Full Sail Imperial Stout
A hearty brew that is black as night with a strong roasted malt character and a full body that should satisfy any stout cravings. Chocolate and caramel nuances blend with the hops for a smooth Imperial Stout. Half the batch will be racked in bourbon casks, after a year of aging it will be released as Black Gold Bourbon Barrel Stout in February 2011. It’s a stellar cellar beer, so make sure you put a few bottles away this year to compare it to next year’s bourbon barrel batch. Available in 22oz. bottles and draught. ABV 8% IBU 65
3.6
225 reviews
Hood River, United States
Community reviews
Five year old bottle thanks to jake65 during free beer week. Pour is black with a thin tan head. Aroma is loaded with cobwebs, basement smells, light roasted malt, and a little vanilla. Not oxidized. Flavor is also earthy and cobwebby with light tart notes and roasted malt notes. Has really held up well! Nice beer!
A bit citrusy for a stout in our opinion. Creamy palate, strong nice (bit citrusy) smell. A nice middle of the road beer. Quite a cross between a stout and an IPA. Honestly, wouldn’t buy again but it was interesting to try. Kind of like a first date with a hot girl that has an annoying voice. Fun once...but not again.
Bottle at saucer. Black with a tiny tan head and light lacing. Roast and molasses about sums this up. And maybe a little chocolate. Medium-full body, very soft carbonation.
Motor oil black with a pretty good brownish head and pretty good lacing.
Aroma and flavor reflected a lot of brown sugar, molasses, roasted and burnt malts, dark fruits, with tingles of coffee and chocolate. Some notable hops too, bitterness and aroma were balanced pretty well.
Body was thick and a little bit syrupy, sweet on the finish.
Overall it was pretty good.
Bomber - listed as 7.2% abv - that puts it in regular old stout territory these.days - anyway - nearly black, very thin tan lace - nose has some pleasant notes of cocoa, smoke, and espresso, but there is a sharp acidity on top of everything that kind of ruins it - the flavor is much the same - at first, there are dry, moderatelg enjoyable flavors of smoke, bitter chocolate - but sharp acidity/astrigency arrive late, making it hard to palate - thin body and watery texture, especially for the style - some potential in the recipe, but that acidity, man.
Bomber bottle. Aroma smells of dark malt and booze. The appearance is black with little to no tan head. The taste is of boozy dark malt that turns chocolate and finishes dry roast. Palate is dry and dark. Overall, a really good beer. Well done and worth the price.
Motor oil (no light), No head to speak of. Dark fruit (figs, currants, raisins, and cherries at the end) in the nose with burnt malt. Sweet and creamy, coats the tongue. Dark chocolate, cherries, and alcohol dance with each other out the back door. Worth sipping.
Bottle. I love impy stouts - favorite style bar none. This is a blah impy. There is nothing that makes me think wow I should get a few bombers and cellar them. Give this a miss and go for Stone or another solid classic impy.
Pours pitch black with a tiny brown head. Smells of licorice and molasses with a touch of coffee. Taste is chocolate, coffee and a touch of molasses. Medium-to-full bodied with a slick, almost sticky texture and soft mouth-carbonation, Full Sail Imperial Stout finishes with something almost akin to coffee bitterness.
The imperial stout style has a reputation for being big and bold no matter who brews one. It’s rare you find a beer of the style that’s only just plain good, but Full Sail Imperial Stout is one of them. Plenty of flavor to be sure and highly drinkable - but seems to be missing a certain wow factor.
I poured a 22oz bomber into a tulip glass.
Appearance: Opaque blood red/black color, no carbonation visible. Forms a small, tan, frothy head which mostly dissipates and leaves some decent lacing on the glass.
Smell: All the usual notes of the style, but milder than most.
Taste: My description of Full Sail Imperial Stout’s aroma is a good description of the palate, and the beer as a whole for that matter. Impy stouts tend to be roasty and bitter with coffee flavors, but this one is remarkably sweet for the style. It imparts a taste akin to Diet Black Cherry Dr. Pepper. Seriously, the first flavor I notice is a cola-like taste of artificial fruit flavors and sweeteners.
There is definite bitterness to balance it out, though. Significant hoppiness can be felt at the beginning and middle of the palate. There’s almost a hint of citrus to it, but mostly it’s just dry. I kept waiting for a taste of black licorice and/or coffee but never really got much of either. It ends with an even stronger rush of cola-like sweetness before finishing quite clean.
Drinkability: I raised an eyebrow when I picked Full Sail Imperial Stout off the shelf and saw the ABV was only 7.2%. That would likely explain why it seems a bit too light, though that does help it become all the more drinkable. The mouthfeel is thin, a bit flat, with a watery texture. But it does go down extremely smooth with no cloying aftertaste at all. This would be a great introductory imperial stout due to how drinker-friendly it is.
Bottled, dark satiny brown color with dense twn foam, aroma of humid roast note and chocolate , thin bodied with good flavor of roast, chocolate , some plum, light finish
Bottle. Pours black with tan head. Aroma of bitter dark chocolate and hints of over ripe grape blended in. Flavor of dark roasted grain, very bitter sweet chocolate, some espresso. Heavy mouthfeel with medium carbonation. Overall, not bad.
2012 bomber from Supermarket Liquors Fort Collins. Nose is chocolate, raisins, and light bits of roast and smoke. Black with a small, lightly lacing, cinnamon tan head. Flavor is lightly singed toast, chocolate, and a small bitter note.
