nice!
2.8 330ml bottle from Euro trade. Pours dark with no head and no apparent carbonation. Aroma is sweet dark fruits. Taste is oily, with dark fruits, liquorice, some cocoa and roast. Lack of carbonation does affect the enjoyment somewhat, taste appearing a little thin until some coffee emerges. Not great.
3.8 Blackish pour with a thin tan head. Roast, coffee and chocolate aromas. Taste is dark chocolate, tiny little bit of coffee, roast bitterness, little bit of soy sauce, bitter espresso comes through more at the end.
3.6 Opaque black with brown head. Syrupy but not silky full body with moderately high carbonation. Aroma: roast malt, soy sauce, cacao, carob, dark fruit, faint herbal hops. Taste: tart, burnt, grainy, herbal hops. Gets chalky and phenolic further in. Oddly thin and grainy flavor in the middle for style.
3.9 Aromas of dark roasted malts, toffee, chocolate, chalky cocoa, coffee, black licorice and earthy malts. Pours pitch black with a lively brown foam rim and lace. Taste is dark chocolate, roasted dark malts, earthy roasted coffee rinds, wort, black licorice, raisins, plum juice, prune juice, chalky cocoa and campfire roast. Finishes smooth with more dark chocolate and roasted dark malts. Overall, this is actually incredibly complex and decadent. I’m very fond of Japanese culture and their beer scene. I think this is one of the best beers I’ve ever had from Japan. Top 3 for sure.
3.7 Black with brown head. Coffee and sweet sugar and coffee flavor. Maybe toffee too. Good stuff. Had this as part of a flight at TAP The Ale Project, in Hong Kong.
3.6 Bottle shared at a tasting. Pours brown black with a tan head. Aroma of chocolate, coffee, licorice and roasted grains. Taste of sweet malt, milk chocolate, coffee, prunes, alcohol with bitter finish. Medium bodied, smooth and relatively dry.
3.6 At a tasting, thanks, almost no head, very dark brown color, dark bread aroma with some chocolate cake, hint of dark fruits and dark chocolate, noticable sweetness, light to medium bitterness, quite mellow. Nice and not too heavy.