Spencer Trappist Imperial Stout
A massive, roasted, malt-forward American Trappist take on the Anglo-Russo Imperial Stout tradition. Luxuriantly frothy foam, waves of coffee, chocolate, and caramel sensations, a generous blend of dark fruit flavors. Intense and robust. St. Joseph’s Abbey in Spencer, Massachusetts is home to a community of Trappist monks and the first American Trappist brewery. Following the Benedictine tradition of ora et labora (prayer and work), the monks pursue a simple life of contemplative prayer, manual labor and hospitality. The brewery helps support the monks and their charitable outreach.
3.8
271 reviews
Spencer, United States
Community reviews
Near black with read edges and tan/mocha head from the bottle. Complex, and subtle. Nothing is in your face. More stout forward than other "Belgian" stouts, though there is a pleasant dark fruit component. Roast, anise and a light bitterness. Thick and smooth. 4+
Glad I had this before they went out of business. Dark brown almost black with a small tan head. Aroma is chocolate, coffee, and dark roasted grains. Taste is also chocolate, coffee, vanilla and dark roasted grains.
Black pour, foamy brown head. Character of chocolate, raisin, prune, other dark fruits. Delicious.
A:torba,aff,ribes,alcool
G:tost,acido,caffè amaro
I am by no means a connoisseur of beer. Nor do I taste all the flavors people herein attribute to the beer. I will say that it starts with a bitter bite but, settles down quickly to a beer that says there's no lack of ingredients in its creation. Clearly it is a clean beer with a good bottling process. I gave it a 4.3 overall because I need to leave room for its exotic big brother, the Spencer Oak Barrel Aged Stout. $4 a bottle is stiff but, its very good beer.
6-19-21 CBC
A 75 cl bottle obtained from the decent folks at the Rare Beer Club some months ago. I have a coolish, breezy early evening to bring this big bottle out to sample. The New Belgium globe glass is arrayed and the pour is delivered. A thick, dark brown-black body arrives topped by a glorious head of very finely bubbled, yellow-tan foam. I like the smell, strawberry, chocolate and wheat bread. The taste is coffee, toast, some char, dark chocolate, berries and dark chocolate. The sensation is thinner than expected but whatever. Good but not transcendent.
Bottle. Black with a brown head. Aroma: coffee, tobacco, dark chocolate, caramel and toast. Taste bitter and sweet. Nice roast imp Stout
Bottle @ Fox & Hounds, Sønderborg. Pours hazy dark brown with stable light tan head. Clear aroma of dried fruit, yeast and malt, with very mild roasty notes. Hoppy and roasty onset, complemented by citric notes and touches of yeast and malt. Hints of liquorice and fruit. Roasty and coffeelike aftertaste with estery and acidic touches. Not bad!
Bouteille de 33 cl achetée chez Trappist Tribute. Robe noire opaque avec une légère mousse brune. Arômes de malts torréfiés, café, pain grillé. Texture huileuse, carbonatation moyenne, faible amertume. Notes de café, caramel, malts torréfiés. Finale sèche et longue sur le café.
Bottle from Hy-Vee Shadow Lake location. Poured black with a lasting tan head. Aroma of dark chocolate, fruit, roasted coffee, caramel malt, brown sugar. Taste was sweet, caramel, malt, brown sugar, molasses, yeasty, mild creaminess.
Niet zo lekker
Malty and chocolate aroma and taste. Good bitterness that fills the whole mouth for an eternity. Really good beer. Follow me @ Kung av öl @ Facebook for more pictures and ratings.
très bon stout. malt torréfié. notes cafés
Nagy, barna, tartós hab, fekete szín. Kávés, kakaós, aszalt szilvás-meggyes illat. Kávés, kakaós, fekete csokis ízek, aszalt szilvás beütéssel és némi aszalt meggyel. Testes, száraz, közepesen keserű, enyhén szénsavas. Finom, jó arányokkal rendelkező sör.