2/28/2010 - If a label reads “Imperial Stout”, I’m looking forward to a huge, singular malty bomb, complete with all the good, dark flavors that course through my blood on an oppressively cold night. I expected nothing more from the Full Sail Imperial Stout. To all appearances it’s just a good, standard, hearty brew, pouring a deep charcoal black, and calm atop like an inland lake on a windless day. The aroma is anything but calm, surging with heavy, rich smells of charcoal and grilled meats, especially the edges of a steak, most susceptible to being licked by wayward flames. Although the palate is relatively dry, it gives the beer more room to directly deliver those heavy, gamboling flavors. I also like the downplay of the alcohol - more room for the flavors to express themselves. Overall, a good solid Imperial Stout, and certain to crush your tastebuds. Good stuff.
Pours very dark and thick with a thin tan head. Very interesting combo of roasting, malt, and hops in the aroma. It’s got an almost bourbony taste, and would definitely fare well in aged in barrels. Really glad I found this one.
Bottle. 2012 Reserve. Very black with a dense off white head. Lots of coffee aroma with some chocolate malt sprinkled in. Taste is exactly the same as the smell with a slightly bitter, malty finish. It’s not up there with other Imp Stouts that I had had recently.
Originally reviewed: 4/20/09. Poured into my snifter a deep dark black. Very viscous and syrupy. Nice 1/2 inch tan head on top. Sticky lacing and webbing all over the glass edge. Smelles of currants, grapes, wine, coffee, and chocolate. Very nice.
Mouthfeel was syrupy and a tad oily. This one was a little thick and chewy. Not too bad. Flavors abounded with wallops of roasted cocoa beans, espresso, tangy grapes, and finishes sort of sweet like molasses. This is a really good brew that I’m honored to have had the pleasure of enjoying. With only being brewed once, if you get the chance, get it!
Sample at the Tap House Grill in Seattle. Nearly opaque black pour with some ruby around the edges and a medium tan head that dissipates steadily. Partial rings of lacing. Aroma of chocolate malt, anise and coffee. Medium to full body with flavors of sweet malt, cocoa, licorice and mild hops. The finish is roasty with a lingering chocolate malt aftertaste. Above average overall.
black with a healthy light brown head. Aroma/Flavor are yummy roast, light-to-moderate earthy bitterness. Some raw coffee grounds. Light malt syrup to round it out. Medium-Thick body. fairly yummy, not exceptional.
Bottle @ home. Deep black appearance with a light brown head. Deep roasty, mild anise, dark chocolate, mild espresso aroma. Moderate anise, dark roasty chocolate malty, fairly bitter flavor with a hint of coffee. Bitter, burnt aftertaste. Pretty good but I’m a little disappointed.
[22floz bottle, courtesy of cgarvieuk] Dark, brownish black pour, with a thin off-white head. Bit smoky, quite roasty on the nose. Coffee finish. Bitter and roasty. Nose is better than the finish, but it’s decent. Quite a boozy one [19082011]
Poured black. This brown head with minimal lacing left behind. Head quickly disappears. Big bourbony aroma, even though it’s not aged in such. Chocolate, roasted coffee and alcohol. Sweet and dry chocolate, roasted grain taste. Warming mouth feel. Slightly bitter on the back. A bit of sweetness is left behind along with the bitterness. Nice beer.
Bomber from I don’t remember who.
Appearance : Pitch black with medium head.
Aroma : Licorice with lots of hops and lots of caramel.
Taste : Great roasted malt with lots of coffee ans light chocolate. Lots of hops too. Finish has big notes of coffee with real nice hops.
Overall : Great leafy hops, great hoppy finish. A bit too much caramel on the nose. Overall a really nice surprise. Rather well balanced with lots of hops and lots of malt.
Black as night with only a faint garnet heart under a strong light, topped with a dark tan head. Strong charred malt and chocolate aromas. Not as heavy as it looks, the slightly creamy body brings dark and bittersweet chocolate, charred grain huskiness and espresso. A smooth, balancing dryness follows that seems to be a combination of hops and dark roasted grain. There’s a light alcohol bite, but the flavors almost cover it up. Lots of chocolate is left behind along with that grain husk dryness. Very well made Imperial Stout.
The Dan Journal #436. Tasted 12/21/10. 22oz bomber. 2010 vintage. Opaque with a dark brown hue. Thick ring of khaki head. Full bodied with a smokey flavor. A pronounced dark chocolate bitterness. Fudge notes with a dry finish. Strong yet smooth. Tasty!
Pours black with thick tan head and foamy lacing. Pleasant notes of roasted expresso and dark chocolate. Balanced taste with a short coffee bitterness. Smooth and creamy.
Black and opaque with fading brown head. Aroma is of dark molassess and traces of alcohol. Velvety texture and very smooth. Roasty flavor, but blended wrll. Little perceptable alcohol. A bit of astringency on the finish and a surprising lack of carmelized/sugar flavor.
Tap @ Parkway. Opaque black pour with a short tan head leaving minimal lace. Chocolate nose, medium body with a cherry tartness and coffee bitterness start to finish with hints of licorice in between (especially as it warms). Nicely balanced between sweet and bitter.
Pours black with a medium head and some lace. The aroma is lightly boozy with some espresso and light caramel. There is a good bit of milk chocolate in the aroma and some fresh c-hops. The flavor is tons and tons of black patent roasty bitterness with some dark chocolate and a bit of hop flavor/bitterness peeking through. The beer is really easy to drink and masks the alcohol pretty well.
Thanks to Hayduke for this one. A rich thick black pour with a nice two toned tan head. A roasted aroma that became chocolate. Flavor is also roasted and chocolate but with dark fruit, toffee, and lactic sourness. Boatloads of malt! Light bitterness that is chocolaty. A very tasty big beer and one that hides the alcohol well.