Dark Star Imperial Stout
Cask & Bottle Conditioned;
Imperial Stout is a truly special beer which harks back to the days when English brewers exported strong stouts and ports to the Baltics. Brewed with a high proportion of roasted barley and target hops, this is complex beer with a big flavour.
Our bottle conditioned Imperial Stout has been aged at the brewery so you may enjoy it now, although it will continue to improve for many years.
Imperial Stout is a truly special beer which harks back to the days when English brewers exported strong stouts and ports to the Baltics. Brewed with a high proportion of roasted barley and target hops, this is complex beer with a big flavour.
Our bottle conditioned Imperial Stout has been aged at the brewery so you may enjoy it now, although it will continue to improve for many years.
3.7
286 reviews
Horsham, England
Community reviews
Bottle at The Leeky Tap, Leek. Pours a deep ruby brown colour with a thin off white head. Aroma of oak, raisin, fig, prune, some treacle, slight smoke, a little caramel, a hint of roasted malts, maybe coffee and subtle toffee. Taste of oak, raisin, fig, prune, brown sugar, some caramel, slight roasted malts, a little alcohol, a hint of smoke and subtle spicy hops. Full bodied and a slick texture. A dry, dark fruit bitterness in the finish. A really complex, fruity imperial stout with a hint of sourness and subtle smokiness. Decent.
Smell of coffee, vanilla. Black colour, tiny mid-brown head. Aroma of oak, alcohol, raisins, rum. Also faints of chocolate and coffee. Very flat carbon, oily palate, viscous texture. Very sweet. Not exactly the regular imperial stout.
Bottle picked up from Spoons last year, pours black-brown with a very thin head, aromas of cocoa, musty oaky vanilla, a little liquorice, faint red fruit, drying alcohol. Palate is dry-sweet and alcoholic, with more liquorice, treacly dark fruitcake, a little umami, then a sticky and strongly burnt-caramel finish.
Czysta bejca. Niesamowicie okrutne piwo. Dramat do kwadratu. Nie dopiłem 50ml próbki.
Pours black, but thin black with red tinge if you hold to the light. Aroma is licorice. Taste is not what i expected..very malty, sweet, caramel and a spiced fruitcake finish that comes from the hops rather than the malt, but not as intense as you would expect an imperial stout to be. Kind of a crossover between an English old ale on steroids and an imperial stout. Palette is thin for style, however its a nice tasting beer with a great malty backbone. Enjoyable
Bottle @home. Pours black with a tan head. Nose is licorice, coffee, slight chocolate. Taste is more of the same, its sweet but not overly so.
Bottle at home. Pours a black colour. Roasted coffee, dark chocolate, balsamic vinegar. Smokey with a rich full flavour. Boozy finish.
*330ml bottle. Rich and deep. Plums, dried figgs, dry caramelly sugars. Not too bitter or sticky, Rich and full dark brown fruity in the aftertaste.
Bottle. Nose is treacle, sweet malt, licorice, fruits. Taste is licorice, dark fruits, very sweet malt, more licorice, prunes, brand, treacle a little wood. There is a breathy peppery alcohol taste which is not well integrated. Mouthfeel is very thin.
The sweet and surprisingly light taste profile for an imperial stout is interesting, but the alcohol is overbearingly prominent, and I didn’t really enjoy this at all.
Bottle from Cotteridge Wines; opaque black pour with a thin tan head, aroma has sweet dark fruits and some coffee, taste has dark fruits, some espresso coffee, chocolate, pleasant mouthfeel, dark chocolate along with some red fruits.
Bottle 0.33l at home, Oulu. Vintage 2012. Colour is black with small white head. Aromas and flavours: Vineous elements, some coffee and roasted malts. I almost put this to drain because it was quite repulsive as cold but its getting little bit of better when warming up. Too old still and drinkability is just bad.
Pours black with low tan head. Aroma of chocolate, molasses, coffee, licorice and light alcohol. Taste is sweet, very sweet, dark dried fruit, muscovado and alcohol, with a boozy and warming finish. Medium to rich body, smooth, with soft carbonation.
Bottle. Black with a medium head. Full bodied with a strong presence from the start. Low carbonation and a slightly woody mouth feel make for an excellent drinking experience. A serious example of this style.
2/9/2009 6:28:46 AM Dark body with thin head. Deep, dark fruity and sweet nose. Taste of dark fruits, coffee. Flavourful. Bitter and warming. Another excellent Dark Star.
