Otto's Jolly Roger Imperial Stout
Jolly Roger himself smoked the malt for this Imperial Stout. This is a massive stout with a huge roasted maltiness and complex smoky, chocolate flavors coming through strong thanks to the gentle handpump and correct cellar temperature.
3.9
300 reviews
State College, United States
Community reviews
12th August 2009
Opaque black beer. Softish dry palate. Rich dark malt with roast and a little smoke. Not too bitter. A fairly distinct and contrasting apple sweetness riding alongside, then some hop bitterness and dark malt bitterness at the finish. Odd but somewhat compelling stout.
bottled, rbesg08 grand tasting. black with a steady dark beige head; aroma of cocoa cream, stewed prunes, freshly laid road; hints of vanilla with tobacco and dark chocolate. quality stuff
Draft. Pours black with medium, frothy tan head; decent retention and some lacing. Aroma is roasted malt, coffee, chocolate, dark fruit, and oak. Flavor is balanced roasted malt, earthy hops, and dark fruit esters, with light smoke; dry, coffee finish. Full body, low carbonation, and medium warmth.
Bottle @ Too many Geuze’s - only one toilet , Ulfborg 2012. Pours dark black with a small creamy head and lacings. Roast, chocolate and coffee. Smooth and full bodied. Roasted bitter end.
Bottle @ fonefan tasting. Nice head with good duration. Color is black. Aroma and taste are roast malt, chocolate, coffee, licorice and hops.
Bottle. Very dark brown with small brown head. Aroma is roasted malts, chocolate, coffee and a little liquorice. Flavour is roasted malts, chocolate, syrup, little coffee, sweet and liquorice.
Black with a dark brown head. Aroma is sweet, roasted malt, smoked peat and chocolate. Flavor is very sweet and rather bitter. Dry and rather bitter finish. Full bodied and oily. 280112
Bottle. Pours jet black with a medium brown head. Aroma of roasted malts, chocolate, coffee and some notes of smoke. Bold flavor of dark roasted malts, coffee, dark chocolate, subtle caramel and had some smokiness with an oily mouthfeel
22oz bottle-pours a light brown head and black color. Aroma is dark malt-peat, earthy hops. Taste is dark malt-peat/roasty, earthy hops.
22oz bottle at Zeno’s Pub in State College, PA. Pours a black colored body with a finger-width, creamy, dark brown head that dissipates slowly and leaves a nice lacing throughout. Aroma is roast with a good amount of dark chocolates as well as some licorice spice and a nice piney hopping. Flavor is similar. Lots of dark chocolate up front with a solid roast and some licorice spice. A hint of prune dark fruits and some caramel sweetness. Nice, piney hopping comes in that blends really well with the licorice. Roasts kick it up a bit at the end as this dries nicely with a fairly bitter pine hopping, some licorice, and lots of dark cocoas. Lengthy aftertaste following a pretty full body and a moderate carbonation. Overall, a really nice impy. Well hopped with a solid licorice spice and lots of darker chocolates. Easy drinking with a pleasant bitterness and a lengthy cocoa-hop aftertaste. Very enjoyable and glad to have finally found a bottle of this.
Sample at the Jackie O’s Bottle Sale on 08/27/2011. Pours a viscous black color with a medium tan head that dissipates steadily. Small patches of lacing on the glass. Smoked malt and dark fruits in the nose. Medium to full body with a smoky character and notes of dark chocolate and malt. Some prune in the background too. The finish is smoked malt and chocolate. Pretty good overall.
Bottle at James’ mead tasting. Pours a deep black with a very thin tan head. Big roast, loads of chocolate and light hops. Big smooth body, with lots of roast and chocolate. Lots and lots of big bitter roast. Tons of chocolate and bitterness. Long bitterness and dry cocoa.
22 oz. bomber thanks to jcwattsrugger. Pitch black with a a nice tan head. Chocolate, coffee and a little vanilla come through. Medium bodied.
Bottle thanks to Jcwattsrugger at my house. Pours black. Tan head. Nose/taste of hops, cocoa, coffee and vanilla. Chalky mouth feel with a mildly dry baker’s chocolate finish. Medium body. Hoppy imperial stout reminiscent of a black Ipa.
Bomber. Pours black with a thin tan head. Aroma is anise and chocolate. Flavor is anise, licorice, chocolate, and smoke. Very nice and relatively dry RIS.
Bottle. Poured opaque black with a nice brown head. Huge aroma with lots of chocolate, roasted malt, cocoa powder, a bit dusty. Light malty sweetness, but very smooth. Full bodied with more chocolate and caramel, along with a bit of coffee on the finish. Very flavorful and smooth, quite good.
Bottle, courtesy of Dickinsonbeer, thanks! An opaque black beer, with a small, frothy, creamy, lacing, mostly diminishing brown head. Thne aroma is modeartely to heavily malty and lightly hoppy, with notes of roasted grains, chocolate and some minor hints of smoke, vanilla, citrus, iicorice and alcohol. The flavour is heavily sweet, lightly sour, lightly bitter. Medium to full body, creamy texture, soft carbonation, long finish with medium bitterness, lightly to moderately alcoholic. On the sweet side with a nice mouthfeel and a good amount of roasted malts. Not the most extreme or complex example, but quite nice, balanced and without huge alcohoi feel.
Bottle at Matt’s tasting. Pours a beautiful deep brown with creamy and slightly bright tan head. Aroma has some solid characteristics that are surprisingly distant. Notes of licorice, chocolate, and chalk. Flavor is strong blend of dark chocolate, sherry, and oak. Oily body. Slightly hot with a strong finish of coffee, chocolate liqueur, and ash. There’s a really good blend of qualities going on here.