Black. Thin brown head with low retention. Aroma intensity 4/5. Malt, prunes and vanilla aroma, a little bit of metal and roast in the beginning. Heavy bitter. Full body
75 cl. champagne cork bottle at home. High creamy and long lasting brown head. Back body. Roasted malt coffee liquorice aroma. Sweet and pleasant smooth roasted malt cofee liquorice flavor with a fair amount of hops bitterness, low carbonation and a long sweet finish.
Dark body and brown head needless to say. With extreme style as chocolate and coffee. Nice stuff.
Bottle. Pours dark brown with a creamy tan head. Roasted malt, chocolate, ash, hint of dark fruit. Nice.
Certainly nailed the Belgian vibe; fruity yeast esters offset unsweetened chocolate and coffee, with some caramel, raisin, and cascara beneath. Finishes super-dry and roasty. Somewhat metallic, and the esters really start to take over as it warms. Not bad, but not my thing, either.
33 cl. bb 06/13/22. Ebony pour with a creamy brown disc of foam on top. Rich aroma of dates, chocolate, fig, earthy bread, and hints of char, peat smoke and citrus zest. Tastes of the same mix plus cocoa nibs, caramel, wood and a mild peppery note. Medium-heavy bodied with smooth low-medium carbonation.
Spencer Trappist Imperial Stout has a medium tan head, a very dark brown appearance, and a good amount of lacing. The aroma is of black bread crust, raisin, & black licorice. It has a similar flavor, with dates and prunes. Spencer Trappist Imperial Stout has a medium body and moderately-dry finish. RJT
Bottle (BB Nov 7, 2022). Head is initially average sized, frothy, brown, mostly lasting. Body is non-opaque black (flashlight tested). Aroma is moderately to heavily malty (roasted/burnt grain, unsweetened chocolate), with notes of blackstrap molasses, tar, ashes/creosote, walnut shells. Flavor is moderately to heavily sweet, lightly acidic, lightly bitter. Finish is lightly to moderately sweet, lightly acidic, moderately bitter, burnt. Medium to full body, creamy/syrupy texture, lively/soft carbonation, moderately alcoholic.
The aroma is ok but not very enticing...leaning heavy to the tarry/burnt side of the spectrum without any spicy or fruity or hoppy aspects to balance. Similarly underwhelming in the mouth...sweet, kind of syrupy, burnt tasting, etc. Drinkable for the style but not what I would describe as enjoyable.
Black pour with a thin light khaki head. Roasty black malty aroma with a kiss of molasses and earthy black licorice. Dark flavor that’s earthy roasty and black malty bitter with a lingering black malt and anise tone. Very...normal.
From a set of three. Pours a very dark brown almost black. Dark tan head. Nose of chocolate and fruit. Full body. Flavor is very rich with coffee and chocolate. Finish is bitter. Good stuff.
Very good old school imperial stout. lovely drinker and maybe the best spencer I have had.
330ml bottle from Beers of Europe (£4.99):
Jet black & thick looking as it pours, the head is a thin & patchy surface lacing with a few beige bubbles in the centre of the glass. The nose opened with dark malts, chocolate & smoked notes with a little sweetness & coffee bitterness at the end. It's a rich tasting beer with chocolate malts, cocoa & the odd dark fruit initially without the beer being too complex, some smoked oak & earthy flavours show later on with hints of sugar & maybe a hint of caramel too. It's medium to full bodied with fairly soft carbonation other than right at the end whilst the mouthfeel is silky smooth, well balanced & rich.
2.5 years in the bottle. ( BD 08.02.2018)
Almost black in color with excellent foam.
Nose Bright, chocolate, red wine, caramel (notes of bourbon)
Taste. Dry, wine, charcoal, spicy (Belgian yeast?) Notes of dark chocolate, bitterness. The aftertaste is bitter chocolate and faint notes of red wine.
Well balanced Imperial.
Bottle sample at a tasting. Opaque black with brownish head. The aroma has notes of dark chocolate, roast, earthy, Belgian yeasts. The flavor is sweet and mild bitter, umami, soy sauce, Belgian yeasts, roast, dark chocolate, alcohol. Fun.
Fenomenaal lekker biertje. Diepe stoutsmaak met een lekkere kick in de afdronk