Bottle shared, thanks Tim M. Quite estery and fruit-forward, cherry, raisin, berries, toffee, boozy finish. Not sure it aged very well, alcohol stands out a bit too much.
Bottle shared at a tasting. Thanks Tim! Pours a pitch black with some ruby highlights and small head that dissipates almost instantly. Aromas of prune, raisin and currant with some berry and some port-like character. Body was a little thin and the booze was there, but still enjoyable. Finishes a little winey. Interesting, but a bit too boozy.
Bottle. Thanks Tim M. Marker pens in aroma. Spirits, dark cherry. Taste is soft, cherry, sweet, vinous. Low carbonation.
Black coloured with a light brown head. Lasting. Roasted aroma with notes of solvents and a bit too alcoholic.
Bottle. Black colour with medium creamy light brown mostly lasting head. Aroma is roasted malt. Sweet spicy flavor. Oily palate.
Bottle. Creamy lightbrown good mostly lasting head. Black colour. Moderate malty and hoppy aroma. Moderate bitter flavor. Some sweetness. Average moderate bitter finish. Creamy palate.
September 14, 2015. Bottle at home, vintage 2013.
Black with large, a bit frothy quickly dissipating, tan head. Aroma is licorice, plum, figs, vanilla, roasted malt and hints of alcohol.
Taste is sweet dark fruits, ester and light bitter. Finish is sweet with plums, figs, hints of toffee and light bitter with some warming alcohol. Medium to full bodied, creamy texture, soft carbonation.
A bit too much sweet fruity esters with a very light touch of higher alcohol in the finish.
Difficult to pour very high carb.
Dark roast malt aroma but not much.
smooth alcohol on the pallet.
Tastes a bit 1 D expected more from an imperial stout.
Needs a food pairing to enjoy better.
33cl bottle at Oosters, Singapore on 03-Sep-2015 poured into a long stemmed tulip glass. Black in colour with a medium sized beige coloured head. Full body and soft carbonation. Aroma of sweet dark fruits, roasted malt, chocolate, coffee and alcohol. Flavour is complex - lots of roasted malt, coffee, spices, treacle, liquorice and cocoa. Bittersweet finish, with a little bit of alcohol heat. A bit heavy at 10.5% but this one is impressive.
Bottle from GingRealAleTrail.
Pours dark brown, ruby tinge, single finger tan head. Aroma is of dark fruits, blood orange, sarsparilla, almost paint stripper, cherries, raisins, dandelion and burdock...Taste of initial dark malts, sweet malts, a bit more drum and bass chocolate, molasses, dark fruits then a whack from the abv again. Nice.
Bottle from Beer Essentials, Horsham. Yeasty sweet fruit bowl aroma. Pours black with brown head. Rich complex flavour doesn’t totally mask the 10.5% vol but does a good job. Amongst the well balanced dark roast maltiness and sweet n sour hoppy tones there’s licorice, aniseed, vanilla ice cream, toffee apple. Long finish is full of the varied flavour aspects.
Bottle from Kris Wines, London. Pours a jet black body with a medium beige head. Nose is molasses, deep malty tones, leather, licorice, mild smoke, wood and hints of caramel, burnt toast and rum. Taste is molasses, rum, leather, licorice, deep malts, alcohol and hints of caramel, toffee, burnt toast and herbs. Full body, medium carbonation. Very elegant and complex imperial stout in the English tradition, on the sweet side of the spectrum. I like it a lot.
Black small light brown foam. Weak aroma for a beer with this looks, Better taste, coffee, bitter burned toast. Short aftertaste. (Velp 201503)
Bottle, vintage 2013. Pour is black with a caramel frothy head, aroma is alcohol, toffee, caramel, roast malts. Taste is warming alcohol, malty, sweet, toffee, gentle bitterness. Powerful stuff, but more depth would take it to the top
Butelka. 0.33 l. Barwa czarna nieprzejrzysta z bardzo ładną beżową pianą, która szybko znika. W zapachu, czekolada, kawa, wanilia, śliwka. Alkohol bardzo dobrze ukryty. Bardzo dobry angielski RIS.
Bottle from Utobeer, London. Pours black with a bubbly tan colour head, soon dissipating. Aroms is a glorious mix of dark fruits, plum, date and chocolate. Light sweetness, medium bitterness, with a light sour undercurrent. Body is full, with a thick texture. Slightly above average carbonation for an imperial stout. Long bitter and slightly sticky finish. A most enjoyable beer, just the sort of beer to savour on a cold and wet winters day and one of the few positives of not living somewhere warmer and drier than the UK!