Imperial Stout

A rich ruby black to jet black beer with with intense flavours of roasted malt and barley. Expect deep and complex aromas and flavours derived from the roasted grain - burnt fruit (raisins and sultanas), fresh leather, espresso coffee, bitter chocolate, molasses and liquorice - though not necessarily all ion the same beer. Hops tend to sit back, especially in the nose, may not be too much in evidence on the nose but may offer a peppery and spicy note in the taste. The finish is long and complex, with more of the same with warming alcohol often noticeable at the end. A big beer all round,full bodied, smooth and rich. These beers lend themselves particularly well to long periods of maturation and if in oak may develop smooth caramel and vanilla characters.

This beer is part of the Strong Stout family of which there is considerably crossover. Strength wise Strong Stouts have an ABV of 5.0% and above, Imperial Stouts are usually well clear of this threshold, but alcoholic strength alone should not be used to distinguish between Imperial and Strong Stouts.

Imperial Stouts and the closely related Baltic Porters (aka Imperial Porters) derive from the strong versions of stout and porter brewed in London in the 18th and 19th centuries for export to Russia and the Baltic States. There is considerable overlap between the two styles the more roast bitter Stouts are a bit darker than Porters which have more hop flavours.