I received this from the very generous jtrockchalk, thanks for the opportunity.
Pours a solid black with a thinnish tan head that dissipates quickly. Smells of licorice, dark chocolate, roasted coffee, spicy hops and a touch of alcohol. Taste Hits first with some roast and chocolate followed by some hops and some dark dried fruits melding into a finish of roast coffee and chocolate. Thick body, creamy oily mouthfeel, low carbonation. This is a damn fine Imp stout right here. I enjoyed this one immensely. Great job Otto!
Gift taste from some nice people @ Ølbaren, Copenhagen. Black and oily, with a tiny creamy caramel head. Aroma is thick as a brick; soy, port, cocoa, coffee and hints of coconut. Flavor is more roasty, with some smoky tones coupled with chocolate and some coffee. The palate is very light and highly drinkable, despite the ABV and the flavorful composition. A very well-made stout in the "new school" of American imperial stouts, which focus more on exploring the shades of chocolate and dark sweets. Smoothness is the word.
Bottle: Black, moderately sized foamy light brown head, very sparce lacing. Looks serious enough, aged even. I think I have had this bottle just over a year now? Heavy roasted malts, sweet, has an Oatmeal sort of sweetness. Not overly hoppy in the nose, just malts. Strong roasty malts, sweet, but without a strong hop presense. Moderate to full body and mouthfeel. Slight sour tinge. I suspect that after more than a year the hops have faded a bit. Still enjoyable. Lingering Oatmeal, lactose sweetness, and roasted malts. Not an over-the-top Imperial Stout which I like. Enjoyed this one with some Smoked Salmon, crackers, and cream cheese.
08 vintage, courtesy of a fine trader whose name eludes me at the moment. very black viscous pour, small brown head, some spotting. the aroma is sweet with a pruney profile of dark fruits, smoke, and burnt malts. the flavor is licorice, some old coffee, some meatyness and smoke, and a very bitter aftertaste. pretty good stuff.
Thanks to Tiklmelmo for sending this brew my way. I split it with my Bro in law who just retired from the Navy. The bottle poured into snifters produced a nice short lived two finger tan head, that slipped of to a nice lace. The body of the brew was dark as night.
The aromas’ was nice and toasty. Yes, toasty. I got some nice roasted malts aromas’(chocolate, coffee) but also a slight smoke to it. The flavor was really good for a RIS some nice coffee notes with some chocolate thrown in. The funny thing was a got a slight hint of bourbon on this one as well but, didn’t see that it was barrel aged. The mouthfeel was good with slight carbonation.
A great way to finish of my BBQ we sipped at the glasses for some time and were left wanting for more. A must try unique RIS in my book.
Bomber. My first Ottos beer, I lament that I didn’t have ratebeer when I lived in State College. I was drinking some decent beer, but no Ottos. Pours a totally black color with a large brown head. Slick, oily. A smoky roasted malt nose with some fruit. The flavor is rich, milky, loads of oily dark fruit, smoke, vanilla, metal. Very damn good. Re-rate: awesome, massive dark fruit, viscous.
brune foncée, col moka foncé et épais laissant qcq notes dorée visqueuses sur le verre.
arôme, alcool donne un nez réchauffant, fruits noirs sont très présents.
goût, malt grillé et chocolaté, fruits noirs qui reste présent jusque a la fin et deviennent plus présent au fur et à mesure que la bière se réchauffe. Les notes au palais restent remplies de note d alcool. Poudre de cacao et un finit légèrement sirop.
Bottle from and shared with Madvike...thanks Matt!
This one took me in a few different directions and I still am not sure how I fell 100%. Smelled great! First taste seemed rather watery, but that seemed to go away and the flavors came to life as I had more of it. It was the first beer of the night so I was still with it too. I guess it is one of those I would drink again but not run out to buy.
Bottle from JCapriotti...thanks Jason! - Pours jet black with a small brown foamy head. Real complex nose, with brown sugar, soy sauce, a hint of whiskey, a bit of chocolate, and a light layer of smoke over top the whole thing. Molasses, licorice, and brown sugar flavor, A bitter alcohol and roast finish that’s a bit off-putting. The same smokiness is there as well, but it’s not as full-flavored as I want in an imperial stout. There’s actually a bit of wateriness in both the flavor and in the the mouthfeel. Weird. Started off great with the smell, but overall this was just okay.
Pours a rich deep blackish brown with a nice brown head. Aroma is chocolate, smoke, coffee, roasted barley, licorice, touch of dark fruit. Flavor is chocolate, roasted malt, coffee, good amount of chocolate and hop bitterness, thick mouthfeel, well balanced, all around fantastic Imperial Stout. Yum!
22oz 2008 ed courtesy of dpjuart. Pours nearly jet black with a thick, dense, two-finger tan head that has excellent retention and leaves sheety lace all over the snifter. Aroma is prunes, raisins, oxidized red apples slices, burnt currant, molasses, spicy Mayan chocolate with chilies. Taste is semisweet chocolate, currants, raisins, frozen hot chocolate. On the palate at first this is biting, sharp, prickly. Then moves to being immensly dry cocoa and raw cacao bitter that hides the otherwise sweet malt and dark fruit character of this impy. I don’t detect any smokiness like some others but I have a less aged bottle I might crack open to compare. Very nice overall.
bottle at RBWG pours black with a medium tan head. Aroma is roasted malt and strong chocolate notes. Flavor is strong burnt malt and sugar flavors, bold and big.